Candy Crush Saga: Why are we hooked?
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Candy Crush Saga: Why are we hooked?
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We spoke to a handful of friends and family to find out what’s feeding the sugar addiction for the free game Candy Crush Saga
Transcript of Candy Crush Saga: Why are we hooked?
ExperienceLab
Candy Crush Saga:Why are we hooked?
ExperienceLab
Sweet tooth
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Candy Crush Saga has topped iOS and Android app charts, and become the most played game on Facebook. With this in mind, we spoke to a handful of friends and family to find out what’s feeding this sugar addicDon...
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Female, 24 years old
Female, 18 years old
Female, 53 years oldMale, 38 years old
Who we spoke to
Male, 32 years old
“I go through obsessive phases”
“It’s very addicDve”
“I like this one best ”
“I enjoy it”
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What we found out
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“Playing aQer a few games, you figure it out”
I just skipped [the tutorials]. Long
tutorials, I just skip -‐ I’m geVng used to how these games work
“I just startedplaying”
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Our players were drawn in by how easy it was to pick-‐up the basics
Quick & easy to learn
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“Playing aQer a few games, you figure it out”
I just skipped [the tutorials]. Long
tutorials, I just skip -‐ I’m geVng used to how these games work
“I just startedplaying”
ExperienceLab“Each and every level -‐
it’s something different. Some levels it’s jelly, some levels you have to get things
down...”
“The levels keepme interested”
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...But the challenge rises
And these incremental challenges keep our players interested
“Each and every level -‐ it’s something
different. Some levels it’s jelly, some levels you have to get things
down...”
“The levels keepme interested”
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“When I can’t be bothered to read, I’ll play on the bus”
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Candy Crush is always on hand, which makes it
perfect for those ‘in-‐between’ Dmes of
day; commuDng, queueing, waiDng for
the kecle to boil
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It’s in yourpocket
“When I can’t be bothered to read, I’ll play on the bus”
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“Just chilling on the sofa”
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The short levels -‐ over in a macer of
minutes -‐ also make it easy to ‘snack’ on levels, for example during TV ad breaks
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SecondScreen
“Just chilling on the sofa”
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“It’s cringe, isn’t it? I never would [play on Facebook], but I know lots of people do”
“To be honest, I haven’t really noDced it much on Facebook”
“I’m alwaysasking for more lives”
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There’s plenty of discussion in the media about the
social network success of Candy Crush -‐ and the role this has played its growth
But only one of the people we spoke to used this
plahorm; perhaps this isn’t the magic ingredient
Social
“It’s cringe, isn’t it? I never would [play on Facebook], but I know lots of people do”
“To be honest, I haven’t really noDced it much on Facebook”
“I’m alwaysasking for more lives”
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“Word got around, so I just downloaded it”
“We talk about how addicted we are”
“I rang my sister to say I’m on level 27, but
turns out she’s on, like, 127!”
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But real life conversaDons were rife -‐ comparing levels, and chaVng about the game’s addicDveness did help recommend the game to new players, and remind others to play
Game talk
“Word got around, so I just downloaded it”
“We talk about how addicted we are”
“I rang my sister to say I’m on level 27, but
turns out she’s on, like, 127!”
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“I got stuck on a level. I’m actually debaDng geVng someone to complete it for me”
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“I’m stuck at 33 and I’m not happy”
“I’m on level 23, bit put-‐off as I
can’t get past it”
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“I got stuck on a level. I’m actually debaDng geVng someone to complete it for me”
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For some, a tricky level leaves them stuck, and some players lose interest
trying to overcome the same challenges
SDcking Points
“I’m on level 23, bit put-‐off as I
can’t get past it” “I’m stuck at 33 and I’m not happy”
ExperienceLabAQer the sugar rush
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But nothing lasts forever. This could just be the natural conclusion in the gameplay lifecycle. The quesDon is, how can players be enDced by the next challenge, and moved onto another game that gets them as hooked?
AQer the sugar rush
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Sweet success• Be quick & easy to learn• Raise the challenge & complexity
with levels• Make levels short enough to fit
‘in-‐between’ Dmes• Be easy to talk freely about
(socially acceptable content)• Work as a second screen• Support social De-‐ins• Help overcome ‘sDcking’ points
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“Thank you!”
ExperienceLab have been helping to drive innovaDon, shape new products and services, and direct strategic thinking for more than forty years, and we are proud to have some of the best researchers in the business Our staff are skilled at gathering rich insights, based both on people’s real life experiences, as well as the views and preferences they express in a lab environment
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