Mobile games’ popularisation began in 1997 when Taneli Armanto introduced “Snake” on the monochrome Nokia 6110. Several manufacturers included this game on their mobiles after its immense success. Though Snake is addictive – it doesn’t preach violence like PUBG or other shooter games.
Games like Fortnite and GTA can affect a child’s brain. MRI scans revealed that these mobile games could have similar effects on your brain as alcoholism. Have you heard about the term Internet Gaming Disorder? It implies a condition where there is continuous and repeated mobile game involvement.
Moreover, video gaming addiction can lead to work and educational disruption. W.H.O. has recently listed mobile gaming addiction as a mental health condition. However, limiting your phone usage can help you to overcome this addiction.
Positive Impacts of Mobile Gaming:
Playing educational mobile games like ABC Kids can have a positive effect on your child’s brain. A recent survey reported that kids could access their parent’s cell phones in 1 out of 3 households. Data Recovery Dubai confirmed that 55% of children could easily use mobiles.
Most kids use a phone to access games or play videos. Does your kid only use the mobile to play educational games? It can improve your kid’s interpersonal skills and boost brain connectivity.
Here are the other benefits of playing mobile games:
1. Helps in Cognitive Development
Cognitive development refers to a child’s ability to think and figure out things. Playing educational mobile games can improve your kid’s cognitive abilities – specifically the visuospatial skills.
What is visuospatial skill? It is an individual’s capability to imagine, recognise, and remember objects by their shape or size. This skill can be essential when finding the road to home or while driving.
Besides, mobile games develop the spatial ability – which is important while learning mathematics. So, this is a key benefit for your kids if they play educational games daily.
Here are the mobile games that can be beneficial for your child’s cognitive development:
- Star Walk Kids
- Kids Learn Shapes
- Math Land
- Lumosity
2. Enhances Problem-Solving Skill
Scientific studies have revealed that mobile games can improve your problem-solving skills. For instance, brain games like Sudoku require strategic thinking and planning. Finding or guessing the right numbers will take a lot of work.
Moreover, mobile games help players to learn the correct way to win the game from their mistakes. Have you played the classic puzzle game Lemmings? No! Let’s learn what this game is about – players must guide the lemmings in the right direction for survival.
Using the right tool or command on the first attempt is impossible in this survival game. So, you must learn from your mistakes to win this mobile game. It will ultimately help you to solve these game problems better.
3. Improves the Hand-Eye Coordination
Hand-eye coordination is the ability to use our hands and eyes simultaneously when performing any task, and playing mobile games can sharpen it.
Do you know this skill is pivotal for faster learning? Yes! If your child plays brain games, they can learn the tasks that require hand-eye coordination easily.
Now, the question is – how do games improve this skill? Racing games require faster movements and which might speed up your reflexes and peripheral vision.
A study at Toronto University found that kids who play games have better sensorimotor skills than those who don’t play. The university students studied 18-non gamers and 18 gamers.
They were given a simple task. These gamers and non-gamers had to click on green dots using a mouse on the screen. At first, no such differences were noticed between these two groups. However, as the test speed increased, the gamers performed more accurately than non-gamers.
4. Increases Multi-Tasking Ability
It is another key benefit of playing mobile games daily. Action games Call of Duty: Mobile forces players to perform multiple tasks simultaneously. For instance, players have to look for enemies and collect weapons all at once.
Moreover, you might have to guide your teammates through chat when defeating the enemies. Thus, these face-paced games build multi-tasking abilities. Bavelier, a French cognitive neuroscientist, stated that gamers could switch from one task to another faster than non-gamers.
How Do Mobile Games Affect a Human’s Behaviour?
Some mobile gamers are extremely violent, making them inappropriate for kids of a certain age. The government has also banned such games from countries like India and Pakistan. Parents these days let their children play games when they are doing office work – it can be harmful.
Here are the adverse effects of playing mobile games that you must be aware of:
Making the Kids Violent
Researchers have found that games like GTA V promote violence. Over 90% of game developers portrayed violence as fun – it might have negative consequences. We will make this statement clear with an example. In a recent incident, a class 7 student was murdered by 2 of his fellow friends over a mobile game dispute.
Moreover, action-role-playing games can be dangerous for your kids. It can increase their aggressive thoughts and prevent them from thinking rationally. So, if you notice any FPS shooter games on your phone, consider removing them.
Reduces Attention Span
Mobile gaming requires full concentration and focus. However, the more you play a game, the more difficult it will be to focus on other tasks. A major symptom of gaming disorder is – preoccupation. It means you’re considering mobile games even when you’re not playing them.
This gaming disorder is usually noticed in gamers who waste over 20 hours into playing games. So, reduce your time on games – it will make it easier to focus on your essential tasks. You can become more productive if you completely stop playing addictive mobile games.
Emotional Dysregulation
Studies show that excessive mobile gaming can lead to emotional dysregulation and causes anxiety and depression. This mental problem can be noticed in people who play games as a way of escaping their emotions.
However, mobile games don’t solve their problems – it causes emotional numbness. On the contrary, playing shooter games for 10-12 hours can make their emotions more intense. Excessive gaming can also cause you to develop hyperarousal. As a result, you will face difficulties with managing emotions.
Signs You’re Addicted to Mobile Games
You might have started playing a game to spend your leisure time – it can become an addiction. Several signs show you are addicted to mobile games.
Are you facing difficulty quitting addictive games like Subway Surfers? It is a sign of addiction.
Here are the other signs that mobile gamers should watch out for:
- Spending money on games instead of paying bills or buying necessary goods.
- You’re constantly thinking about the games you play with your friends.
- Getting anxiety issues when the game server is down.
- You’re lying to others about how much you play.
- Poor performance in school, college or your workplace.
- You’re isolating yourself from real-world friends and developing friendships with online players.
- Developing carpal tunnel syndrome is a sign of mobile game addiction.
How to Overcome Your Mobile Game Addiction?
Mobile game addiction can induce strain injuries and other health problems. Thus, you must think about ways to recover from this addiction. Parents must take necessary steps to eliminate mobile games from their kids’ daily life.
First and foremost, you must delete the games from your smartphone. Lock the app store so the kids can access it to install new mobile games. Choose a place to keep the phone where your kids can’t reach it.
Develop the habit of reading books instead of playing games all the time. It will also boost your kid’s cognitive functioning and improve their memory. Besides, you can use apps or extensions to block game access. Parents must take professional help to stop this mobile gaming addiction.