How to Control Mobile Game Addiction? Effective way is Kid-Friendly Escape Room Games
This winter, I went to visit my cousin in LA for Christmas. He has one child, and I was super excited to meet my nephew. The last time I saw him, he was a newborn cutie. It has been 11 years since.
I wanted to carry a gift for him from New York, but it was tough to decide what gift to choose for him, as I had no idea what kids of his age enjoy. I agreed to meet him, get to know his interests, and then get him something from there.
To my great surprise, he loved only one thing: His phone. Oh, God! How immersed was he in his gadget? Day in and day out, that piece of metal and plastic kept buzzing with notifications. His parents were upset and had no say over it.
This got me thinking about how this generation is out of order. I mean, where are all the football matches in the park next door, picnics, bowling matches, and other outdoor activities? Does this generation not do the typical "childhood" things?
It seemed like he did not have many friends either as he hardly went out. This was shocking for me.
Kids nowadays are weirdly ambiverts-introverts in real life, but extroverts on their gadgets. Virtual interaction is easy for them, and that is just plain sad to watch. Technology has turned them into isolated beings. They are cut off from the physical world yet active in the virtual.
I thought of doing something about this. I may not be able to change him completely, but maybe I could make a difference. I had to try, at least.
Done with Mundane
The schools already have many sports for kids, but I am not sure if they enjoy it.
There are a dozen personality workshops for kids that help them build interaction skills, teamwork, leadership skills, and so on. But these are either boring or monotonous after a certain period. After all, how many of these workshops can a kid attend? So, these were out of the question for my nephew.
He did love his gaming console. He also played with online players. But is that any good? Plus, there is no physical activity. Yes, it did seem engaging. But this is not overall development. You are still isolated and stuck with a piece of technology. The brain is continuously engaged, but there is so much more than a growing child needs to develop correctly.
I played a game or two with him. It was addictive and good for concentration too. But this was competition, a fight. Nope. This was not what I was looking for.
I wanted something that would introduce him to more people and involve him physically in the game. Something that would make him come out of his little shelter of gadgets and come into something more connected to the real world. I wanted to introduce him to interactive learning and making friends, an activity that would "social" in the real sense.
Bazinga!
My research introduced me to something new. Something that got me genuinely excited and intrigued. So, I was sure it would be the right choice for my nephew. The thing was: Escape Rooms!
This is a fabulous gaming concept that is classified as a live experience. It involves being willingly locked in a room for sixty minutes, only to find an escape.
What lies in between is a variety of challenges that not only rattles the brains but involves a lot of physical movements, coordination, logic, and teamwork. This is a team game, so undoubtedly, interactions are involved.
I felt that something like this would be perfect. My nephew will get to play a game, which he loves doing; it won't be a sport, so he will not be bored; there will be more people needed to be a bit more social and interactive with us.
I booked the game for the whole family for the weekend. I could not wait to find out my kiddos' reaction to this one.
Mission Accomplished
When we arrived, we were teamed up with another family. They did not have kids my nephew's age, but there was a boy in his later teens.
Once the game started, I saw maximum excitement in the two young kids. My nephew was a little shy in the beginning but slowly began to open up. It was not long before he was telling his parents what to do and how to do it.
Undoubtedly his logical skills were better than ours, but this was an opportunity for us to see what he was capable of.
He interacted well with the other family too. He was neither loud nor dominating. It was a pure pleasure to see him observe, understand, and then solve each challenge. He did order his parents to complete tasks, but not in an authoritative way.
At that moment, I thought Escape Rooms is a genius idea for this generation to get out there. It appeals to them in all possible ways.
Do you love gaming? Go alone or take someone to Escape Rooms and play a new theme or story every time. Various difficulty levels are also available. Are you looking for social outings? Escape Rooms games are the place to be - for family gatherings, first dates, and even birthday parties.
Escape rooms contain everything; story, challenges, interaction, teams, fun.
The best part about Escape Rooms was that it had a theme, a story. So, there is a flow of challenges. Kids are not just having fun, but building reasoning and understanding and connecting the pieces, which stimulates the right parts of the brain.
Of course, video games also achieve a similar thing. They touch the same nodes in the brain as escape rooms. But there is nothing like having to hold a piece of the puzzle in hand and solving it. The feeling of the real against virtual is anytime superior. Imagine a virtual Rubix cube to a real one. What's better?
Together as a team, we solved a crisis, just in the game, though. But it felt so good.
This game experience brought out a remarkable change in my nephew. He spent the next few days discussing how he could have done a puzzle better and which theme he wishes to explore next. He was reading about different kinds of puzzles and challenges and how to solve them.
He made friends with the other boy who played with us and planned the next game experience too.
I did it!
This game connected him back into the real world. He hugged and thanked me for the "most fun-fun weekend" of his life. He said it felt like his games had come to life.
These games spread a lot of confidence and happiness-the team due to play after us was a group of differently-abled kids and two of their guardians.
They had come in for games before, too, as I was told. They looked forward to it as the game made them forget everything and have concentrated fun. The exposure to challenges made them build up confidence.
Don't you think this is a superb way to bring your kids outside the virtual world and into the real one? I urge all parents to try this out once with their kids. Or set their group of friends for one.
Tell me what changes you observed in your little champ?
Are they still addicted to that gadget?
An Update!
In difficult times such as the ongoing pandemic, of course, visiting an escape room would not be advisable for the safety of everyone involved.
In such cases, online escape rooms can be a blessing!
Most escape room companies offer virtual versions of their traditional escape rooms. These virtual escape rooms provide the same entertainment, challenge, and experience, with the added benefit of playing them from the comfort of your homes!
Despite, the kids having to go back to gadgets, this time around it's a family-affair, this option allows them to keep up with family and friends instead of going back to the routine of minimalistic social interaction.
Feel free to share your experiences in the comments below!
