Data shows that moms are gaming, and that they represent a large slice of the mobile-gaming market. Time and material conditions shape what we play and why.
A report by Activision shows that, contrary to popular belief, most moms (87%) are playing games. While moms are playing many different types of games, mobile is still in the lead, with 94% of moms playing mobile games regularly.
I started playing mobile games like Tiler More, Monument Valley, and Homescapes when my son was born. These mobile games are cheap, portable, and interruptible. When my son was falling asleep on me in the dark, it was convenient to play on a phone.
The small and large ways my life shifted when I became a parent had a huge impact on the types of games I played. I switched from playing console games in long sessions to mobile games in short bursts.
I’ve seen this sentiment echoed by other parents. For example, on Reddit, a lot of parents request recommendations for games that fit their lifestyle. One poster asks: “any suggestions for games that are low stakes and still fun for 30–60-minute chunks?” Another poster similarly requests suggestions “for a gamer dad without much time to play,” noting that he needs “something where I can feel like I did some stuff in 2 hours.”
Parents also note that caregiving impacts what they can’t play; long cutscenes, online multiplayer, or games where choices/actions have a major impact on the outcome can be difficult for players who might be interrupted. Often, parents signal that the games they used to play no longer fit their needs.
There is a tendency to link what we play with who we are, but who we are changes. We play different games at different points in our lives because our material (and emotional) needs shift. Right now, I’m enjoying games like Remedy Entertainment’s Control—its manageable missions and short fights fit neatly into the one-hour slot between when my son goes to bed and when I pass out from exhaustion.
Parenting isn’t the only lifestyle change that informs genre choices: other types of caregiving (e.g., taking care of aging parents), commuting on a bus, income, frequent travel, and illness, impact which games we choose to play as well.
The types of games that are amenable to playing in a nursery, hospital room, or on the bus, are typically the types of games that are denigrating as casual (if not downright harmful) wastes of time.
The dismissal of mobile games as harmful or “casual,” is analogous to the way we treat other types of media as well—romance novels and other forms of genre fiction are often dismissed as less serious. Poetry has even been unfairly treated as less “rigorous” than prose because it can be written in shorter chunks of time.
I’m not trying to say that Tiler More is poetry, but I do think we tend to denigrate the types of media that are accessible and approachable. What we read, watch, listen-to, and play is informed by various constraints, including time and money.
Rather than diminish those choices, we should focus on the fact that different types of games provide meaning, joy, relaxation, and escape to different people, at different points in their lives.
If you’re looking for a game that fits into a short time slot here are a few of my favorites:
Games that involve a daily “check-in,” like Disney Dreamlight Valley or Animal Crossing provide a fun way to quickly build daily momentum in 15–30-minute chunks. If you’re looking for something a little different, Studio Seufz offers a quirky take on the daily check in with The Longing.
Games with short action sequences (and low consequences for “losing”) like Control, Outer Wilds, and Hades are not interruptible, but you can feel like you accomplished a lot in thirty minutes.
In addition to Tiler More and Monument Valley, Baba is You and Two Dots offer interesting, relaxing, and highly interruptible puzzles that can be played in short, sporadic bursts throughout the day. You might also check out this list of mobile games the encourage healthy play.
