Let’s take a moment to talk about Bejeweled. This is the most addictive game on the planet, and that may well be an understatement.
What is it about this little game that’s so addictive? Why is my Facebook news reel littered with Bejeweled Blitz score posts with the caption titles “I want my life back!” and “Where did the last two hours go?”?
I’m going to go out on a limb here and say it has something to do with bright colours and fun sound effects. Not to mention the voice that encourages you during solo gaming, “INCREDIBLE!” Maybe this is all an effect of our collective short attention span, but with the new Blitz version of the game they’ve taken it a step further. Now there are leader boards and progress graphs so you can track how much better, or worse, of a bejeweler you are than your friends.
I’m not saying that Bejewled is on the same level as really addictive games like World of Warcraft and Final Fantasy XI, which both sport in-game reminders that there exists a real world outside of the online fiction. But those games are persistent online worlds geared towards serious gamers who invest time and money into the characters they’re playing. Bejeweled appeals to all markets, casual to pro, and can be just as intense for some.
Still, why is it so addictive? “I want my life back!”