In a world where our phones have become extensions of our hands and our attention spans have been whittled down to TikTok-length snippets, there’s something remarkably human about learning that a former world leader spends his downtime playing Words With Friends. Barack Obama’s recent revelation on Marc Maron’s podcast that this is the only game on his phone feels like a quiet rebellion against the endless scroll of modern digital life. While the rest of us bounce between Candy Crush, Wordle, and whatever viral game has captured the collective consciousness this week, Obama has chosen consistency over novelty, connection over distraction.
What’s particularly telling isn’t just the game he plays, but why he plays it. This isn’t about killing time during boring meetings or filling empty moments—it’s about maintaining a friendship with former White House photographer Pete Souza. Think about that for a moment: a man who once commanded the world’s most powerful military and navigated global crises now uses the same digital platform as millions of ordinary people to stay connected with someone who documented his presidency. There’s a beautiful symmetry there—the same technology that often isolates us being used to bridge the distance between two people whose lives were once intimately intertwined.
The choice of Words With Friends over trendier options like Wordle or Connections speaks volumes about Obama’s approach to technology and relationships. Word games have always been about more than just vocabulary—they’re conversations without words, exchanges of intellect and strategy played out across digital boards. In an era where political discourse has become increasingly polarized and hostile, there’s something deeply comforting about knowing that a former president is quietly exchanging words with a friend, building bridges one seven-letter tile at a time.
This revelation also highlights how technology has democratized connection in ways we often overlook. The same app that connects college students, retirees, and office workers also connects a former president to his photographer. There’s no special presidential version, no exclusive features—just the same grid, the same tiles, the same frustrating moments when you’re stuck with nothing but vowels. It’s a reminder that beneath the titles and the power, we’re all just people looking for meaningful ways to stay connected in an increasingly disconnected world.
Perhaps what’s most striking about Obama’s gaming confession is what it says about finding balance in the digital age. In a world where we’re constantly told to optimize our screen time, download the latest productivity apps, and embrace every new technological advancement, here’s a man who has found one simple tool that serves a specific purpose and sticks with it. There’s wisdom in that simplicity—a recognition that technology should serve our human connections rather than replace them, that sometimes the most powerful use of our devices is to maintain the relationships that matter most.
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