Mobile games have been on the rise since Snake was preloaded onto 1997 Nokia flip phones. Unlike modern mobile phones, older mobile devices didn’t have an almost unlimited amount of games to choose from. Today, the mobile gaming industry is worth billions and attracts billions of players every day, with hundreds of thousands of games available to anyone with a device.
“I started because my brother, I watched him (play mobile games) and they looked cool and then I fell in love,” Berkeley High School freshman Liam Musco-Huse said. With popular online titles like Brawl Stars, Roblox, and Call of Duty, Musco-Huse was drawn in as soon as he was introduced to them. Now, he mostly enjoys playing with his friends or whenever he can find spare time. Many mobile games are specifically designed to be short in duration and to provide a shot of instant gratification. A round of an online game often lasts about five to 10 minutes, and offline games like Subway Surfers and Temple Run can be paused at any moment.
“I mostly play at lunchtime and sometimes at home,” Musco-Huse said, “If I have free time, I might run a little game.” These short play sessions enable players to squeeze in games throughout the day during a free moment. For students, this can mean playing during passing periods and at lunch. “My favorite part is the enjoyment and the excitement that I get when I play,” Musco-Huse said, “It’s just like the dopamine that rushes into my brain is very fresh.”
For BHS senior Jonah Silvers, the competition and the player experience make games like Block Blast and Clash Royale so enticing. “I like being able to play a mobile game just about anywhere,” Silvers said, “I think that the mobile game and community and world is very diverse, and I think that there’s a nook for everybody, and that’s kind of what makes it interesting.”
Knowing that the BHS student playerbase was large, BHS junior Benjamin Vu was inspired to share his love for Clash Royale with as many students as possible, deciding to start the Clash Royale club. “Let’s create an awesome community for Clash Royale this year,” Vu said. The club meets weekly on Fridays, and with a designated location for players, the club allows for students of all grades to meet and connect while enjoying Clash Royale.
While mobile gaming can serve as a fun or stress relieving outlet, it’s important to balance time for gameplay with everyday responsibilities. It can be a challenge, especially with the addictive nature that comes with the short, fast-paced matches.
BHS freshman Teddy Moore has strategies on getting his responsibilities out of the way before allowing time for mobile games. “I’ll just try to get that out of the way before I could get distracted,” he said. Developing time management skills to match student tasks are an essential part of his gaming habits, and comes with a history of playing games. “So I’ll try to have my first priority being to get home, doing school work, doing chores, and doing all the things I need to do,” he said.
BHS English teacher Zia Grossman-Vendrillo has advice on how to potentially substitute mobile gaming during spare time for healthier alternatives. Apps like Duolingo and Sudoku can provide similar entertainment while retaining educational aspects. “I’m not saying that there’s not validity to having fun or that there’s not something … worthwhile in playing games. But I’m also saying that sometimes the amount of time that people can spend on these things is shocking,” Grossman-Vendrillo said, “There’s a lot of other cool things you can do on your phone in the moments when you’re bored, like in the moments of transition, when you’re on the bus or whatever.”
Whatever the reasons for playing, mobile gaming is undeniably a huge part of the BHS student population. Vu noted, “I’ll play against my friends, sometimes at passing periods, but not during class, because I am educationally motivated.”