[June 06, 2013] Odessa American, Texas, Nathaniel Miller column Tweet Jun 06, 2013 (Odessa American - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- I don't know about you, but for the past few weeks, I've been addicted to the game "Candy Crush." The game itself isn't very challenging. You simply line up three matching "candies," try to get a high enough score, and then move on to the next level. As you progress in the game though, new obstacles are added, such as gaps in the playing field or making you clear squares of clutter. It's an annoyance that will eventually make you question if you have anger issues. To top it all off, the game is designed to give you only a certain amount of tries. Pass a level, you keep your turn. Fail the objective, you lose a turn. Once all your turns are gone, you can't play again for a set amount of time. Those developers sure are a bunch of sadists. It's really funny how far games have come. Growing up, my family played video games a lot. My mother was a fan of "Super Mario Bros." and "Tetris." I however, first learned to play, and cuss, because of the game "Contra." When my father would come home from work, he would play, giving me the spare unplugged controller; telling me that I was playing too. At 3 years old, it was hard to tell the difference. One day after work, I begged my father to play. He didn't really want to, but he eventually gave into my nagging. Mind you, my father isn't the most subtle person. A loss of a life was followed by a string of words that I can't reprint in our family-friendly paper. As he got ready, I hurried him along, telling him that we needed to save the world and "Get those ..." well, it was a word that a certain movie popularized by substituting the bad word with "fudge." In a rage, my father grabbed his belt and told me that he was going to "beat my ass" for using that word. My mother, being the savior she is, told him to chill out because I learned it from him. Thanks mom, I still owe you one. As I grew older, I would play games until I grew fatigued or just beyond upset. And with working all day and with little time to play a console system, I'm usually asleep by the time my Xbox turns on. Phone applications; however, take playing video games to a whole different level. It allows people to play on the go; more so than playing a hand-held system. No longer is an Xbox or Playstation needed; people can partake in these games while waiting in line at the grocery store, in line while waiting to renew their driver license, or even while driving on the roads. Heck, I'm playing right now as I type this column. Games like "Angry Birds," "Plants vs. Zombies," and "Bejeweled," have given people another reason to avoid human interaction as long as possible, while also giving themselves and others something to talk about. Much like any other vice, games need to be taken in moderation; meaning that you need to find a time when you need to put the controller (or phone) down long enough to step outside and realize that there are more important things in life. Unless of course, your friend has a higher score then you. --Contact Nathaniel Miller on twitter at @OAgovernment, on Facebook at OA Nathaniel Miller or call 432-333-7769 ___ (c)2013 the Odessa American (Odessa, Texas) Visit the Odessa American (Odessa, Texas) at www.oaoa.com Distributed by MCT Information Services [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]