Addiction, according to Dictionary.com, is defined as “the state of being enslaved to a habit or practice or to something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming.”
A sheep, according to thefreedictionary.com, is defined as “one who is easily swayed or led.”
An addicted sheep, according to me, is someone who plays Candy Crush Saga — the Bejeweled knock-off that has brainwashed millions of smartphone users.
To be fair, I have played Candy Crush Saga myself. I am, in my own words, an addicted sheep. The difference between myself and most other Candy Crushers, though, is that I recognize that the game is a swirling black hole of doom from which none escape.
But there’s a trick to avoiding the abyss: don’t spend money on the in-game purchases. The game itself is free. But like most successful free games, spending money is almost required to progress through the game.
The gameplay relies on “lives” that must either be bought or gifted from Facebook friends. Requesting the gift of life from Facebook friends is humiliating, so many people throw down enormous portions of their paychecks just to have another go at level 33 or gain access to a new set of levels and challenges. I personally know someone who has spent more than of $80 on lives and power ups.
A console video game costs less than that and certainly offers more stimulation than “clearing jelly,” but such is the nature of addiction. Can someone please develop a Nicorette-esque app that cures Candy Crush addiction?
King, the development studio responsible for the game, has made so much money from in-game purchases — more than $630,000 per day, according to thinkgaming.com — that it no longer needs to display advertisements in the game in order to turn a massive profit.
Being ad-free and free to install definitely increases Candy Crush Saga’s draw, but the fact that King makes an average of $2.91 for every one of their 6.6 million daily users is sickening. If you have ever spent money on this game, I’m begging you — stop immediately.
Think about all the life-enriching things you can buy with $2.91. Like a delicious soda. A pair of shoelaces. Two McDoubles. A piece of fruit.
The possibilities are endless. The sheep will fight, though. They will fight for their right to spend nearly $3 each day on digital lives that vanish faster than they can say “my over-indulgence applies to animated candy too!”
There is a glimmer of hope in that some analysts are predicting the imminent doom of Candy Crush.
Charles Mauro, a leading expert on interface design according to Yahoo! Finance, sees a bright future where Angry Birds, or at least some other game, will reign once more.
Mauro believes that Candy Crush Saga’s prompts to purchase new lives after failing a level results in a feeling of inadequacy, which will eventually push people away from playing any more.
The social geniuses at King will continue to grow their kingdom of Candy Crushers unless we make a conscious effort to knock them off their throne of dollars. Take your freedom back, and bring this tyrant’s reign to an end.
Connor Tarter is a 21-year-old communication studies senior from Dallas, Texas.