Candy Crush. Angry Birds. Words with Friends. These games are everywhere and seem to be on everyone's phones. "A survey by Ask Your Target Market found, among other things, that 28 percent play during work, 10 percent have found themselves arguing with their near ones about wasting time on playing, and 30 percent consider themselves addicted." This isn't a coincidence; there's a science behind getting us hooked on these games.

According to an article on TNW (The Next Web), "The game designers seem to have arrived at a winning formula, dubbed the 'ludic loop' and based on the fundamentals of behaviorism. The principle is simple. Significant feedback, in response to an action, encourages behavior that is repetitive if not obsessive. A slot machine can provide a perfect representation of how the ludic loop encourages obsessive behavior. You perform a particular action and receive reinforcement: the machine responds with lights, changing colors, noises, and sometimes a monetary reward. That reward causes us to repeat the same action again and again." And then you're hooked.

Possible Preaching Angle:

But you gotta wonder what you're missing as your brain gets hooked on the ludic loop.

Source:

Liraz Margaut, “Why can’t we stop playing games on our phones?” TheNextWeb.com (7-28-15)