Talking Tech: How often do you play Candy Crush…

PASADENA -- Candy Crush Saga was the most popular free iPhone app of the year, downloaded over 500 million times.

But how many times did you play it?

We set out to find out, asking consumers and tech execs.

Deborah Alvarez says she's played the game at least 10 times a day, in-between breaks at work, "before I go home, when I get home, before I go to bed. It's addictive."

Randy Sinnott admitted he played the game a few hundred times. "I'm on level 200 and some odd. I enjoy it. It's a good way to sort of take a break for five minutes. Then you run out of lives, and it's `OK, let's go back to work now."

Morgan Soloway told us she's refused all invites to start playing. "I don't want to get sucked in."

Co-worker Katie Newell has resisted as well. "I know too many people who have fallen prey to Candy Crush. I can't talk to them. I have to block invites to Candy Crush. It's a slippery slope."

Alvarez is convinced she'll still be playing the game six months from now. "Yeah, it's endless."

Jefferson Graham is a USA TODAY tech columnist and host of USA TODAY's digital show Talking Tech show. Reach him on Twitter @jeffersongraham.