Stories about healthy play

Stories tagged healthy play

1. 01

   Puzzle-game privacy labels: what to check on iPhone

   Read an iPhone puzzle game’s privacy label, distinguish linked data from tracking, compare the policy, and find the controls that affect your choices.

   OutBrick Editorial Desk · 8 min read

   
2. 02

   Set puzzle-game time limits on iPhone with iOS 27

   Use iOS 27 Screen Time to set Games allowances and scheduled access, check which apps count, and make a practical stopping plan for puzzle play.

   OutBrick Editorial Desk · 8 min read

   
3. 03

   Dark patterns in mobile games: how to spot them

   Nagging pop-ups, confusing currencies, offers timed for your worst moment: what research says about manipulative design in games, and a checklist to spot it.

   OutBrick Editorial Desk · 6 min read

   
4. 04

   Choosing calm mobile games for kids: a parent’s guide

   Most apps young children play use manipulative design. A research-based checklist for spotting pressure, adverts and lures, and choosing calmer games.

   OutBrick Editorial Desk · 5 min read

   
5. 05

   Is gaming good or bad for your mood? What diary studies show

   In-game mood reports, logged play time and a console lottery: what the newest studies say about gaming and mood, and why hours matter less than fit.

   OutBrick Editorial Desk · 6 min read

   
6. 06

   Does a digital detox work? What the experiments show

   Quitting your phone for a week sounds healthy, but trials of digital detoxes point in different directions. What helps, what does not, and why.

   OutBrick Editorial Desk · 6 min read

   
7. 07

   Screen time myths: what the large studies actually find

   Is screen time really harming teenagers? What studies of hundreds of thousands of young people found, why self-reports mislead, and what matters more.

   OutBrick Editorial Desk · 6 min read

   
8. 08

   Gaming before bed: what the research says about sleep

   Does a game at night wreck your sleep? What sleep-lab experiments, big surveys and bedtime procrastination research show, and what to try tonight.

   OutBrick Editorial Desk · 7 min read

   
9. 09

   How games become habits: cue, choice, closure

   A practical, research-aware look at the loops that bring players back—and the design choices that keep returning voluntary.

   OutBrick Editorial Desk · 9 min read

   
10. 10

    When to play—and when to put the phone down

    A candid guide to fitting games around sleep, attention, and the rest of a real day.

    OutBrick Editorial Desk · 8 min read

    
11. 11

    Designing a game for the life players actually have

    Why “gaming life fit” is a better design question than chasing a bigger hours-played number.

    Mourad Hamdi · 7 min read

    

Search the journal for “healthy play”