Focus Is a Beam, Not a Floodlight
A lighthouse doesn't illuminate everything at once. It sweeps, makes contact, and guides. That's the mechanic this game is built around: your limited attention directed precisely at the right target at the right moment.
Most focus problems aren't caused by too little attention. They're caused by poor aim. The beam is a working reminder of that every time you play.
What the Rocks Actually Represent
Ships don't hit rocks because the rocks are aggressive. They hit rocks because the beam moved away. The hazard stays roughly in place; your attention is what wanders.
This is a fairly accurate model for how interruptions work in knowledge work. The distraction rarely chases you. You drift toward it.
Fog Is the Interesting Variable
Higher levels introduce fog that narrows and weakens the beam at timed intervals. These aren't arbitrary spikes in difficulty. They map to real cognitive conditions: reduced clarity windows, compressing deadlines, and the narrowing of mental bandwidth under load.
The skill fog rewards is pre-positioning. Get your angle right before the fog arrives, not after.
What to Measure After Each Level
The star system weights mistakes more than time. Finishing with three seconds to spare and zero wrecks beats finishing early with two ships lost. Watch your Mistakes stat first; time is a secondary signal.
The combination of steady accuracy and efficient throughput is exactly what separates reactive work from focused work. Both show up clearly in the numbers.