Mario Kart blew away the world of iPhone users with its release–for all of two weeks that is. It seems as if every other week, teenagers are becoming consumed by new games or apps only to discard them after mere seconds of attention.

“I used to play [Mario Kart] when it first came out, but after a while I just got bored,” states Camila Aca-Lopez (11). 

The decline of mobile games may not be on the same level as real world-wide crises, but it does say something about this generation and its disregard for a world outside of technology. 

Audrey Vasquez (9) states, “There is so much going on in technology and everyone just wants to be apart of it.” Technology is constantly changing by the minute, and we change along with it. 

When Airpods first came out, everyone jumped at the chance to get their hands on a pair. A short year and a half later, the Airpod Pros were released and caused a similar kind of chaos. The Airpods, while convenient and loved at first, are now simply an unwanted prototype which no one gives a second glance. 

It’s the same thing with mobile games: they’re constantly being replaced by new, more efficient apps in an attempt to satisfy this generation’s demand for the shiny new thing or trend. 

The only apps that are of any relevance to this generation are all Social Media based. When asking students which apps they spent the most time on, the majority listed Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat. What’s so different about these apps that they manage to capture teenagers’ attention longer than anything else? 

“[Social media apps] connect you to people around the world in a way mobile games don’t,” states Ava Vasquez (11), “It’s also a way to compare our lives to others, and for whatever reason that attracts us.” 

This generation has no real want for the adventures of Mario and Luigi, but we crave the feeling of determining if someone’s post on Instagram is good enough to like. It’s a funny thing that in a world where we have never been more connected, we’re also farther apart than ever. 

And it all starts with our neglection of mobile games.

Vasquez questioned, “How is that we care more about advancing technology and games than we care about forming relationships with each other? That’s what I wonder.”