Hello,
When I was younger I thought I’d stop playing video games when I grew up. When I was 8 I thought I’d stop when I was 13, when I was 13 I thought I’d stop when I was 18, and when I was 18 I gave in to the fact that I’m probably not going to stop gaming. Fast forward to me being 24 and here I am writing a weekly newsletter about video games. It’s funny how life works.
I think a similar thing is going to happen with the kids of today. I just worry that the mobile games they are consuming aren’t as pure as the games I grew up with.
Risks that mobile games pose to children
They can be manipulative
A lot of mobile games tend to target whales, a term for people who spend an exorbitant amount of money on microtransactions in games. They might make up 1% of a player base and 50% of total revenue for a game.
Kids are more likely to be manipulated by these tactics since they haven’t been exposed to much marketing yet.
They can be dangerous
A lot of mobile games have online functions that allow kids to talk to strangers through the game. Or sometimes if you give a kid your phone and walk away they’ll wander to a totally different part of the internet they should not be in. Parents don’t always know exactly what they can be exposing their kids to when they give them their phone.
Mobile Games aren’t designed to be full stories
Mobile games are made to plug and play for 15 minutes at a time. That gives a great endorphin rush but doesn’t lend itself well to a cohesive narrative arc.
Retro portable gaming as a safer solution
They’re cheap
When people think of video games they tend to think of the newest console generation or free mobile games. Retro games bring that console-quality at a low price point making them perfect for a parent’s wallet and child’s mind. Plus mobile games borrow a lot from the retro game aesthetic already.
There is nothing wrong with getting kids started with an older generation of games. You can get a Gameboy for 20 bucks, and there are thousands of games to choose from.
Retro games have no online functionality
They’re a closed system, so no one can interact with children online and they can’t stray from the game that they are playing.
It allows parents to leave their kids alone with a game and not worry about them wandering to some forsaken corner of the internet.
Retro games are about the story, not profit
There is a full narrative on each retro video game cartridge. They help kids learn storytelling structures, and feel a sense of progress. As opposed to the litany of mobile games that exist to drive players to the next transaction.
What type of brands can get in on the action?
Family brands
A brand like Similac could come up with a healthy gaming diet for young parents to use as they introduce their children to digital worlds.
Car brands
Gaming can be a solution for rowdy kids on a long car ride. My mom used to make sure me and all of my brothers’ Gameboys charged before going on road trips. I’d love to see a new minivan nod to the fact that parents prefer to have a quiet backseat when transporting their kids after a long day.
Education brands
There is ample opportunity for educational institutions and brands to implement games into their curriculum as a supplement to reading classes. I remember one of the main reasons I got better at reading in first grade was because it was the only way I’d be able to play Pokemon Sapphire.
Warehouse brands
Brands like eBay, Amazon, and Walmart have a large supply of retro games gathering dust on their shelves. I’d love to see a holiday push to gift these to children of the parents who are worried about how cell phone addicted their kids are.
What to take away:
They don’t make games like they used to. While Mobile games are cheap, a majority of them are not of the same quality as the older portable games made a decade ago. It might be worthwhile for brands and parents to advocate for retro games as a safer alternative.
Also, if any of you all have small kids I’d love to hear what your approach to tech with them is.
Gaming news that caught my eye:
Kotaku: DAVID Madrid and Burger King found a way to advertise in video game streamers’ streams without giving them proper compensation. Gamers are mad. It looks like DAVID Madrid focused too much on the channel and not enough on the people they were advertising to.
Hype Beast: Fall Guys, the newest video game craze, is hosting a bidding war for brands to get an in-game outfit modeled after them. Even better, all donations are going to Special Effect, a charity that focuses on gamers with disabilities.
High Score: Netflix released a new documentary all about the history of video games. Sadly, I wasn't interviewed for it. Maybe next time haha.
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Logging off
Thanks for reading. Feel free to contact me through any of the methods below. I’ll answer all questions.
Email: zacharystubblefield@yahoo.com
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zach-stubblefield-59875b152/
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