CoventryThompson

Over the past few decades, people of all ages have increasingly relied on technology for entertainment. Whether it’s Hay Day, Candy Crush or Block Blast, Marian girls continuously find new ways to entertain themselves with iPads before, during and after class. Some people may think it is harmless fun, and some might see it as a sign of the decline in attention spans among young people. No matter what, there is no denying that young people in today’s world are continuously finding new ways to feed their Internet addictions.

This can be seen especially at Marian. One game that has been taking the Marian world by storm is Block Blast. The game is played on dozens of iPads and phones daily. Freshman Sanibel Miller is a Block Blast player, but she enjoys other games as well.

“I would say the New York Times Games, I Love Hue, Hay Day and Good Pizza Great Pizza are my favorites. They just are a nice break from being completely focused on class all the time,” Miller said. 

Some of Miller’s most positive memories are from games. “During COVID, my class would play online games together after Zoom classes to stay socially connected,” Miller said. 

Sophomore Elizabeth Wepfer also enjoys sharing the joy of games with friends. “Roblox is a lot of fun to play with friends before and after school. The expansive game library offers games for just about anyone. A lot of Roblox game makers also make versions of popular games to be more accessible for people who may not own a computer,” Wepfer said.  

Even though playing games during school is often construed as a distraction, Miller said the easy joy that comes from playing games can be positive during a long school day. “I think it is a good way to just take a quick brain break and do something else that doesn’t require a lot of your attention. Then, when we go back to working in class, it can be easier to focus all our attention on the information,” Miller said. 

Wepfer agrees. “I usually find games to be used as a way to pass the time in classes. Usually, they are distracting. However, I think having them isn’t the worst thing either. If students don’t have homework that they want to work on at the time, taking a bit of time to themselves to just play games helps break up the monotony of school,” Wepfer said.

Wepfer elaborated on that point. “As long as they don’t draw attention away from potentially important instructions and aren’t being used when a teacher is teaching, which are my two mental criteria for good iPad usage. I will admit, I, too, have fallen victim to playing Block Blast during a long lecture, so I am not perfect either, but I think getting rid of the games all together is a bit excessive,” Wepfer said.

Miller acknowledges that games can serve as a distraction during instruction time. “They can become a distraction and take our attention away from the class if we are trying to play games while listening. They also can cause us to procrastinate on our homework because it is more fun to be playing a game,” Miller said. 

 For years, there have been conversations about whether or not easy access to technology has caused young people to be less social. 

Though Wepfer acknowledges this argument, Wepfer believes that it all depends on how the technology is used. “A lot of games are designed to be multiplayer and technology makes communicating easier. I know over the summer, my friend and I called almost every day and played Nintendo Switch games together,” Wepfer said. 

“Obviously, sitting and ‘doomscrolling’ on TikTok while laying in your bed would be an example of how technology has made people less social… Again, it’s just a lot about how you choose to use the available technology,” Wepfer said. 

Miller believes that iPads have had both positive and negative effects on the social lives of students. “Sometimes, iPads can encourage girls to be more social because girls use Google Chat to message their friends in different classes. However, they can also become a distraction for face-to-face conversations and cause girls to be less social if they are more focused on what is happening on their iPads,” Miller said. 

Technology and what people can do with it evolves each and every day. Whether it will be used as a fun break, a distraction, a social networking tool or a way to isolate oneself is ultimately up to the user.