iPhone games can ruin lives

When I was 13, my parents got me an iPod Touch for my birthday. It's something I had wanted for a while since a few of my friends had them, and I was interested in the huge variety of games that the App Store had to offer. When I finally had my own, I immediately started downloading games that looked cool. Some cost money, most were free, but all of them found a way to keep you playing. One of the main aspects of the free games (something that has become even more prominent recently) is a "freemium" model that utilizes ads and in-app purchases to make their money. Because this is a way to make more money than just a singular purchase when initially downloading the app, developers put even more features into the game that will keep their customers coming back for more.

These games are extremely problematic for a few reasons. They limit productivity greatly. I have found myself hooked on some of these games for months at a time, and I always get far less done during these periods than I would otherwise. This lack of productivity can add up in a hurry, and the impact of these games become pretty clear. For those with low impulse control, they can be a financial burden as well. The in-app purchases these games utilize generally help the customer do better in the game, and people will spend hundreds due to their need to succeed. It seems clear to me that these games have had an overall negative effect on society as a whole.