The cellphone: a communication device that has evolved into much, much more in today’s high-tech world. It is used not only to call and text, but also to awaken us from our slumber, to remind us of our obligations and most importantly, to play our beloved games.

Let’s face it, we all have that one game that we are completely, utterly and sometimes shamefully, addicted to. We play it whenever we have a few minutes of nothing or even late at night instead of catching up on asleep.

It takes a truly special game to ensnare a huge fan base in its addictive trap. From Angry Birds a few years ago to Flappy Bird more recently, we can now add another game to that iconic list — Madden NFL Mobile.

“Once you start playing you lose track of time,” said senior Jason Ford. “I probably spend more time on it than I should.”

As a football-crazy high school, it didn’t take long for Madden Mobile to explode onto the SMCHS campus. Starting in November, the game spread like wildfire until it had a strong grip on numerous SMCHS students.

“It’s a really cool way to play against my friends,” Ford said. “We all love football and try to put together the best team.”

The game works slowly and methodically in order to ensnare its victim. It begins by inflicting awe and shock, making you confused and bewildered by the sheer amount that the game offers.

Then, once you begin to understand the game and play more often, the second stage takes hold. You feel the need to make your team as impressive as you can in order to beat your friends and show off. This generally leads to staying up late at night to get an edge on your opponent.

The final stage leaves you hopelessly hooked on the game and unable to put it down. With bragging rights on the line, the game carries a lot more weight than it seems. Students find themselves caught in the dangerous spiral of constantly trying to make their teams better.

“It has everything you want in a game,” said senior Justin Tran. “You can always get new players and you can always make your team better, which is why it is so addicting. All my friends want bragging rights so I have to make my team as good as I can.”

It is also common for students to try to avoid downloading the game in the first place, as they saw the addictive nature of the game.

“I was so reluctant to download Madden Mobile with finals coming up,” Jennison said. “But after watching my friends play it and listening to them talk about how much fun it was, I gave it a try.”

Madden Mobile shows no signs of slowing down and it won’t be long before the game takes over a large chunk of the student population.

“It is a dangerous business, madden mobile,” said senior Stash Rowely. “It can easily take over your life, I wouldn’t take the risk.”

Madden Mobile has every quality of a highly addictive game and every student should take this article as a warning: Be cautious before you download because once you do, you might not be able to put it down. You will become one of the countless who are helplessly trapped in the deadly grasp of the Madden curse.