THE Candy Crush Saga has the world in its sweet little grip.
For players past the initial addiction phase, desperation to get ahead has taken over, with some resorting to cheating. Avid fan Siyakholwa Macanda, who first let the bug bite as a pastime while her newborn baby was asleep, said a popular cheat was changing the time on her phone so the game thought the mandatory waiting time for a new life had lapsed.
This is an immediate fix but it has its downsides, Macanda warned, as her phone was already living way into June.
Candy Crush Saga is a switcher game where players have to match candies in combinations of three or more to win points and defeat obstacles. The game has over 500 levels with each offering a different challenge.
The game is free to download and play but players may purchase lives, extra moves and power-ups.
It was launched on King.com in 2011.
“I first saw the game on Facebook last year but I never bothered playing it until my baby was born in February. I was spending a lot of time alone and I was bored when he was asleep so I downloaded it,” Macanda said. “I'm competitive and curious by nature so now that I've started I just have to see how far I get before I quit.
“The only cheating I've done is changing the time, but I have seen other tips on the internet.”
A quick web search revealed tips on ways to get unlimited lives, how to restart or reset levels without losing lives, how to spin a wheel to earn a free booster every 24 hours and how to skip levels with ease.
There are also crash courses for beginners.
Professional gamer Sheraaz Nunian, who played up to level 60, said cheating was not difficult as there were many loopholes to find.
“There are also apps that people can download so they can get gems to help them get ahead, for instance,” Nunian said, who also warned about its addictive qualities. “One reason this game is so addictive is that players can play online against their friends. The design also contributes because it’s very well done.”
Colin Webster, president of Mind Sports South Africa, said games such as the Candy Crush Saga become addictive because of the feelgood factor they stimulate in the brain.
“Playing games is not necessarily a bad thing because some games actually develop mental capacity, especially if they are strategy games,” Webster said.
Dispatch readers who commented on our Facebook page had mixed feelings.
Nicole Liddle said she had resorted to deleting the app because it was too addictive.
“It was taking up family time and causing a problem for me. Housework was being left because of it. It’s terribly addictive,” she said.
Khanya Xavi said he was only playing it for fun while Victoria Brown said the game was interesting at first but had soon become boring.
“I’m Balise and I’m a Candy Crush addict,” confessed Balise Tshaka. — zisandan@dispatch.co.za
Candy match game proves a snatch
For players past the initial addiction phase, desperation to get ahead has taken over, with some resorting to cheating. Avid fan Siyakholwa Macanda, who first let the bug bite as a pastime while her newborn baby was asleep, said a popular cheat was changing the time on her phone so the game thought the mandatory waiting time for a new life had lapsed.
This is an immediate fix but it has its downsides, Macanda warned, as her phone was already living way into June.
Candy Crush Saga is a switcher game where players have to match candies in combinations of three or more to win points and defeat obstacles. The game has over 500 levels with each offering a different challenge.
The game is free to download and play but players may purchase lives, extra moves and power-ups.
It was launched on King.com in 2011.
“I first saw the game on Facebook last year but I never bothered playing it until my baby was born in February. I was spending a lot of time alone and I was bored when he was asleep so I downloaded it,” Macanda said. “I'm competitive and curious by nature so now that I've started I just have to see how far I get before I quit.
“The only cheating I've done is changing the time, but I have seen other tips on the internet.”
A quick web search revealed tips on ways to get unlimited lives, how to restart or reset levels without losing lives, how to spin a wheel to earn a free booster every 24 hours and how to skip levels with ease.
There are also crash courses for beginners.
Professional gamer Sheraaz Nunian, who played up to level 60, said cheating was not difficult as there were many loopholes to find.
“There are also apps that people can download so they can get gems to help them get ahead, for instance,” Nunian said, who also warned about its addictive qualities. “One reason this game is so addictive is that players can play online against their friends. The design also contributes because it’s very well done.”
Colin Webster, president of Mind Sports South Africa, said games such as the Candy Crush Saga become addictive because of the feelgood factor they stimulate in the brain.
“Playing games is not necessarily a bad thing because some games actually develop mental capacity, especially if they are strategy games,” Webster said.
Dispatch readers who commented on our Facebook page had mixed feelings.
Nicole Liddle said she had resorted to deleting the app because it was too addictive.
“It was taking up family time and causing a problem for me. Housework was being left because of it. It’s terribly addictive,” she said.
Khanya Xavi said he was only playing it for fun while Victoria Brown said the game was interesting at first but had soon become boring.
“I’m Balise and I’m a Candy Crush addict,” confessed Balise Tshaka. — zisandan@dispatch.co.za
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