I Am Candy Crush Saga's Latest Victim
I'm not confessing to anything, but it's possible that we took a mini-vacation this past weekend just so I could have a few hours in the car enjoying absolute and total silence. That does work with 7-year olds, by the way, so if you have a toddler and you're looking for silence, hang in there. It's a few years away, but you will reach a point where you can hand over an electronic device and then sit there enveloped in soothing sounds of mouths frozen in place as little fingers click and swipe and otherwise stay busy.
It's pretty awesome.
So as we headed to Sandusky to visit a water park, I sat in the passenger seat blissfully paying attention to the nothingness that comes from a busy kid. I listened as she giggled while watching a movie and then made out with the quiet. Then I kissed the quiet. And then I hugged it and held it tight.
And then I just sat there and swam in that silence.
Eventually, though, the pure joy gave way to a twitch. I needed to do something. I've spent the past several years trying to squeeze extra work in between work and parenting and is that a five minute opening? EDIT CLIENT PHOTOS! GOOOOO!
I'm not good at doing nothing is what I'm saying.
So I pulled out my phone and started trying to catch up on emails, but that lasted about 15 seconds because I cannot type on an iPhone without ending up with sentences that say things like monkey to the bank in the horse. Autocorrect is not my friend, and there was a lot of potential to make a bigger mess than I have with my 100+ unanswered emails.
So.
So I pulled up twitter and then saw it.
"Candy Crush Saga."
I don't know who mentioned it, but I HATE YOU.
I also hate the other person who mentioned it a few tweets later because that's all it took. I decided it was a sign that it was time to download a completely pointless game on my phone and play it for a few hours.
Several days later, OMG CANDY CRUSH SAGA OWNS ME.
You guys. YOU GUYS. I need an intervention. I started out just playing in the car on the way to Sandusky, but soon I was so desperate for more lives so I could keep playing that I started looking for help. I didn't connect the game to Facebook and ask friends for help because OH HELL NO. Of course not! I am not that annoying person! Instead, I asked Dr. Google for ideas and he was all, "Guuuurl, it's time to go live in the future!"
Hello, my name is Michelle and my iPhone now thinks it's Thursday. THURSDAY. That is how far into the future I have set the time on my phone so that I can keep my Candy Crush Saga fix alive. Wait. WAIT! Now it's Friday. Woooooo! Friday!
And I'm back. Sorry, I had to play one more board. Just one more, though. I can quit anytime. See this? this is me not playing that stupid game. Yup, still not playing. Not now either. Hey! I think I made it through a full 10 seconds without even thinking about swapping pieces of candy around! Ummmmm ... SQUIRREL!
I most certainly did not attempt to distract you so I could go play some more.
Help. Just ... help. Somebody send me some Girl Scout cookies or something so I stop playing long enough to break free from the Candy Crush Saga chains that bind me.
(I'm on level 66. You?)
(She had fun on the mini vacation! See! I have proof that not every second of it was spent playing a stupid game!)
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Reader Comments (17)
Dang! I've been playing for a few weeks, and I'm on level 56. I don't change my time, or ask for lives though. That limit benefits me otherwise I wouldn't accomplish anything all day. I'm pretty sure it is my job to keep the baby alive. Level 56 has me stumped though. I'm not sure I will ever beat it. This growing back chocolate stuff is kicking my butt. I don't use any of the extras you can buy. Love the game! It is soooo addicting!
level 125 hangs head in shame
Wait... How did you get to level 66? I can't get past level 35 because the game now wants me to either pay to keep playing or ask my friends for help. I'm too cheap to pay, and I really don'twwant to be that person, bugging their Facebook friends for help. I'm going through withdrawal here!
Great....here I go into the App Store. I have work deadlines this week. Candy Crush Saga won't interfere with those, will it?
And that's all I need to know to NOT download it. LOL
213. Yes, I said 213! Oh brother. Another tip to restore your lives. Delete the app and re-add it (at least on android). I generally get bored with games in a few weeks but this one, not so much. I'll say it again, oh brother!
So far I have avoided the Candy Crush Saga addiction, but... I have to say the more people I hear playing, the more intrigued I become.
What water park did you visit? Last Summer we stayed at Kalahari and LOVED it. Will probably go back.
On my phone I am on level 33, tried to reset the phone like you did to add more lives and mine took me back to the beginning, then on my I pad I am on level 59, that one is connected to Facebook but for some reason everything that people are sending me are not being put into the game, no clue why!
I clearly need an intervention too. I saw her in her life jacket and the red looked like a candy to me. I'm on level 198.
I'm on level 87. I play before I get out of bed in the morning, so my lives will have time to rest before play at lunch... which means my lives will reset before I play before bed. Of course, that plan doesn't always work, because I will also play while on hold at work, or during a commercial, or any time I can think of an excuse and have enough lives to do so. I hate that each life takes so long to regenerate, but I figure it's probably a good thing, otherwise I'd never get any actual work done.
If you can stand it, I'd connect to facebook -- the lives are worth it, and you might be surprised by the number of your friends who play. (I totally was.) I have the app settings set so that I'm the only one who can see my posts, but it doesn't do that annoying 'omg! auto wall post begging for lives!' thing anyway.
Must confess I haven't heard of it until now, but I just looked it up on my phone and could not find it, only cheats and tools, but must find it in my ipad later today.
I suddenly feel better about my addiction ... err, distraction. I'm only on level 34. Wait, gotta go. I have a new life in Crandy Crush.
so thankful i am not a gamer of any kind. whew.
that photo of alexis is beautiful.
I was just lamenting the fact that I can't continue on until I get 1 more friend to "help" me move to the next level. I have 5 fresh lives just waiting to be used and I can't!!!!! gah!!!
The game requires no skill. The player is just at the mercy of whatever color combos the game feels like throwing down. All the expert videos are those that record the same level over and over posting the best round. Get Bejeweld 3. Cans crus copied it. It's got better music better announcer better combos better effects and it doesn't limit the player to how long they can play or haggle for money to let you continue playing.
I'm glad I'm not alone! I'm horrible and I bought YES BOUGHT PURCHASED WASTED only .99 cents XX times (so ashamed!). I want to move to level 66 but it won't allow me to purchase a ticket ;(
Ladies...Please control yourselves... This game was intentionally designed by a greedy manipulating man to force you to dribble money to his bank account to allow you to advance your scores.
He was counting on weak minded individuals to fold under pressure and pay him for the priviledge of advancing in his game.
Don't allow him the satisfaction of becoming his puppet and refuse to send him your hard earned money.