Play
You look at the clock. It screamed 3 a.m. at you. You screamed a silent scream – one of realization. Also of disgust. And elation. The kind that you get when you are not being you, and it is liberating.
You have become a Plants vs. Zombies addict.
And you have a headache.
You do not know when or how it happened. You just looked at your iPhone one day and tinkered with the downloading function and bought Plants vs. Zombies for $2.99 along with other games and applications. You are not a game person yourself. You use your time wisely. You know that these kind of games will not do anything for you – will not add a skill, will not improve any of your relationships, will not make you rich.
But you do not want the zombies to eat your brains.
So you keep at it.
I kept at it. And did not stop until 3 days later, when finally, the zombies were dancing on my lawn and celebrating my victory.
After reading an email from Magnus of Tapping.com, I realized why I kept at it. No, he did not spell it out. What he said in the email – turning your TV addiction into therapy – is actually quite far from what I have arrived at, but it provided the jumping point (I have found out that reading something, looking at something, or talking to someone make for some odd eureka moments).
Emotional response.
I have an emotional response to Plants vs. Zombies. I did not want the zombies to eat my brains. I did not want to see that big, horrific and horrifying font screaming that I lost and that I was not good enough.
The Zombies Ate Your Brains!!!
Funny (but not).
I had to shake my head. I was had! Those creators of Plants vs. Zombies know and understand human nature, and that is why their product is so good that it sells.
No one wants to lose. No one wants to die. No one wants to fight a good fight and then just give up.
Then…?
From that realization, I was handed one of the keys to a great product. Emotional response.
A product (book, television show, game), to sell, be addictive, to connect, should evoke a memory or a strong feeling or an emotional response for people to flock to it like moth to a flame.
Well, Magnus’ advise is to tap it out, of course, so I can get the “addiction” out of my system.
But (just between the two of us), what fun is that?
Article by Issa. Art by Danvic Briones. Copyright 2011.
Website: www.YouWantToBeRich.com
Email: issa@youwanttoberich.com
[ad name=”HTML-2 Subscribe 2 – After Article”]
[ad name=”HTML-2 Blogher Before Comment”]
[ad name=”HTML-1 MoneyDoctors”]
[ad name=”HTML-1 Nuffnang”]
I got over my addiction by finishing all levels in 2 days, trying out some of the bonus games THEN deleting the entire game from my laptop. Tapos ang laban! hahaha! Now it’s angry birds. Buti na lang, takaw battery, so I don’t play as much 🙂
@Didi That’s a good idea! Thing is, I share my iPhone apps with my daughter and sayang naman my $2.99 hahaha. But since I finished the game (twice!), I am now okay, except that my game-of-the-week is Cut the Rope (napapanaginipan ko pa!).
I tried but never push with it…I don’t like the animation side..
@Jinkee That’s better, I guess. It’s really a time snatcher.
Hi Issa. Really, a time snatcher.. Can i repost this one to ourfullestlife.com?
@Jinkee Sure, you can repost. Thanks! 🙂
Thanks…
“I have an emotional response to Plants vs. Zombies. I did not want the zombies to eat my brains. I did not want to see that big, horrific and horrifying font screaming that I lost and that I was not good enough.”
Haha so you are really affected with zombies? I like Plants vs. Zombies by the way 🙂
Regards,
Kathy Minnich
EFT
Hahaha… I do, I do! That’s the right word, emotional response. Those guys who made it really knew human psychology. I am still not done with all the achievements in the achievement section, though. I find completing a nighttime level without any mushroom (No fungus among us is the name of the achievement) quite hard, among others. So you like it too 🙂