discussion thread: casual addictions

As I ever so briefly mentioned in my Chromebook love letter last week, I have a current addiction to PopCap's Bejeweled web app (mostly equivalent to Bejeweled 3, but with only classic and speed modes). I can usually keep myself away from clicking on its tempting logo in the browser until I have a work break, but once I start, I  can't stop. This is especially true of my "speed mode" games, which are usually over in two minutes or so. Disappointed by my inability to survive under time pressure, and encouraged by the ever increasing player rank bar, I tell myself "just one more game, and then I will stop..."

And then, just the other day, Amazon's "free app of the day" on their app store is this little mischief for my Android, called Dead Runner, an FPS running endurance game through a cemetery. I don't do endurance games very well and usually die after ten seconds in... but there are so many achievements to unlock, I have to keep playing in hopes of getting this one or that one. I've played, for twenty blind minutes at a time once, a game which is over in thirty seconds for me if I'm having a good run.

In short, these casual games are the ones responsible for me not always getting to the blog on time. Well, that, and work, but work is a boring excuse.

Can someone tell me why I'm addicted to casual games?

For that matter, do you know how to get over an addiction to a particular game? Anyone out there with a Bejeweled or similar obsession like mine?