Ok, I honestly don't know what Star Traders is, but I have to jump in here and say a few things about using touch screens.
First of all, I'm not trying to be that douchebag. That person who comes in here screaming about the fiery death of devices with buttons, and how you must upgrade or you're going to be forever in some sort of weird purgatory, cut off from all human contact because there's no other way to socialize. Now, that was meant to be deliberately over the top, but my point is, when I went through my phase of hating touch screens, and hating everything I thought they represent, that's the kind of rhetoric I had to slog through any time I voiced my views on the subject. It made me defensive, and I clung even more tightly to my opinions as a result. And, no, for the record, devices with buttons are not going away. They may be harder to find, but bluetooth keyboards have surged in popularity, so anybody who actually tries to tell you that in 2018 is so full of bullshit that it's a wonder they haven't exploded.
however, I have to say that touch screens aren't as daunting as they seem. This is coming from a person who bought an Iphone 3GS back in 2011, the first model which had Voiceover. I was so frustrated that I took it back to the store the next day. I then, unwisely, ranted about it on a now defunct forum, and got torn apart for it. That whole experience, from the At&T representative telling me they couldn't turn Voiceover on for me to test because then they couldn't sell the phone, to that night I spent struggling with it, and then the aftermath, made me vow to never deal with another touch screen for as long as I lived. I believed that touch screens made people lazy, mindless, and stupid, the stupidity bit coming mostly from the fact that I couldn't imagine why people spent their entire paychecks on phones that they were going to trade in the following year for the new, slightly shinier version. And, frankly, I still don't get that part of it, especially with innovation grinding to a halt as it has. I used to chuckle at the fact that my $20 basic phone, with accessibility that was practically nonexistent, would last me for years to come, while those poor assholes just kept shelling out for the latest and greatest.
By 2016, though, my phone was on its last legs, and I had to make a decision. I had to either bite the bullet and at least try embracing the touch screen again, or hunt on Ebay or something for a used standard phone that wasn't complete garbage. That decision was helped along by the fact that my friend, who had similar feelings towards touch screens, had just purchased an Iphone a few months before, and he was telling me it wasn't so bad. He kept enticing me by recording demos of games and stuff that he thought I would like. Before that, I'd heard a lot about what the Iphone specifically could do, and I admit I was intrigued. Anything from scanning barcodes to playing games to reading books, I could do, and most of the apps wouldn't cost much, if at all. My best friend had also been bugging me to get a touch screen device so we could stay in contact on What'sApp, which was a big concern because we live halfway across the world from each other, and that's sometimes easier because of data costs and what not. So, I took the plunge and...
It wasn't nearly as bad as I expected. I would personally caution against subscribing to email lists, or getting bogged down on sites like Applevis, though. I still think Applevis has a horrendous layout, and it's really overwhelming. Same with the Eyes Free list. They're both great resources, but they're much more effective once you've gotten your feet under you, so to speak, and the basics down. I also don't think I would have gotten as far with it had I not had the two people I mentioned, who patiently helped me without judgment, those first few days as I struggled to learn to type. That was honestly the hardest part for me. The gestures themselves either changed exponentially since 2011, or I just wasn't in the right mindset at that time, because, with the exception of the roter, they all seemed intuitive. I've heard this differs with Android, though. I've heard some complaints about angle gestures in particular, which apparently can be difficult to master. Having never tried them, though, I can't really say one way or the other.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that using a touch screen is something you have to be really motivated to do, and what that motivation looks like is different for everyone. I had to respond to this, though, because some of the posts, especially the ones where you talked about wanting a phone to be a phone and nothing more, resonated with me so much it was scary. Nobody can force you to buy a phone, and, yes, it is a big investment, so if you aren't at that point yet where the reward would be greater than the hassle, that's ok. Even if you never are, that's still ok. The world will not end just because somebody doesn't "get with the times." Back in my touch screen hating days, a line I used to hear all the time was, "You're holding back the progression of technology by not getting with the times!" And it really stung, but at the same time, I was like, that's totally ridiculous, one person does not have the power to stop a multi-billion-dollar backed revolution. I still felt insecure about it, though.
Anyway, if you really want to play Star Traders, and that's enough of a motivation, then go for it! One thing I do know is that your options for cheap, accessible Android phones are better than they were a few years ago. At least you don't have to make a giant financial investment if you don't want to, like those of us who use Apple devices do.
The glass is neither half empty nor half full. It's just holding half the amount it can potentially hold.