There’s a classic episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation called “The Game,” in which the crew of the Enterprise becomes addicted to a mind-controlling electronic game. As with most Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes, at least one character discovers an immunity to the threat (in this case, it’s Lt. Data) and the crew of the Enterprise is saved.
Well, somehow I got addicted to an online game. I promised myself I wouldn’t get addicted to Facebook games. And I stayed true to myself. I stayed out of Mafia Wars. I stayed away from Farmville.
But somehow… Candy Crush Saga roped me in.
I don’t know how I got hooked on it. I do know, however, that many of my Facebook friends have been playing this game for a long time. They keep announcing what level they’re at and how many lives they’ve given away. My girlfriend Nicole plays it. Several players from the National Basketball League of Canada play it. Some of my old college classmates play it, some of my trivia opponents play it. Several of my loyal blog readers play it, as well.
So… against my better judgment… I played it.
At first, I thought the game was easy. Drop the colored pieces of candy and make patterns with it. Similar I guess to other electronic games like Tetris or Bejeweled. I cleared the early levels without any trouble. I made it through this level and that level. And then I got stuck.
I tried to play my way out of getting stuck. But I used up my five lives for the day. And that’s when Candy Crush Saga pulled a fast one on me. The game asked if I wanted to purchase new lives, or if I wanted to ask my friends to share lives with me. Or if I wanted to give my friends additional lives or additional moves.
Well played, Candy Crush Saga. Well played indeed.
Okay, if I’m going to be hooked on this silly game, I have to set up some rules of my own.
First rule. Don’t pay for any moves or any lives or any special weapons or anything like that. If I only play five lives a day – the game resets itself after a half an hour or so – that’s more than enough. Do this in moderation.
Second rule. Don’t play the game until all your chores are done, Chuck. Get the blog post written. Pick up your clothes from the laundromat. Don’t let the Dream Window stay unbuilt because you’re too busy trying to get past Level 40.
Third rule. Share lives and moves only with Facebook friends who are already playing the game. Don’t be a pain in the kidneys and tell all your 250 FB friends that you are at Level 60 and you want them to play along.
Fourth rule. Don’t get frustrated because you can’t pass a level. It will come to pass. It will take some time, but if you treat the game as a puzzle-solving exercise and not as a “buy a special gem that will help you get past that tough level,” it’s more effective.
And finally, the fifth rule of Candy Crush Saga…
If you find yourself intensively, invariably hooked on the game…
See if Lt. Data can show up with his special flashing light gun, so that he can flash a pulse of strobe light in your eyes and cure you from your addiction.
Barring that… at least walk away from the game and be confident that you control it and it doesn’t control you.
Now if you’ll pardon me…
I have to go take care of some…. er… um… Camera cleaning! Yeah, that’s right, that’s the ticket, camera cleaning. Now how do I get those stubborn jelly squares cleaned – er, camera lenses cleaned…
Chuck The Writer 
Uh huh, I’m totally addicted to the game too! I never played Farmville, Mafia Wars or any of the other one either, but this one….oh my, a support group might be in order!
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I’m also a recent addict, who refuses to buy power-ups or involve any of my fb friends. But I’ve been stuck on level 27 forever. How do they expect me to get 40,000 points in 60 seconds!?! Let’s be reasonable here!
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Traci, I find that playing a little Bejeweled gives you the skills needed to pass all of the time-based levels.
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I’m NOT a fan of video games or facebook games or anything like that, but a fun iphone app game gets me everytime! i loved your blog about your addiction, because i can relate. I held off for so long and then one day just downloaded it out of impulse, and now im wishing i hadnt. I run out of lives and count down the minutes til the next round of lives comes. I must say im pretty obsessed. But why did i download it in the first place after holding off for so long? beats me. What made you finally download it? was it seeing your friends postings about the game, was it your competitive nature? was it just the simple fact that you wanted to see what all the hype was about? Its crazy to me how we can become so addicted to simple games such as candy crush, but in reality, it gets on our nerves. i.e you getting frustrated because your stuck on a level, or you run out of lives. It almost seems like it consumes you. In my media class we talk about how if you watch a film or show or read a book, you find some way to relate it to your life so it becomes relevant. You find cultural things to match your own so that you are now in the shoes of the characters. With video games its hard to make that connection, because you are the character. But is it the competition, the success that can come along with a game, is it the friendships that can be created through posting to fbook, asking for lives or giving lives, or is it the challenege of the game that you can relate too? all of these things that i find myself relating to in films all of a sudden come to play in a simple game called candy crush. Are you able to relate as i do to candy crush?
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I use Facebook to help animals. It’s odd for me to get requests from adults wanting to play these games. I know a few who seem to be addicted, and I find it quite pathetic.
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Well played by you too Chuck! haha! I know a thing or two about getting those “camera lenses cleaned” LOL!
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I have to figure out a way to get my Facebook notifications only to stop alerting my on my phone…. 15 times a day, my phone beeps, and it is someone asking me to play Candy Crush. And I only have 45 people on Facebook!
I play Words with Friends, but like you, I have rules…. I too only play with people who are already playing, and I don’t allow Facebook to notify anyone of anything. How come these other people can’t do the same for Candy Crush?
I tried Candy Crush once, but I have been playing Bejeweled for so many years that I just prefer playing that.
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