Stop playing mobile games — when gaming stops being fun

Stopping playing mobile games is harder than it ought to be for something that’s supposed to be a form of entertainment, and that’s no coincidence. Many mobile games are built around the same mechanisms as social media feeds — daily rewards, progress bars that fill up whilst you’re away, notifications that call you back — and some even use randomised rewards similar to those found in games of chance. Most people who play a lot aren’t addicted. But understanding these mechanisms makes it easier to recognise when the game has ceased to be your choice.

The tools that keep you hooked

Take a look at a typical free mobile game and you’ll find a few recurring tactics.

Daily rewards. Log in every day, get a gift. Miss a day, and the streak is broken. This builds a habit of opening the game regardless of whether you feel like it.

Energy that refills. You can play for a while, then you have to wait — or pay. The wait isn’t there for your sake. It makes you come back several times a day.

Limited-time events. A special offer or a special level is only available for a few days. This creates the feeling that you’ll miss out if you don’t play now.

Random rewards. Chests, wheels or draws where you don’t know what you’ll get. Here, the similarity to games of chance becomes clear.

This final tactic is based on the same principle described by the psychologist B. F. Skinner: behaviours that are rewarded unpredictably are the hardest to give up. It’s the same mechanism found in news feeds, as described in the article on dopamine and scrolling.

Loot boxes and games of chance

Loot boxes are virtual boxes with random contents, often purchased with real money. David Zendle and Paul Cairns investigated whether the purchase of loot boxes is linked to problem gambling. They found a clear correlation: the more people spent on loot boxes, the more signs of problem gambling they exhibited.

This is a correlation, not proof that loot boxes cause gambling problems — it may also be the case that people who already struggle with gambling are drawn to them. But for anyone who recognises this pattern, it is a warning sign regardless of the direction of the relationship. Games where you pay for a chance, not for an item, belong in the same category as other games of chance.

Playing a lot is not the same as being addicted

Since 2019, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has included gambling disorder as a diagnosis in its ICD-11 classification. The criteria are clear: you have lost control over your gambling, gambling takes precedence over other interests and everyday activities, and you continue despite negative consequences. The pattern must normally have been present for at least a year and lead to significant problems in life.

This means that most people who play a lot do not meet the criteria. Spending a lot of time on your phone is not in itself a sign of illness. The key factors are control and consequences. If you want to examine your own relationship with your phone more generally, there is a guide in the article ‘Am I addicted to my phone?’. It does not make any diagnoses, nor does this article.

How to cut back

Turn off the game’s notifications. They’re there to lure you back. Without them, you’re the one who decides when to play.

Break the daily chains. The daily reward isn’t worth opening the game for. Consciously break the chain once, and you’ll realise that nothing happens.

Remove your payment card. Disconnect any saved payment details on your phone and within the game. A purchase that requires you to fetch your wallet is a purchase you’ll have time to regret.

Choose games with an ending. Games that are sold once and end when you’ve completed them are designed to entertain you. Free games with no end are often designed to keep you hooked.

Delete the game for a week. Notice how often your hand instinctively reaches for the spot where the icon used to be. That says more about the habit than how many hours you’ve played.

When it comes to money

If you’ve spent more money than you can afford, are hiding your gambling, or find it impossible to stop even though you want to, take it seriously. In Sweden, there’s the Support Line for those with gambling problems and for their families, and healthcare services can carry out a proper assessment. It’s not a question of character, and there is help available that works.

Even for those who aren’t at that stage, it’s still worth seeing games for what they are: products designed to take up your time, just like social media feeds. You can find the full picture in the guide on how to stop scrolling.

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Zenith Protocol is a 30-day impulse control programme that trains you to recognise the moment when your hand reaches for your phone. It’s free to get started.