Video games have evolved throughout the years to suit different types of needs. Portability, graphics, and enjoyment motivate gamers to buy. But recently, cell phone games, like Flappy Bird and Clash of Clans, have become more and more popular with students at Aragon.
Gamers that are constantly mobile might prefer games that will stay on their person at all time. The compact shape of an iPhone or a Samsung Galaxy S4 allows students to bring their games wherever they want.
Freshman Justin Sell says, “[The games] are easy to transport and you could have them anywhere you want.”
Whether during algebra class or brunch, students can be seen fiddling with their thumbs on a tiny screen. Access is relatively easy, as most games are available on the App Store for Apple devices or the Google Plus Store for Android devices and are often cheap or free.
Senior Patricia De Guzman says, “People are good at hiding games under their desks and playing. Even if the teachers are strict about the games, [students] still play.”
Sell adds, “Cell phone games are much cheaper than console games and you can’t bring your console everywhere.”
Junior Sean Cruz says, “I use an Emulator to play old games. I can play old RPGs (role-playing games) and Pokemon on my smart phone. It is all because of the advancements of new technology.”
Cell phone games need some element of ingenuity that will lure consumers. The game “Clash of Clans” functions similarly to a RTS (real-time strategy) game. Players must control a parcel of land and fight other players for resources. Games like Flappy Bird do not have set levels, but challenge the player to try and progress further and further.
Junior Nicolas Halbleib says, “It’s aggravating if you lose, so you always try to beat your last score.”
Halbleib adds, “Sometimes I play for a sense of accomplishment.”
Addictive games have a competitive element so players can compete with others across the globe in addition to with themselves. Besides Flappy Bird, games like Temple Run are not contained by levels, but instead by the player’s willpower to keep playing.
Sell says, “People have a lot of time [to play] during Bio. Nobody’s doing anything but listening to the lectures, and having your phone out is a big temptation.”
Temptation to play is the biggest obstacle to a student’s capability to learn. The addiction has even driven developer Dong Nguyen (creator of Flappy Bird) to take down Flappy Bird from the App Store and various gaming marketplaces. While cell phone games may cause a disturbance in the classroom, social lives could be impacted by these games.
Cruz states, “I think Malibu Castle in Redwood City closed because people wanted to play on their own cell phone games instead of going to an arcade to play with friends.” Cruz adds, “On the weekends, I don’t play my cell phone games all the time. Sometimes I go to the movies with friends or do schoolwork.”
In addition to Cruz, freshman Briana Johnson adds that many of her friends and even family were obsessed with cell phone games. “My mom and my brothers played Flappy Bird for a while. My friends called it the ‘Little Mario’ game.”
Cell phone games entertain and pass the time, but if abused they can become an electronic addictive substance.
