Smartphone Games and Family Bonding

There is an ongoing debate about the educational benefits of strategy and puzzle games for the smartphone. New research adds weight to the idea that such past times can actually work as a valuable tool in the bonding process between adults and their children.

A recent study of over 3,000 parents, conducted by video game maker PopCap Games, suggested that families who play games on a smartphone aid the emotional and technological awareness of their offspring. In the survey, 27 per cent of respondents said that they allow their kids to use their mobile devices for such ends on a daily basis while 80 per cent of parents described shared time on these games as "quality time" with their children.

The suggestion is that educational games not only work as a great learning tool for children but, by using the smartphone itself, the kids are also developing an understanding of technology in the modern world.

Educational games for the smartphone are still relatively young and will undoubtedly become more sophisticated and effective over time. Consumers who don’t want to take the plunge immediately will find many free games online that allow the individual to make a personal assessment of the benefits of such programs.

As recently as a year ago, a survey about such technology (reported in The Independent) concluded that 80 per cent of parents thought smartphone games were of little benefit to their children. However, a year is a long time in technology and there appears to have been a swing in public opinion as more information has become available.

Whatever the consensus about the use of smartphone games for education, the industry is growing and there appears little harm in controlled use of the games between parent and child. Another recent study showed that certain applications resulted in a 27 per cent increase in the young users’ vocabulary ratings.

The statistics are impressive and the movement toward the insertion of educational elements in games looks set to continue.