To fill boredom, be careful not to get addicted!

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  • Candy Crush is played by 270 million people worldwide.
  • According to the Daily Mail, the game is especially popular among women aged 25 to 55.
  • Since 2018, video game addiction has been recognized as a disease by the World Health Organization.

Spend time on public transport, wait before a meeting, or indulge during breaks: There are a thousand and one reasons to play games on your smartphone. While they are easy to entertain, Canadian researchers point out that there is a risk of addiction, especially when played to fight boredom. His work on the subject has been published in the specialized journal computer in human behavior.

a vicious circle

Two of the study’s authors, Chanel Larche and Michael Dixon, recruited 60 people for this study: all played the game Candy Crush, the principle of which is based on colored candies, which they must pair in order to crash and accumulate points. The guys were playing at levels 77 to 3307. The higher the level, the more difficult the game: “i.e. the challenge was an imbalance in the balance – skill, low intensity and low stimulation“,” say the study authors, about an easy level compared to a high level, which was more stimulating and made you want to keep playing. The scientists wanted to determine whether players wanted to play more. Continue or when there was no. At the same time, they collected information about the participants. According to their results, those who play because of boredom are more immersed in the game than others. “Those who play to escape feel greater intensity and positive affect than other players, which creates a vicious cycle where video games become a treatment for depression.“, notes Michael Dixon.

risk of addiction

According to him, playing games on the phone is a bad reflex: “Even though it improves mood, it creates an urgent need to continue playing.“They believe that prolonged and repeated play can lead to addiction, and reduce the time available for other activities considered healthy.”It can make depression worse“, he cautions. Channel Large recommends that developers of these smartphone games develop tools to reduce risk, as an alternative to limiting play time.

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