I Want Candy

So, I know I'm a little late, but I'm hooked to Candy Crush. I love the pure and simple joy of completing a level in Candy Crush. The shiny candies and chocolate bon bons entrance me every time I play. I have often found that once I begin to play, it is often a challenge for me to put it down.

After seeing myself and many other friends get hooked to Candy Crush, I wondered what is the cause of the obsession. Since the app's release in November of 2012, it has gained popularity "Worldwide... Candy Crush Saga is estimated to make £610,000 ($1,000,000) per day from its users, according to Appdata" (BBC). One of the reasons for the game's tremendous financial success is because of the way the app lures the user into paying for extra lives, add-ons which allow you to progress to higher levels, and access to higher levels. Some have questioned King's (the British-based company which developed Candy Crush) push to encourage gamers to buy add-ons because they believe it is unfair that money can be used win a game. On the other hand, the majority of the people playing Candy Crush do not pay money for the extra help (only about 25% of players have spent money on Candy Crush). Personally, I think that it is within King's right to have users pay for extras because all they are trying to do is make a profit. Though Candy Crush is not the first app to give gamers the option to buy extras within the app, Candy Crush has by far been the most successful in getting users to buy game advantages.

Another statistic that BBC pointed out which I thought was very interesting is that "The advent of smartphones and tablets has changed gaming - so much so that the typical Candy Crush Saga player is a woman aged 25-45." 

Why is it ethical/unethical for Candy Crush and other gaming apps to sell advantages? Why do you think the average gamer is a middle-aged woman?