My Mom Is a Candy Crush Saga Maniac, and Honestly, I'm No Better

"An apple doesn't fall far from the tree." I can't believe I used to be so indifferent toward that saying.

Last year, my mom experienced what she called a "freeze finger" on her right hand. Her index finger curved downward and stayed that way for quite some time. Just as my sister and I were about to panic, she admitted something shocking: the stiffness was her own doing.

Yup, it all happened after a week of staying up late and playing Candy Crush Saga non-stop. Can you believe it? Geez. In her defense, my mom said, "What can I say? I had unlimited lives. I didn't want to fall behind the other players!"

P.S. The other players were strangers her account connected with in the game—don't ask me how.

Long story short, her finger eventually healed. She even stopped playing Candy Crush Saga altogether, claiming the game was "poisonous" (I believe those were her exact words). She shifted her focus to YouTube and Netflix instead, channeling all her energy into finding good thriller documentaries to recommend in our family WhatsApp group (our internal influencer, y'all).

However, her healthier screen-time habits didn't last very long. Just a couple of months ago, my sister and I discovered that my mom had started playing Candy Crush Saga again. "I'll be more aware this time! I promise!" she once claimed.

But seriously, what is sleep if there's a candy ladder to climb? Yesterday, my mom admitted that she had some things delivered because she hadn't been getting enough sleep over the past two days. Why? A limited-time competition was running where players competed for 100 gold bars. She was determined to win the most.

All that effort—and she didn't even win first place. She only got 20 gold bars. I just hope that she's learned her lesson.

If this story makes me sound like the responsible one, then you’ve clearly forgotten the first line of this post: "An apple doesn't fall far from the tree." If my mom is obsessed with Candy Crush Saga, then I'm just as hooked on Stardew Valley.

I mean, what is rest if there's a farm to handle and fish to catch? I've been playing it way too much these past few days, and it shows. While my progress in the game is undeniable, a headache that followed was also very real. I felt dizzy after looking down at my phone for far too long last night. It's not healthy. I need an immediate break.

As I write this, I'm trying to be more responsible and have promised myself to step away from Pelican Town for a while. My farm can wait. It's not like all my plants will wither and my character will be outcast by the entire valley, right?

By the way, I'd love to hear from you. Have you ever been so obsessed with a mobile game that you suffered a real-life consequence?

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy turning off your phone and icing your index finger…

Just kidding! I’ll recommend Not an Adventurer IRL, but Catch Me in Pelican Town and How a Game Called 'Crocodile' Foresaw My Goat Feeding Panic.