BlackBerry Addicts Also Can't Resist This Little Game

Wall Street Journal ^ | February 17, 2007 | SUSANNE CRAIG and GREGORY ZUCKERMAN

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

When Richard Fuld, chief executive of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., couldn't control his addiction, he took drastic measures. In October, he had the game BrickBreaker taken off his BlackBerry.

"I was playing so much," says Mr. Fuld, who had used it to relax on the plane or in the car. He missed it so much he had it reinstalled, but it's no longer on the main menu. That removes the temptation, he says, "for the most part."

In this era of startlingly realistic video games, BrickBreaker is straight out of the Stone Age. Yet it has developed a cult following, not among the young Gameboy set, but with executives chained to their email. Players swap strategies in chat rooms, brag about their prowess and pay homage to BrickBreaker superstars -- a few with top scores of over one million.

BrickBreaker's premise: Move a paddle left and right with your thumb to bounce a ball so it demolishes "bricks" atop the screen. Most bricks earn 10 points. Clear a screen of bricks, and move on to the next level. Drop the ball too many times, and the game is over. Occasionally, "pills" appear containing bonuses such as a gun or laser, or an extra "life." There's also the deeply hated "flip pill."

Richard Handler, a former bond trader and now CEO of brokerage company Jefferies Group Inc., says he is constantly trying to beat his high score. He plays in elevators and on the way to meetings, or even in meetings.

[patton]

I put it down...LOL

[leda]

yeah, when things started up again.
you cleverly entertained yourself in the meantime :)

[raj bhatia]

Oh my god!! I have the exact same problem. My highest score though is just 10,000. A million is pretty cool.

[theFIRMbss]

>It sounds like the old arcade game "Breakout".

[SamAdams76]

Soon a device will be invented that will be even more addictive.