Kingpin Bowling helps kids practice and improve the following skills:

Focus

Getting started and then maintaining attention and effort to tasks.

The bowling ball in this game moves fast and obstacles pop up quickly. This means the player has to stay focused. If they aren’t ignoring internal and external distractions, a split second of lost focus can cause the player to run into an obstacle or miss hitting a bowling pin.

The game also provides practice for both short- and long-term focus. Short-term focus is strengthened by only seeing a few feet of alley at a time; the player doesn’t have to be aware of a long stretch of choices and upcoming obstacles. Long-term focus, on the other hand, is strengthened by the fact that this game continues to keep going as long as the player stays focused and avoids obstacles. Therefore, the better the player maintains focus, the better he or she has to continue being focused.

Self-Control

Managing our actions, feelings, and behaviors.

Fast-paced “runner” games like this one provide the player a great opportunity to practice their self-control skills. First, the player is constantly thinking about the future. What obstacle is coming next? Where is it in the lane? Where should my ball be to avoid it (or hit it, if it is a pin)? They also need to maintain a level-head. Becoming anxious, excited, frustrated, or angry (all of which can happen in a game like this), can lead to poor reaction time. This, in turn, causes the player to crash and lose out on earning more coins or achievements.