Dear Tina - Addicted to Candy Crush

by +Tina Cruris

Dear Tina, there is no other way to say it. I think I am addicted to Candy Crush. I hear the words 'Sweet', 'Divine' and 'Sugar Crush' in my sleep, and when I am not playing it, I am thinking about playing it. I always have to get one last game in before I leave for work, and because of it I am arriving late. 

I find myself unable to concentrate until lunch when I skip eating to play Candy Crush on my phone. Then, when I get home, the first thing I do before taking my shoes off is switch on my laptop to play.

I have been blowing off my friends and family to play Candy Crush and I am starting to hate the person I have become. I have gone as far as creating a second facebook account so I can play while my lives are regenerating on the first account.

My credit card bill arrived 3 days ago and I am scared to open it because I have been buying lives and boosters. I am worried that I have spent way to much money on this game.

Please, please help me,

Candy Crusher

Dear Candy Crusher, thank you for being brave and writing this email. The first step in conquering any addiction is to admit that you have a problem. You seem to me to be fully aware that this silly little facebook game is taking control of your life.

For the 13 people out there who are blissfully unaware of the phenomenon that is Candy Crush Saga, it is a facebook/phone game where an assortment of colored candies appear on a grid. The player swaps adjacent candies in order to make a straight line of 3, 4 or 5 candies to make them disappear from the grid. This action makes the candies above slide down to fill the vacated spaces.

Candy Crush Level 30

Each subsequent grid increases in difficulty as does the frustration level of failing to complete a level. This is where the addictive factor comes in, since nobody wants to be beaten by a silly little game. The programmers try to make it easier for you by offering boosters which are basically cheats to help you progress through the game, but these boosters are limited in quantity. Just like drug dealers, they let you have the first one for free, but you can buy more.

If you really want to beat the game, you have to think off the grid. The only way to beat Candy Crush Saga is to stop playing it. The game will continue without end for as long as you are compelled to play it. You will never beat it if you play by their rules. There is no alternative but to go cold turkey, and delete and block the app.

Here is a video which may help you come to terms with the psychology of facebook/phone games and what they may be doing to you.

I hope this helps you come to terms with your addiction, Candy Crusher, and all those other people who may not yet realize that they have a problem.

If you are a Candy Crush Saga addict, leave a comment below to let me know what level you are on and add me to your facebook friends so you can send me some lives.

Thanks.

If you need advice on absolutely anything then email me -

Advice(at)slapthepenguin.com

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