Candy Crush is very simple, yet highly addictive game. It engages the players in matching similarly colored candies. It is so simple that any kid can play it. The best candy crush blog estimates it to be worth billions.
This app has had so many people downloading it and making in app purchases. The company behind this app, King Digital Entertainment, was reported to net 568 million dollars last year alone.
The main reason why this game is so addictive is that at first, winning is so easy which results in a sense of satisfaction. This causes the release of dopa-mine, an addiction enforcing catalyst that keeps us playing it over and over again. This leads to addiction. As the game progresses, it gets harder. This gives an even stronger sense of satisfaction as one wins a round and hence more intermittent release of dopa-mine in the human brain.
Despite what many may think, including the claims of the app developers, this game relies entirely on luck depending on the randomness of the given candy colors rather than individual swiping skills. This implies that the reward schedules become unpredictable. As a result, we lose more than we win. This ends up enticing people to play more rather than discouraging them as opposed to having people win easily. This is an effective mental strategy used in gambling slot machines.
Another important feature within the game that affects how we respond is the limit to the time we play. You are put on a time out after every 5 losses. This puts you in a position where you can never get satisfied of playing it. This actually makes the game more rewarding once you are permitted back in. This is also how candy crush makes money, by letting you buy back in if you are willing to pay for some extra lives.
This deprivation technique is called the hedonistic adaptation. Harvard University conducted a research to try and prove this theory by putting together 2 groups. One group was deprives of chocolate for a week and the other group was given unlimited amounts of chocolate. After a week, both groups were given chocolates. The group deprives of chocolate found the chocolate to be more sweet and satisfying than the group that was deprived.
The final reason as to why the game is so addictive is that it uses candy. Food is often used to in gambling games in order to trigger the pleasurable sensations we derive from savoring it. It is no wonder food is used in some gambling machines such as the famous fruit machine. The King company knows this positive association that help make it relaxing and fun.
Now, while there are shocking stories where people neglected their responsibilities because they could not stop playing this game, candy crush is, at the most part, a completely harmless game. You do not have to pay a dime if you want to and of course, you can quit playing it any time you please.
This app has had so many people downloading it and making in app purchases. The company behind this app, King Digital Entertainment, was reported to net 568 million dollars last year alone.
The main reason why this game is so addictive is that at first, winning is so easy which results in a sense of satisfaction. This causes the release of dopa-mine, an addiction enforcing catalyst that keeps us playing it over and over again. This leads to addiction. As the game progresses, it gets harder. This gives an even stronger sense of satisfaction as one wins a round and hence more intermittent release of dopa-mine in the human brain.
Despite what many may think, including the claims of the app developers, this game relies entirely on luck depending on the randomness of the given candy colors rather than individual swiping skills. This implies that the reward schedules become unpredictable. As a result, we lose more than we win. This ends up enticing people to play more rather than discouraging them as opposed to having people win easily. This is an effective mental strategy used in gambling slot machines.
Another important feature within the game that affects how we respond is the limit to the time we play. You are put on a time out after every 5 losses. This puts you in a position where you can never get satisfied of playing it. This actually makes the game more rewarding once you are permitted back in. This is also how candy crush makes money, by letting you buy back in if you are willing to pay for some extra lives.
This deprivation technique is called the hedonistic adaptation. Harvard University conducted a research to try and prove this theory by putting together 2 groups. One group was deprives of chocolate for a week and the other group was given unlimited amounts of chocolate. After a week, both groups were given chocolates. The group deprives of chocolate found the chocolate to be more sweet and satisfying than the group that was deprived.
The final reason as to why the game is so addictive is that it uses candy. Food is often used to in gambling games in order to trigger the pleasurable sensations we derive from savoring it. It is no wonder food is used in some gambling machines such as the famous fruit machine. The King company knows this positive association that help make it relaxing and fun.
Now, while there are shocking stories where people neglected their responsibilities because they could not stop playing this game, candy crush is, at the most part, a completely harmless game. You do not have to pay a dime if you want to and of course, you can quit playing it any time you please.
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