Erryn Rhoden, a 48-year-old mother of three, has become a viral sensation after accidentally entering the Candy Crush All-Stars tournament and landing herself among the best players in the United States.
What Happened: Rhoden, who has been playing the game for almost a decade, had no idea she had even entered the tournament until she received an unexpected notification a week later that she had qualified, as per Kotaku. "I’m clicking on the [exit buttons and] not paying attention. And then I apparently clicked yes instead of “no.” A week later, it was like: ‘You qualify.’ And I’m like, ‘Well, that’s nice.’ I didn’t even know I was playing," she recalled.
Rhoden's story is a heartwarming reminder that gaming has no age limit, and even accidental entries can lead to unexpected success.
After quitting a life of "demolishing" opponents in competitive PvP games, Rhoden turned to Activision Blizzard Inc.'s ATVI Candy Crush as a way to "fill [her] mind and keep [her] focused." She found that the game "satisfied [her] urge to win without feeling like [she was] doing anything to anybody else and causing rage."
Despite the tournament's vague and "cryptic" entry process, Rhoden's exceptional Candy Crush skills landed her a spot in the semi-finals, where she, unfortunately, was eliminated. She did win "some in-game rewards" for her high placement.
Her accidental entry into the tournament and impressive performance serve as a testament to the skill and strategy involved in playing Candy Crush.
The story does not end there, as Rhoden turned to her son Xane, a competitive Nintendo ADR's NTDOY Super Smash Bros. player, for help navigating the world of esports. Xane tweeted about his mother's unexpected success, which quickly went viral, garnering over 55,000 likes.
"So my mom has played Candy Crush all the time for years now. Apparently, she accidentally entered an official Candy Crush tourney and had no idea what it was. She’s in the semi-finals and seeded #1 in her region which I believe is just number 1 in the USA. This is a 250k prize pool tourney," Xane shared.
In exchange for his assistance, Rhoden's son took on all her household chores, allowing her to focus solely on rising through the Candy Crush ranks.
In dialogue with Kotaku, the Candy Crush mom offered some expert advice for gamers who are stuck at a level: “I think the best thing to do [when frustrated at a level] is just stop and go watch the [playthrough] videos, watch somebody else beat the game. So you know that [beating it is] possible. Sometimes you’re looking at the wrong thing. You’re just focused on taking one area out when the whole game is focused on something else. So don’t spend two weeks on a game on one board. It’s just pointless”
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