Sound is optional texture
Mute sits near the playfield so you do not have to hunt a settings dungeon. These games should still make sense silent: cyan still means go, crates are still labeled, the hoop still has a meter. If a title were only playable with a cue you cannot hear, that would be a defect. We do not use sound as the only “go” signal.
Play at work, in a library, or next to a sleeping person without pretending the arcade requires a soundtrack. If a future build adds richer audio, mute remains a first-class control, not a punishment.
Leaving is a complete ending
Closing the tab mid-run discards the in-flight score. The personal best already stored stays. Lives already lost in that sitting stay in the local counter that feeds the occasional between-round prompt. You do not owe the game a heroic finish because a banner is about to appear. You can leave before the third life.
Instant restart while angry is rehearsal. Pause, stand up, or open Lights Out. The journal on tilt and the ten-minute practice plan are the longer versions of this permission. The short version is: a sitting you chose to end is a successful use of a five-minute arcade.