Today I’m thankful for the ‘5 lives at a time’ limit on Candy Crush Saga.

11.10.2021

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In case you didn’t know, this girl is competitive. It’s true. I’m both proud and ashamed of this trait. It’s an all or nothing kind of thing with me though. There are tons of things I couldn’t care less about winning and there are plenty of scenarios where I’m a pretty darn good team player. But, when the competitive bug bites, it bites hard. It’s usually with weird or insignificant stuff, like bridal shower games or raffle drawings at teacher trainings. I’ve also been known to throw an elbow or two in a game of spoons, and the only thing missing from my game face during family Scrabble games are those black face paint smudges under my eyes. The worst, though, is when I’m in competition with no one but myself. That’s when it gets super intense. For example, if I set my mind to finishing the Level 5 difficulty Sudoku puzzle in the newspaper or if I get going on a 2000 piece jigsaw puzzle, you best stay outta the way.

Now, the good news is that I am pretty self-aware and I have managed to function as a productive member of society in spite of this crazy competitive nature. As a kid I learned pretty quickly that if I threw a fit when I lost a game of Hi Ho Cherry-O that the game board was quickly put away, and that no one wanted to play Monopoly with me when I waved my stack of $500 bills in their face. As an adult, I’ve learned that Mario Kart isn’t a game I should play on a school night, and I recognize that it’s best to dial back to a level 3 or 4 when I’m substituting in my friend’s BUNCO group.

However, even with this learned self-awareness and self-control, the built-in accountability of the five life limit in Candy Crush Saga is … well … let’s just say that it’s a very good thing for me. I’ve been playing Candy Crush Saga for years and years and years. It took me a while to realize that the game would literally never end, because as long as people keep playing, they’ll keep adding more levels. While this inability to actually win the game might make some competitors want to throw in the towel, for some reason it only drives me to keep going. There’s a little part of me that actually thinks I’ll be the one to beat the video game developers to the end. And so I play on, every couple of days, five lives at a time. I know the Candy Crush people are hoping that once I get to the end of my five, that I’ll pay them for an extra life or two …or three … or 42. I’m way too stubborn and way too cheap for that, though.

I’m not sure I’m willing to admit what level I’m currently on, but let’s just say it’s a big number. And I’ll likely keep playing for years and years to come … but just here and there, 5 lives at a time.