Sydney Morning Journal – Emily, a 30-year-old economist, became so addicted to Candy Crush Saga, a free iPhone game, that she would lie awake at 1am imagining her finger swiping across the screen to line up rows of brightly coloured lollies. Three in a row would deliver a satisfying squelch as they burst and moved the ­Melbourne mother-of-two closer to the next level. Candy Crush Saga is a simple game but the hold it has over its devoted followers is complex and incredibly strong. They are reminiscent of gamblers who can’t help but feed another $20 into a poker machine…

For the past couple of months I have been in the thrall of a game called Candy Crush Saga. It’s about matching little colored thingies on your iPad or phone. I am not going to explain it in any more depth, because that would just make this whole discussion more humiliating. However, if you stick with me, I am going to try to use it to make a sweeping point about public policy, ending with some severe questions about the political career of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. About the game: It’s been played about 150 billion times over the…