If you ever need an ice breaker, bring up Candy Crush Saga! It's a sure way to stir up a conversation. Everyone knows about it. Even non-players have heard of it, or have received an invitation to play this highly addicting game. And as for us, players, we have our own stories of frustrations and successes of repeatedly trying to stop chocolates from filling the board, hoping to be able to form super sweets, impatiently waiting for a new life, and bugging your friends to send you a ticket for you to unlock the next level (or are you more of the bugged friend?).
I can't remember how my Candy Crush "obsession" started but the first time I tried my hand on playing Candy Crush Saga, I got hooked right away!
While everyone's at it, might as well find out how Candy Crush can relate to our lives and giving it more meaning than just switching sweets.
1. Find your match.
The mechanics of Candy Crush is simple. You just have to match at least three candies of the same kind.
Life is pretty much like that. You complement your "sweet spot" with things in life that will make you feel complete and keep you fulfilled. When choosing a career, forming relationships or engaging in activities, we naturally gravitate toward what brings us joy.
2. Act with a purpose.
So you beat your personal record by matching four candy trios in ten seconds. Great! But did it clear the jelly? Did it bring the ingredients closer to the bottom?
Some (or most) of the things we do, we do just for the heck of it or for that fleeting sense of accomplishment. It may give us temporary satisfaction, but it really doesn't take us anywhere or worse, it hinders progress.
Just because you can do one thing doesn't mean you should do it.
3. One wrong move can screw you up.
How many times have you made the mistake of moving a candy to form a match of three, when you could have moved it the opposite way and have formed special sweets?
Always think before you do something (in life and in Candy Crush, that is). Think beyond what is at hand and see how series of actions can lead to a bigger consequence. Be a few steps ahead.
4. Join forces for more awesome results!
When I showed someone (can't remember who) that a striped candy and a wrapped candy, when switched, form a ginormous candy that wipes out sweets horizontally and vertically, he was stunned in amazement.
People are like the super sweets. When two (or more) talented people work together toward a common goal, the best gets even better.
5. Waiting is part of the game as it is a part of life.
It's the longest 25 minutes of your life—waiting for the game to refresh so you can have at least one life to resume working on the level you've been stuck with for the past three days. (That or spend $0.99 for a set of five lives.)
Waiting can be therapeutic and it gives you time to reflect on your goals. When you are forced to take a break, take it as an opportunity to pray for patience and guidance to be where you ought to be.
6. There are things we do over and over again until we get them right.
It's very frustrating to be facing the same level over and over again. I tend to lose interest in the game and makes me want to forget about it altogether.
Just try and try until you succeed. Some of the things we want, we don't really get on our first try. At some point we feel the urge to quit, but we have win against it and continue fighting for our dreams.
7. You'll need the help of other people to advance.
The fact that you have to get three tickets from Facebook contacts to continue to the next world is a crazy cliffhanger! However, it is a gentle reminder that life is not without the help of other people. And you have to learn how to ask. And if they help you, show gratitude and help them in return. Not to call it quits, but because it's the right thing to do.
8. Others can advise, but you have the last say.
When you don't make a move for about ten seconds, three candies would start a pulsing glow to suggest a move. In one of the levels I hadn't solved for more than a week, I followed all the game's suggested moves out of desperation, but still didn't succeed.
When facing your personal predicaments, you may seek advice or ask help from your peers. Some people, like the glowing candies, will give you unsolicited advice, but it is your decision that will prevail in the end. You must learn how to weigh other people's advice and your own understanding of the situation. After all it is you who will suffer the consequences of your decisions.
9. Money can buy convenience, but it does not guarantee fun.
Imagine if you have bought all the possible boosters in every level. It would have made finishing the entire game easier, but where's the fun in that?
Money is good and it can be one of the tools to make our lives more convenient, but we cannot solely rely on it for fun and fulfillment.
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