CRUSH THE CANDIES AND NOT YOUR HEALTH, writes Prerana Bodhankar


Candies … hmmmm yummm. This was the scenario of late nineties. But today the word candy makes the youngsters shove into their tabs and i- pads. Yeah you guessed it right. For the kids of the 21st century candy means their favourite game- Candy Crush. Candy crush has become the most popular game among the youth. Today, people of every generation and of every field love to play it. 

Candy Crush Saga a match-three puzzle video game was released by King on April 12, 2012 for Facebook, and on November 14, 2012 for iOS and Android smartphones. It periodically updates new episodes and playable levels. As of April 2015, the Facebook edition had over 900 regular levels and over 600 Dreamworld levels, with new levels added every two weeks. People all over the world are addicted to this clever game. It starts with easy levels allowing us to have a sense of satisfaction of winning and as we move to higher levels , winning becomes difficult. But I guess this does not discourage the players infact enthusiase them to play harder to win, an operative strategy by King. After all “difficult roads lead to beautiful destinations.”

 In July 2013, it was estimated that Candy Crush Saga at the time had about 6.7 million active users. In social gatherings, family functions, classrooms, addicts are present only physically and not mentally. They keep themselves acquired by it even while travelling. They do not realize the value of time and people. This addiction of Candy Crush is having a very deteriorating effect on its users especially, youth. They are indulged into the game 24x7 which has poor effects on their health including obesity and muscular disorders. It not only increases the anxiety level but also make them social phobiacs. It affects their concentration power and their academic and professional performances.

 Children are occupied to their rooms, away from outdoor games making them physically unfit. Instance like mothers getting late to fetch their childrem from school prove the addiction of Candy Crush on elderly people. A recent case of a 29 year old who ruptured the tendon of his thumb and did not even realised it while playing the game tells us about the extent of madness the people have for this game. It seems that Candy Crush has become the fourth necessity in addition to roti, kapda and makan for the teenagers. Video games are benefitable only when they are played in a limit. And we all should know our limits.