Last April, the world’s collection of addicting substances increased by one. One of the most frustrating, addicting and pocket-emptying creations took over many lives. The name of this source of stress and procrastination: Candy Crush Saga.

I have an embarrassing history with this game which followed in the footsteps of Farmville by starting as a popular facebook app and growing into a “free” smartphone app. After months of watching my friends enjoy this upgraded Bejewled, I decided to give it a try during the summer. Once I reached the third difficult level of the game, level 29, I chose to be strong and delete the game. I thought I was free.

Due to summer activities, I managed to stop playing the game for two weeks. I probably would have been able to maintain this had it not been for my mom downloading the app and asking me for help on nearly every level. I was secretly hooked, and forced to discover everything that was wrong with the number one app at the time.

Some of the most frustrating things about the app are the special goals. Clearing all of the jellies, bringing down all of the ingredients and getting a certain score by switching the location of a few candies are just unnecessary requirements for a game. Adding a limit to the amount of moves allowed for these goals is just cruel, and the frustration this causes is probably the reason behind so many cracked phone screens.

I also feel that this game was one of the top causes for procrastination this summer. The timed life renewal and frustration created by losing the game because you didn’t have enough moves pushes people to keep trying. I couldn’t tell you how many times I heard my mom say the words, “Just one more game of Candy Crush,” this summer before doing something much more important with her life. I must also admit that I probably used Candy Crush Saga as a reason to wait to start my summer project for AP English III.

In my opinion, King, the company which created the game, tricked many of the people who downloaded the game. When you go to the App Store, Candy Crush Saga is a “free” app. However, once you open the app, you would disagree. Impatient people who can’t wait 30 minutes for a new life can buy them, and there are special candies which help you out of sticky situations available for purchase. Once people get addicted to the game and levels get harder, these special candies and immediate lives become necessary to continue the game. This is where either King gets lots of money, or people give up on the game. My mom and I chose the latter.

I’m glad the Candy Crush Saga era is coming to an end as more and more people either realize the truth or complete all 410 “mouthwatering” levels. Ever since my mom and I gave up on levels containing chocolate that somehow grows like a virus and illogically-placed bombs in the candy, I have been under less unnecessary stress and my average time procrastinating has decreased greatly. I have seen something alarming on TV, though. King has recently come out with another puzzle game called Pet Rescue Saga. Let’s hope this isn’t the beginning of a new era.