Steve Sharman, a PhD student in psychology at the University of Cambridge researching gambling addiction, explains that the impression that we are in control of a game is key to its addictive nature and is vital when playing a slot machine, for example. This strategy is known as a variable ratio schedule of reinforcement and is the same tactic used in slot machines you can never predict when you’re going to win, but you win just often enough to keep you coming back for more. Rather than discouraging us from playing, this actually makes the game even more enticing than if we won easily. This means that the reward schedule becomes unexpected: we lose more often than we win and we never know when the next triumph will come. As we play, the game gets harder, the wins (and those bursts of dopamine) becoming more intermittent.Īlso, despite what you may think – and what the developers of the game claim – Candy Crush is essentially a game of luck, your success dependent on the array of colours you have randomly been given rather than your swiping skills. But Candy Crush keeps us coming back in several ways. If the game remained this easy, however, we’d quickly tire of the jellybeans and gum drops, becoming bored after a couple of binge sessions. Despite its reputation as a pleasure chemical, dopamine also plays a crucial role in learning, cementing our behaviours and training us to continue performing them. These accomplishments are experienced as mini rewards in our brains, releasing the neurochemical dopamine and tapping into the same neuro-circuitry involved in addiction, reinforcing our actions. Initially, the game allows us to win and pass levels with ease, giving a strong sense of satisfaction. The premise of Candy Crush is basic enough for a preschooler – just match three candies of the same colour. So what is it about this game that makes it so addictive?įirst off, it’s simple. I am on level 140 (not something I’m proud of), even after deleting the app once because I couldn’t stop playing.

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