Candy Crush Saga gives everyone a sweet tooth

As the mobile game celebrates its one year anniversary, experts explain why it has players hooked.

Oscar Wilde said the only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it. However, it appears that if one succumbs to the temptation of Candy Crush, one just can’t stop. The game is so engrossing that people have left their children stranded at school and even injured themselves trying to reach new levels, according to Time.

Since its launch a year ago, Candy Crush has been played 151 billion times. Created by a Stockholm-based company King, the game is credited as being the first app to bag the number one spot on iOS, Android and Facebook simultaneously. According to a survey of 1000 players, 32 per cent reported ignoring friends and family to play the game, while 30 per cent said they were “addicted.” So, what exactly makes Candy Crush so irresistible? We share five key reasons.

1. The wait: In what can be called an excellent strategic move on the developer’s part, players have to wait 30-minute increments  — unless they pay  — to continue playing after they lose the five given lives. This creates a longing for the game. The “you always want what you can’t have” notion works wonders.

2. The positive reinforcement: As the players make matches, the words “sweet” or “delicious” appear on the screen, commending their performance. “Positive rewards are the main reason people become addicted to things,” says Dr. Kimberly Young, a pioneering expert on Internet and gaming addiction.

3. The possibility of multitasking: The setup of the game is such that players can easily multitask, thus, making it the perfect distraction or something that can get one through the day.

4. The consistent release of new levels: The Candy Crush team updates the game constantly and new levels are created every two weeks. The game currently has 544 levels, a feat that has set a benchmark for other Smartphone games.

5. It awakens your inner child: Providing the perfect escape into bygone days, the game transports the players into a Candy Land experience straight out of Willy Wonka’s factory. It allows players to connect with friends through social media and subsequently, creates what Young refers to as “social addiction”.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 20^th, 2013.

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