Your say: Have smartphone games become too addictive?

This week it has been reported that Candy Crush Saga, one of the most addictive games in the world is causing some people to spend hundreds of dollars each month as the addiction takes hold.

The smartphone game involves lining up confectionary in a row and is played by more than 45 million users a month.

It sounds very similar to the pokies and I guess that is the point. It has been reported that mobile gaming companies are using the latest technology to replicate the “appetising” qualities of poker machines.

Professor Sudhir Kale, a marketing and gaming expert from Bond University says that the combination of “fixed” and “variable” rewards as seen in poker machines is being programmed into mobile phone games such as Candy Crush.

On top of this the game’s manufacturer, King have set up the game with scenarios where certain users are blocked from playing for a period of time after completing various levels until they choose to pay.

This has got us thinking… Has this sort of smart phone gaming technology gone a little too far? These apps are highly accessible to everyone from children to right through to adults who may be susceptible to addiction.

Should gaming companies be allowed to design highly addictive and enticing games, encouraging people to part with their money in order to keep playing?

OR do you think that it is up to the individual to hold themselves responsible when playing these sort of games?

Let us know your say…

Have you used Candy Crush Saga? What has been your experience with it?