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This smartphone game is so addictive it is ruining people's lives and destroying their sleep cycles

Remember Candy Crush Saga? This is worse…

IF YOU DON’T know what 1010! is, then click away from this story right now (not really, please stay). This mobile phone app from Gram Games is so addictive it will ruin your life and make your friends hate you.

Remember what happened when you were introduced for the first time to Candy Crush Saga? Or 2048? Or Dots?

It’s way worse than that.

A typical reference to 1010 on Twitter looks like this:

As Jillian Lyle wrote on The Odyssey recently: “I’ve ruined other peoples’ lives by convincing them to get the game and start playing it. I apologise if you are one of these people. The importance of beating a friend’s high score on 1010! is unexplainable; it’s a vicious cycle of unhealthy competition. I’ve essentially made it my life’s goal to beat my friends’ 1010! high scores.”

This woman now sets her alarm 15 minutes early in the morning to get extra games in. It’s that bad. People go without sleep because they’re playing it:

My name is Jim — hi Jim! — and I am addicted to 1010. I can confess, it is weirdly difficult to go to sleep at night when your phone is right there, and you can fit just one more game of 1010 in. OK, just one more after that. Maybe one more…

1010 was created in 2014 by a tiny Turkish game developer, Gram Games, that was running out of money. The game was coded and launched in a single month, at a time when Gram Games had only $25,000 left in the bank. It saved the company by becoming a viral hit in Asia.

Now the game appears to be working its way around the globe. I first noticed people playing it on the London Underground and was actually introduced to it by a friend in Ireland. But none of my colleagues in the US seem to have encountered it yet.

1010 is basically a souped-up version of Tetris. But that doesn’t do the game justice. If Tetris sounds dull, remember that Candy Crush was a souped-up version of Bejeweled, and 2048 was a souped-up version of Threes, and crack is a souped-up version of powdered cocaine. The former is no guide to the addictive power of the latter, in other words.

GramGames GramGames

In 1010, you must fill a blank grid with different-shaped blocks, presented three at a time. The colours are irrelevant, but blocks must fit together so you complete a row or a column. Every time you complete a line, the line disappears and you get more space to work in. The more space you create, the more points you get.

It feels even easier than Tetris because you go at your own pace — the blocks aren’t falling from the sky at their own frequency. But the toned-down pace is part of the addictive twist of 1010, because if you make a mistake, you cannot blame the game. Only yourself.

The game doesn’t even have a point. You just continue playing until you break your previous high score. It goes on forever. Some people report scores of 150,000 or more (a typical game for a newbie goes to 500 or so).

So as a matter of public service, I spent the past weekend researching 1010.

Here are my tips and tricks for getting a high score. I put this together from my own experience, from advice from friends, and from websites like these that offer a variety of success strategies.

Starting with the most obvious strategies first, and working toward the more difficult procedures…

1. Focus on creating lines, not blocks.

You’ll be tempted to just fill space with blocks, but mere blocks will hurt you — you need to clear lines, not blocks of space.

2. You’re trying to clear rows AND columns.

Another “Duh!” moment for new players: This isn’t Tetris — you can go up and down as well as side-to-side to clear lines.

3. Do rows and columns at the same time.

Think both ways at once, even though it’s easier to get into an all-horizontal or all-vertical strategy.

4. Consider all three options before moving.

When you’ve got lots of space, it’s tempting to just dump the pieces into the game to get things moving. Don’t do this. Every block counts.

GramGames GramGames

5. Consider the *order* of all three options before moving.

The game won’t deliver new blocks until you’ve used a set of three. And many a promising game has ended by accident because you forgot to use that awkward L-shape first.

6. Always remove a line if you can.

Space is key. Don’t leave an unfilled line because you think you can get it later — the game is working against you.

7. Work from the corners.

This will give you both vertical and horizontal options on any given move.

8. The 2×2 square is your best friend.

You can clear a lot of lines by stacking these next to one another.

9. The little L-shapes fit together to form 2×3 rectangles.
So you can add them to columns and bars formed by 2×2 squares.

10. The big L-shape can be awkward.

Consider that piece first before slotting in the straights and squares.

11. Always leave a hole for the big 3×3 squares.

The sudden appearance of a giant 3×3 block is almost always a game-killer. These things are now your most hated nemesis. Remember — you’re creating space, not filling space. So always leave a nine-square hole for them.

12. Ones, or single squares, are rare.

Use them to complete “impossible” lines.

13. If you can handle the corners first, do so.

Use the L-shapes for corners whenever you can.

GramGames GramGames

14. Avoid leaving single spaces and single unconnected blocks.

Single blocks are rare, and an unconnected single block will require two more pieces on either side before it can make a line.

15. Good luck!

The game requires skill, but it’s also serving you random blocks, so you will need luck to beat your latest score.

Read: Facebook will be killing off those annoying Candy Crush Saga invites>

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    Mute Féach News
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    May 4th 2018, 9:58 AM

    BREAKING NEWS: Sean Canney tosses coin to decide his future in Independent Alliance.

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    Mute David Huston
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    May 4th 2018, 11:20 AM

    @Féach News: Election coming, must distance oneself from the Sene of the crime, abstaining is not the same as voting against

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    Mute Charliegrl80
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    May 4th 2018, 1:41 PM

    @David Huston: Michael Lowry TD stated on radio over a week ago we’ll have an election within six months before all the new s*crew ups happened! And the worst thing he left the alliance because of noting getting a change of guard for the role he thought he was getting. No fear of him leaving because of the cervical check scandal, that’s not important to them only who got the nod.

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    Mute Bernard Kavanagh
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    May 4th 2018, 2:57 PM

    @Féach News: Maybe 30 pieces of silver.

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    Mute Joe Burke
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    May 4th 2018, 4:16 PM

    @Féach News: independents a waste of space!

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    Mute John Mulligan
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    May 4th 2018, 10:04 AM

    Earth shattering stuff. What will Ireland do now?

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    Mute Earth Traveller
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    May 4th 2018, 11:32 AM

    @John Mulligan: build a bigger trough, perhaps?

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    Mute Brian Deane
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    May 4th 2018, 12:23 PM

    @John Mulligan: An ‘Independent Alliance’ is a complete contradiction. Vote for some independent in Galway and who ends up representing you only the likes of Shane Ross and Zappo from Seattle! If it’s a political grouping like the ‘Independent Alliance’ then it can’t represent independents.

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    Mute Earth Traveller
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    May 4th 2018, 12:35 PM

    @Brian Deane: Independent = ‘separate and not connected’. Alliance = ‘formally united’. So Independent Alliance is an oxymoron with an emphasis on the ‘moron’ part of the word.

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    Mute Shakka1244
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    May 4th 2018, 10:30 AM

    A Gnat flew over the meadow with much buzzing for so small a creature and settled on the tip of one of the horns of a Bull. After he had rested a short time, he made ready to fly away. But before he left he begged the Bull’s pardon for having used his horn for a resting place.

    “You must be very glad to have me go now,” he said.

    “It’s all the same to me,” replied the Bull. “I did not even know you were there.”

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    Mute John Scott
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    May 4th 2018, 10:10 AM

    It’s my ball and I’m taking it home!

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    Mute Tommy Griffin
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    May 5th 2018, 7:31 AM

    @John Scott: that was exactly what came into my mind

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    Mute Patabake Kennedy
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    May 4th 2018, 9:59 AM

    Hurrah, we are sure going to see some positive changes in policy now. Oh wait.

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    Mute Hans Vos
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    May 4th 2018, 10:38 AM

    So Boxer don’t keep the agreement. What’s new in politics.

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    Mute Mark McDermott
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    May 4th 2018, 10:22 AM

    Flipping a coin for who does the role first, what the f### has this country become when this is how politicians decide things.

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    Mute Brinster
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    May 4th 2018, 10:25 AM

    @Mark McDermott:

    Almost exactly 2 years ago.

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    Mute Trevor Hayden
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    May 4th 2018, 10:26 AM

    Wow, I’m utterly blown away by this news.
    Oh well back to watching the paint dry on my walls.

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    Mute Eamonn Skerrett
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    May 4th 2018, 10:53 AM

    I would think Boxer made his mind up for him after trying to take all the credit for the flood defences on RTE last night

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    Mute andrew
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    May 4th 2018, 11:24 AM

    @Eamonn Skerrett: yes. Saw that. Tosser Moron busy making himself seem like Noah

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    Mute Martina Flynn Fitzgerald
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    May 4th 2018, 10:50 AM

    How am i going to get through this day?
    after hearing this tragic news!

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    Mute kissmyarse
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    May 4th 2018, 11:58 AM

    @Martina Flynn Fitzgerald: say a decade of the rosary, and you be ok

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    Mute Colm Mcmahon
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    May 4th 2018, 11:20 AM

    He did his two years and is entitled to his over inflated pension now, so why bother sticking around……what a tosser and I am not speaking about the coin.

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    Mute Tony Hogan
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    May 4th 2018, 10:24 AM

    Tossing a coin . He’s tossed his toys out of his pram

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    Mute kissmyarse
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    May 4th 2018, 12:04 PM

    @Tony Hogan: Leo has been rolling him up and down the corridors of Leinster house in that pram shoving his doe doe in his mouth

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    Mute colm mc sweeney
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    May 4th 2018, 10:54 AM

    Why didn’t he just go with the FG badge in the first place? He is FG in everything but name.

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    Mute Rodney Williams
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    May 4th 2018, 1:06 PM

    Good man!
    Close the door on your way out

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    Mute @mdmak33
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    May 4th 2018, 10:11 AM

    Brexit is important

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    Mute Stiofán Na Mara
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    May 4th 2018, 11:26 AM

    I went to a Shannon flood relief public meeting last year and this idiot was one of the speakers.. he and ‘Boxer’ and a number of others didn’t have an ecological thought in their heads.. and we wonder why were in this global mess. Good riddance to all these old paradigm thinkers.. their idiots. There is a new consciousness and understanding emerging on how we go forward with economics, ecology, science and each other. Either go with it or remain regressive and destructive, which is what these morons are. Celebrating a dredging contractor that is contracted to the US milltary in Iraq and elsewhere is nothing to be proud of, neither is destroying the Shannons ecology. Short term, small minded idiotic thinking with not one iota of holistic vision for now or the longterm future.

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    Mute Willy Malone
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    May 4th 2018, 11:36 AM

    Who tá fu(K cares. Staying at trough. Why not pull out and gain some respect…

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    Mute Padraig Maloney
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    May 4th 2018, 11:40 AM

    “Séan Canney has decided to leave the Independent Alliance group” how wound we know?

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    Mute Joseph Duggan
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    May 4th 2018, 12:59 PM

    Still chief whip how much is that worth vote fine gael money no morals

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    Mute John Mulligan
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    May 4th 2018, 5:55 PM

    @Joseph Duggan: 15k pa.

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    Mute Fergal McDonagh
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    May 4th 2018, 2:41 PM

    Wants to keep the 15k extra he receives as assistant whip. Zero morals.

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    Mute Terry Cahill
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    May 4th 2018, 12:05 PM

    Remember , be compassionate, somebody , like you and me , just ordinary people, is working themselves up into a tizzy over this. Your pity should know no bounds. do not mock the afflicted.

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    Mute Adrian
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    May 4th 2018, 10:36 AM

    Shows just how stupidly lucrative being a politician in ireland is for these incompetent idiots.

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    Mute Anita Oman
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    May 5th 2018, 9:15 AM

    Thats a pity had many a good banter with Sean in OPW . A gentleman was very well liked he be missed wish him well.

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