1. Effects of Mobile Video Games on Heart
Rate: Is Candy Crush a Health Risk?
Journal used from American Psychosomatic Society: APA style guide
Kate Ortopan

2. 1
Table of Contents
Table of Contents.............................................................................................................................1
Abstract............................................................................................................................................2
Introduction.................................................................................................................................. 2-4
Methods............................................................................................................................................4
Results.......................................................................................................................................... 4-5
Conclusion .......................................................................................................................................5
References........................................................................................................................................6
Appendices................................................................................................................................... 7-8

3. 2
Effects of Mobile Video Games on Heart Rate: Is Candy Crush a Health
Risk?
(Journal used from American Psychosomatic Society: APA style guide)
Abstract
This study includes research on the effects of Candy Crush on heart rate. The question was if
Candy Crush was increasing my heart rate and effecting my health negatively. The introduction
includes research by Dr. Daria J. Kuss and other researchers from Harvard and the British
Colombia University have done extensive studies and research on all types of video games and
their positive and negative effects. Through my study I found that Candy Crush was not causing
my heart rate to increase but it was lowering my heart rate. Though there were obvious results I
believe that the study would have been more effective if I had alternated my days by having high
exposure to the game and then the next day with no exposure. In my conclusion, I will discuss
the final results and any recommendations.
Introduction
Video games have been pinned as the main cause of developing violent and antisocial teenagers
and adults. Video games not only effect our social skills but our health as well. Is it a possibility
that playing a game like Candy Crush increases our heart rate to an unhealthy rate or is it simply
a harmless mobile video game? It is true that sitting around all day playing video games is
unhealthy; video games usually require you to be in an immobile state pushing buttons. Before
the invention of iPhones and hand held gaming devices, people would have to venture to arcades
or stay at home glued to a TV screen. Now, people can be connected to their favorite games 24
hours a day and from anywhere in the world at the touch of a button.
Though Candy Crush is not violent in any way it does have addictive qualities that make it hard
for the user to detach themselves from the game and interact with the world around them. King
Digital Entertainment, the company responsible for creating games such as Candy Crush and Pet
Rescue, believes “that playing is something everyone wants to do and (King Digital
Entertainment) is built on creating magical and rewarding games for all people to play wherever
they are, creating moments of bitesize brilliance.” (Zacconi CEO,2016) It is true that with the
development of chat rooms and social media users can connect with people from all over the
world. Dr. Daria J Kuss states that, “the social factor (of gaming) is composed of socializing,
including chatting and making new friends in the game, forming new relationships, and working
in a team.” (2013) Though there are positive aspects of video games that help with developing
relationships and team building there are also negative outcomes with playing video games and
staying connected for long periods of time.
One of these side effects to playing violent or nonviolent video games is addiction. All of the
King games are based on an incredibly simple concept. In Candy Crush, the player matches a
specific number of candies together to get points and with each level there are obstacles that the

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player must navigate through to match up the candies and get enough points to get to the next
level. Each game gives the player five lives to start with. If the player cannot successfully
continue to the next level and loses all of their lives, they will have to wait thirty minutes or if
it’s impossible for them to wait they can purchase more lives. (For further knowledge of what
components make up Candy Crush go to Appendix D.) Candy Crush is similar to playing a slot
machine game. Though the game is not very hard it draws the person into an immobile state that
keeps them playing on for hours.
Researchers from Harvard and the University of British Columbia believe that this is what makes
the King games (Candy Crush, Pet Rescue, etc.) so addictive. The researchers divided people
into two groups allowing one group to eat as much chocolate as they wanted while the other
group was told to abstain from chocolate altogether for a week. Thus, “those who had been
deprived rated the chocolate as significantly more pleasurable than those who had been able to
eat it freely. So, it seems the deprivation makes the reward that much sweeter in the end.”
(Smith, 2014)
Although slot machines require, putting in a small amount of money and then hitting a button or
pulling a lever, there is still the same concept of believing that if you put in just one more quarter
you will eventually win the big prize. Both Candy Crush and slot machines are designed so that
your never know when you’re going to win or when you’re going to lose.
Rather than discouraging us from playing, this makes the game even more
enticing than if we won easily. This strategy is known as a variable ratio schedule
of reinforcement and is the same tactic used in slot machines; you can never
predict when you’re going to win, but you win just often enough to keep you
coming back for more. (Smith, 2014)
This is what gives the game such an adrenaline rush to play thus increasing the heart rate and
change in mood. I don’t believe it was the intention of the Candy Crush creators for their game
to become highly addictive to the point of causing harm to its daily users but the game had
enough appeal to become globally popular. Much like any other type of video game, Candy
Crush was designed to draw in the customer and keep them wanting more. Eventually the game
will become so addictive that the user will go through withdrawal like symptoms. Per Linda
Foster MA, when a person is going through withdrawal their symptoms include, “agitation,
sweating, an inability to sleep, and high blood pressure.” (2009) These were the same symptoms
that I experienced during the no exposure period to the Candy Crush game. The effects from not
playing Candy Crush ended up increasing my heart rate beyond the average heart rate I had after
playing the game.
There are other factors included that negatively affect the user if they make a habit out of playing
video games for long periods of time. If the users excessively play video games for a long period
of time they will have problems with the following, “relationships, obsession with gaming and a
lack of real-life relationships, lack of attention, aggression and hostility, stress, dysfunctional
coping, worse academic achievement, problems with verbal memory, and low well-being and
high loneliness.” (Kuss, 2013) Although the creators of Candy Crush are trying to connect

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people together it may in fact just be the opposite. Users play Candy Crush to pass the time and
in doing so have become addicted to the rush that goes along with this mobile game and not to
staying connected with other players. The effects of excess gaming are mostly behavioral,
however in my study I went beyond the behavioral studies and into the cardiology effects of
gaming. Through my studies I discovered more about the harsh side effects of being addicted to
video games and experiencing withdrawal symptoms.
Methods
Design
For two weeks, I divided my day into three sections with no exposure, low exposure, and high
exposure to Candy Crush. 8AM to 12PM was my no exposure time. During this time, I went
through my daily school routine absent Candy Crush. After 12PM I recorded my heart rate using
the Instant Heart Rate app. 12PM to 4PM was my low exposure time. During this time, I
allowed myself to play Candy Crush for one forty-five-minute sitting. After each forty-five-
minute session, I recorded my heart rate once again. 4PM to 8PM was my high exposure time.
During this time, I allowed myself to play Candy Crush with no set time limit. After 8PM I
recorded my heart rate one final time before bed. This was my set schedule from Monday to
Saturday. On Sunday, I withheld from playing Candy Crush and recorded my usual heart rate
during each of the three divided sections of my day.
Results
Prediction
My prediction was that my heart rate would be at its highest when I played Candy Crush for the
forty-five minute sessions. I believed that when I played Candy Crush my heart rate would
increase due to the adrenaline rush I received while playing the game. During the time, I was not
playing Candy Crush I would not have that rush of adrenaline and my heart rate would be lower.
I also believed that playing the game for too long would lower my interest in playing the game
thus lowering my heart rate. My final results proved to be the opposite.
Final Results
Due to my class schedule I was not able to test my heart rate for the third session of everyday. I
did not have enough time on Mondays (I was in class or on campus from 8AM to 8PM) and
throughout the week to be able to play Candy Crush for as long as I could. I was able to collect
enough data to answer my question and disprove my hypothesis.
There were only two instances that my heart rate was higher playing candy crush than my
average heart rate, however, per my results, during the no exposure portion of my day my heart
rate was at its highest. During my free time between classes I had been playing Candy Crush so
much that I had a hard time trying to come up with other activities to keep me entertained. It
seemed that not playing Candy Crush was causing me to become stressed. I was used to having
an activity, such as a hand-held video game, to relax myself throughout my day. Thus, my heart

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rate from 8AM to 12 PM was slightly higher due to my symptoms of withdrawal. For further
detailed look at the results go to Appendices A, B, and C.
Graphics
Most importantly each graphic display all the data collected during the project. The first graphic
I created was a line graph of my average heart rate over the course of two weeks. This section is
a representation of the data that I collected and the changes in my heart rate. My second graphic
was a representation of my average heart rate after I played candy crush. The third graphic I
wanted to use a scatter plot style to show the difference between my average heart rate and my
heart rate after playing candy crush. The fourth and final graphic is a pie chart and this graph I
wanted to add so that the reader understands all the components of Candy Crush and how
important they are to the game.
Recommendations/Discussion
I believe that this study was a good beginning but could have been more effective using a
different method. Though my results were clear that Candy Crush lowers my heart rate it would
have been a better study if I alternated every day of the week with one day of no exposure to
Candy Crush and another day of high exposure to Candy Crush. I would have also liked to
determine which time of the day my heart rate is at its highest and which daily stressors cause
my heart rate to increase the most. There were many factors that could have negatively affected
my results in this study, such as, exercise, school projects, tests, quizzes, alarms, traffic, and
other daily stressors. However, despite added stressors the results were still clear that Candy
Crush can lower my heart rate.
Conclusion
This does not mean that Candy Crush is the best alternative to exercising or finding another
outlet for stress. Though Candy Crush is not increasing my blood pressure there is an obvious
addictive quality to the game that is nearly impossible to get away from. The game was still able
to give me an adrenaline rush while playing, however, the rush I received was not as threatening
as the stress that came from not playing the game. Being an avid player of this popular game
during the time that I wasn’t playing the game I was significantly stressed thus causing my
increase in heart rate. Over the years I had become so addicted to Candy Crush that it now
negatively affected my heart rate. This study was just a small beginning and there are were
factors that could have made this experiment stronger. If I could change one thing to this study, I
would have liked to have days where I didn’t play the game and record the changes in my heart
rate. What is still clear about this study is that mobile video games regardless of being violent or
non-violent are effecting are effecting our health in a series of negative ways.

7. 6
References
About Us. (n.d.). Retrieved February 21, 2016, from http://company.king.com/about-us/
Foster, L. (2009, April 20). Understanding Drug Addiction Withdrawal. Retrieved April 22,
2016, from http://www.everydayhealth.com/addiction/drug-alcohol-withdrawal-and-detox.aspx
Ivarsson, M., Anderson, M., Åkerstedt, T., & Lindblad, F. (2013). The Effect of Violent and
Nonviolent Video Games on Heart Rate Variability, Sleep, and Emotions in Adolescents With
Different Violent Gaming Habits. Psychosomatic Medicine, 75(4), 390-396.
doi:10.1097/psy.0b013e3182906a4c
Kuss, D. J. (2013, November 14). Internet gaming addiction: Current perspectives. Retrieved
April 22, 2016, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3832462/
Smith, D. (2014). This is what Candy Crush Saga does to your brain | Dana Smith. Retrieved
February 21, 2016, from https://www.theguardian.com/science/blog/2014/apr/01/candy-crush-
saga-app-brain

8. 7
Appendices
A
Average Heart Rate: Taken at 8AM
This is a representation of my average heart rate taken at 8AM over the course of two weeks.
B
Average Heart Rate: Taken after Playing Candy Crush
This is a representation of the changes in my heart rate after playing Candy Crush of the course of two weeks.

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C
Average Heart Rate and Heart Rate Playing Candy Crush
This graph is a representation of my average heart rate and my heart rate after playing Candy
D Crush.
This pie chart is a representation of what components make up Candy Crush and how much of those are used in the
game.