I Admit It… I’m An Addict

I Admit It… I’m An Addict

Belinda @ Kids Matter

Yes, I’m disgraced. I’m a broken woman, suffering the mortification of it all. I shamefully hide my face in embarrassment. How could I admit such a thing in a widely publicized format? Because, apparently, there are 46 million other addicts suffering the same addiction! Blast you Candy Crush Saga!! Has this sinfully teasing game cast its wretched net over you as well? Do you quickly burn through your five lives and spend the rest of the evening anxiously awaiting another addict’s gift of a free life? Do you curse the screen? The game maker? Scream in search of stress relief? Are you dreams filled with all those moves you could have or should have made? Do you lie awake for hours every night meticulously analyzing your next attempt at beating the demon that controls those tempting candies?

I have to say, I’m quite proud of myself thus far. I have made it all the way to level 86 and been stuck there for what seems like forever but I’ve never used a cheat or paid any money, whatsoever, to feed my addiction! I’m an honest and frugal addict! Yeah, that’s something to be proud of.  (Insert sarcasm there.) I do “woo-hoos” and “yeah babys” when I surpass a friend or family member. I’m just a tad bit competitive. Wink, wink! My heroes are those that have advanced far past me, into new and glorious territories of which I, apparently, can only dream.

According to Wikipedia, Candy Crush Saga was developed by King in April 2012, for those of us with yet another addiction… Facebook! Seven months later they found a new way to feed our addiction… the Candy Crush Saga smartphone app! Woo-hoo!! Thank you King, for helping us find a new stressor in our lives! Inside Social Games lists Candy Crush Saga as the number one Facebook game.

Rewind the clock 28 years… were you this hypnotized by Mario and Luigi when they debuted in 1985? How about 40 years back in the time traveler when Champion Ping Pong hit the world via Atari?  I have a hearty laugh now as I remember my Mom and Dad telling us to hush as they anxiously watched a slow moving white glip bounce across the TV screen while positioning their virtual paddle for a slow return. My, oh my, has the gaming world taken a huge leap in 40 years! One can only imagine where the next 40 years will take us, but I can bet you one thing… there will be many more addicts out there battling “gamer fever”!

To gamer’s everywhere I say this… you are more than just five lives in a virtual world. You are a genius carefully manipulating, analyzing, positioning, and vindicating strategic movements in both the virtual world and reality. When the two worlds meet, you either win or lose but never concede. Always strive to learn and aspire to bigger and better things. If we are going to spend this much time strategizing over the virtual world just think of the grand things we can accomplish in the physical world. Yeah baby!!! Woo-hoo!!