Girlfriend's game addiction

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I got into an argument with my girlfriend about her latest game addiction. A Freemium game similar to Candy Crush called Fishdom. People can spend thousands of dollars on these games but she doesn't have this problem. She doesn't spend anything.

The problem is that playing a freemium game for free means that you're playing a game that's intentionally broken by design. I mean borderline unplayble If you play this game for 5 minutes it will give you a message saying if you don't give us $7 you have to wait 40 minutes before you can resume playing.

So when she gets one or two free hours she feels like she has to use them, no matter where she is. We got into an argument because we had some activity planned together but then she had two hours of free play begin.

I said that instead of a freemium game she should play a normal game, the sort that let's you play whenever you want. She said normal games cost money. I said I'd buy her one. Or she could play one of mine. I have hundreds.

Those freemium games are designed to be addictive. Offline games you play on a console usually aren't designed to be addictive because once you've bought the disk or cartridge they've made their money (except recently pay to win has made it's way into console games).

It pains me to see her using a product that it's intentionally broken by design and it impacts our time together if her free period coincides with our activities.

So we had a big argument while she played. By the time she was half an hour into her free period she gave up playing and started watching 天龙八部

I felt a little guilty at this. Am I a frogmouth for nagging her into giving up her game or did I save her from addiction?

If it affects your or her life, then it’s a unhealthy addiction.

I intended to make a such game and milk $$ from gamers via ads. lol It is still in Google play.

These games can be short-lived. Hopefully the novelty will wear off soon.

I've been playing a mobile game called Love Nikki for over two years and I've easily spent hundreds of dollars in it over the course of that time. However, I didn't spend money I didn't have, and I never played when I was supposed to be working, doing schoolwork, or spending time with my partner and kids. She needs to set aside dedicated time if she's going to prioritize this - for me it was before I went to bed, or I'd spend some time in the morning before I went to work when I was drinking coffee. She needs boundaries with this. And if she can't do that, she'll need to delete the game.

Yes, you're being frogmouthy.

Given the amount of text you dedicated to criticizing the game, it sounds like you dislike the game more than you dislike her playing it. This is reinforced by your offer to buy her a game or give her one of yours. So, obviously, it's not her attention you want; nor are you concerned about game addiction. You just don't want her playing that particular game.

She plays five minutes every 45 minutes and occasionally gets one or two free hours. She isn't spending money.

She's not doing anything wrong...it's her prerogative to like a game you don't.