Every day more than 9 million people spend between three and six hours in front of Candy Crush Saga, one of the most popular smartphone video games in the world and which – with the various versions released from 2012 to today – has made King's fortune , his production house based in Malta. The figure was provided by a King executive during a hearing before a UK parliamentary committee, which deals with evaluating addictive technologies.
Alex Dale, manager of King, explained that last year one of the users of the video game spent about 2,300 euros in a single day, to get bonuses and other features that allow you to solve the levels faster and get more points. According to Dale, even if the expense was huge, this does not mean that Candy Crush creates forms of addiction among its users. However, the data he provided seem to suggest a more complex situation.
Every day about 270 million people play Candy Crush: in addition to the 9 million who use it from 3 to 6 hours a day, there are about 400 thousand users who spend over 6 hours in front of the video game. An average player, Dale said, plays 38 minutes a day. The amount of time dedicated to Candy Crush increases depending on some parameters: it is for example used longer by older people, with more free time, and by those recovering from an injury.
Dale defended his company even when it came to the player who spent € 2,300 in one day, urging not to rush to conclusions. He claimed that the player took advantage of a series of discounts to collect many bonuses, which were then used over the following seven months: “It may seem like a high amount. There was a promotion at the time and those who took advantage of it made a rational choice. Making that choice is up to the player. “
During the audition, Dale was asked if there are systems to warn players about the amount of money spent and the duration of their matches. An email was automatically sent to players when the spending threshold of around 200 euros per week was exceeded, but the practice was stopped because according to the company it was too intrusive. Dale said his company will consider introducing new notification systems to make players aware of their spending figures and options.
Like many other applications of this type, Candy Crush Saga also has a mechanism designed to encourage long gaming sessions by its users as much as possible. The purpose of the video game is to eliminate sweets of various types from a grid, connecting them with those of the same type and the same color. Each player can purchase upgrades to make it easier to pass levels, earning bonuses and high scores, which can then be used to redeem other rewards that help progress in the game.
