By: Jason Watkins and Owen Simler | Writers
September 13, 2019
Mobile video games are often used as an escape from the constant social encounters, work, and education that life provides. As a student, a mobile video game is a way to isolate yourself from the school environment around you, as if it was a relief. This idea of escape is the main reason why students today are addicted to video games.
Big name companies, such as Supercell, provide three main games: Clash Royale, Clash of Clans, and Brawl Stars. Not only do students play for fun, but they also want to compete with their friends. Most mobile video games have PvP (player vs. player), meaning that friends can compete against other friends. Not only does this increase the amount you are playing, but also encourages more people to play, leading companies to take advantage of the toll these games take on students.
For many teenagers, mobile video-games affect their lifestyles and their work habits. Game designers aim to make their games as addictive as possible to keep players’ attentions. One way that these game producers do this is by adding daily rewards. This causes the player to feel the need to come back to their game everyday. While on the game, the player will play a game or two which can sacrifice huge amounts of crucial time. Most of these games will draw players in after one or two games that can cause them to play for an additional thirty minutes.
This addiction is the most dangerous to everyone playing the games because it is the most time consuming. Some students use video games to take a break after hours of homework.
San Clemente High School junior Wyatt LaLonde, a mobile gamer since seventh grade, said the games are “a distraction, but it relieved some of my excess stress,” from things like homework and school. In reality, this “stress’ is used as an excuse to procrastinate or even ignore your problems. Junior Ethan Colemon, who is nationally ranked in Brawl Stars said, “being at such a high level level in the game causes me to want to keep that standard so I will play at least an hour a day.”
Ultimately showing that the level of video game addiction that occurs throughout the school is a very common problem and needs to be addressed. Video game addiction is under examined in schools and is seen as a minor setback rather than a growing problem that will soon display crucial effects.
Great pictures on this article. I find myself playing supercell games like ten hours a day sometimes so I can emotionally relate to this article.