Phone game junkie

Created on Thursday, 21 February 2013 10:02 Last Updated on Thursday, 21 February 2013 10:11 Published on Thursday, 21 February 2013 10:02 Written by Debbie Norrell Hits: 430

DEBBIE NORRELL

When the game Pac-Man was introduced back in the late ’70s from time to time I would go into a restaurant and play the game while I was waiting for my lunch. It was fun, I liked the sights and sounds of the game and of course racking up points is also exciting. I never got into any of the other games like Atari or PlayStation. Frankly, I thought they were the demise of our youth and often wondered how people could spend time playing a game when they could be doing something so much more productive.
Fast forward to the present, I now have a smart phone that has all kinds of bells and whistles. One of those bells is the ability to download free “apps.” I guess that is short for applications that allow me to play games on my phone. When I saw other friends doing this I was stunned. They were actually playing a game on their phone instead of engaging in conversation with the people they were with.
I don’t know when it happened but a friend or maybe it was a “phone game pusher” introduced me to a game called the Logo Quiz. It has all kinds of categories and different kinds of logos to identify, like Chanel, Gucci and Mercedes Benz. Wow right up my alley. This was actually fun I felt like I was on a game show quickly identifying the logos and moving on to the next level. The only thing that was missing was the lights, the cameras and the prize money.
My pusher/dealer told me if I liked that game I’m sure to enjoy playing Candy Crush, so I gave it a try. At first I didn’t understand how the game worked, I was earning points purely by accident and then I caught on. I’ve moved up 23 levels, I’ve filled the lake full of lemonade and I’m running down my batteries playing these mindless games. I may have to check into rehab.

I used to wonder why so many people where inviting me to play games with them via Facebook. Now I see, this is madness. I can’t see where there is any personal gain in playing the games. The only gain seems to be for the companies that run the banner ads and whoever is trying to get me to buy more time to play the game after I have run out of free time or moves.
One of the things that hooks you are the hypnotic tunes that are played and the words of encouragement that flash on the screen, sweet, divine and sugar crush. But I’m not gaining anything, no hand/eye coordination, no money, just points and bragging rights. Precious time is being wasted. I can see playing these games when you are stuck in an airport or perhaps riding a bus or train, but you better have your charger handy because these games quickly run down your batteries.
I think you should be able to earn free smart phone use or if you gain so many points you can break your contract. In the meantime after I complete level 24 I quit.
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