What Games Mean to Me

In two months, it will be exactly one year since I restarted the game <Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells>. I accidentally discovered this game through the MS Store, as shown in the image above. I originally played it on my computer, but one day, it stopped loading at the update screen. So, I've been playing it on my phone ever since.

However, I didn't even know the rules of the game properly, and more importantly, I hadn't participated in any of the daily events, so my XP score was significantly lower than it should have been for my level. After much deliberation, I created a new email account on May 4th last year and have now just passed level 6,000.

To avoid repeating the same mistakes, I'm participating in all the events I can from the start, and I sometimes communicate with other members through the club chat. They are both my rivals and valuable colleagues. They are ruthless in the pursuit of trophies, but also quick to celebrate someone's achievements.

Above all, playing this game has instilled a strong sense of challenge in me. I have a bad habit of giving up easily on difficult tasks, but when playing this game, the fear of facing new levels always comes first. However, believing in a 2% chance of success, I often surprisingly clear them on the first try.

Of course, the game and real life are different, but even considering just this game, I've never been this persistent and tenacious in anything else in my life. My family and I don't just see my HPPS gameplay as negatively impacting my life. On the contrary, it's something I'm grateful for; it makes me think and relieves stress.

There was a period of stagnation where I couldn't even get over 1,000 trophies in a week. But these days, I'm trying my best to at least finish in the top three. I managed to get to first place today, but another member could easily overtake me, so my position is precarious.

There's nothing to gain from being number one, other than receiving congratulations and feeling good. So I try not to take it too seriously. Still, it's better if my average score exceeds 2,000, so I'll do my best for the rest of the week and beyond. Above all, I feel a sense of fulfillment from having an avatar and belonging somewhere, even if it is a virtual world.

So, where does it end? As far as I know, it's a never-ending story. After clearing the highest level, I understand that you replay previous levels as "legends." And when new levels are added, you play those, clear them, and replay them again, and so on. I personally find it not boring at all.

Plus, you don't need to pay for gold; it refills as you play, which is nice. Oh, I didn't explain the game; you can think of it as similar to the famous Candy Crush Saga or Free Fall series. In English, it's classified as three-match games. Anyway, I hope this post will help introduce it to more Korean players.