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August 6, 2025 10 mins

Today, we sat down with Andrew to discuss his addiction to the game called Gardenscapes. 

 

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Episode Transcript

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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Get your hands together, and we're going to start to
party and start.

Speaker 2 (00:05):
I'm reading a party, The Elvis Duran After Party.

Speaker 1 (00:15):
The After Party Podcast.

Speaker 3 (00:16):
Hello, everybody, we do need to pull an intervention on
someone who works with us, Andrew. Andrew, uh, thank you
for being here.

Speaker 1 (00:27):
Thank you.

Speaker 3 (00:28):
Do you have any any idea at all why we
wanted you here with us?

Speaker 1 (00:32):
No, but it's an intervention. So now I'm wondering what
I need to be intervened about.

Speaker 4 (00:36):
He knows. He knows because I tried to intervention him
about this already.

Speaker 3 (00:39):
Is there any way we could pull up your phone
to see your phone time with this video gaming you
got going.

Speaker 1 (00:45):
On Gardenscapes, isn't it? Yes?

Speaker 3 (00:48):
I tell tell everyone loud and proud what you're addicted to.
It's a game on the mobile phone called.

Speaker 4 (00:58):
And what do you do?

Speaker 1 (00:59):
It?

Speaker 4 (00:59):
From the cares of Royal Royal Matches?

Speaker 1 (01:02):
So this is embarrassing. I literally was playing it right
before we started.

Speaker 4 (01:06):
And what do you do on this game?

Speaker 1 (01:08):
Okay, so it's really fun. Look at this. I built
this beautiful garden.

Speaker 5 (01:11):
Look at that.

Speaker 1 (01:12):
I like that. I'm refurbishing the garden. I just put
these new fountains in.

Speaker 6 (01:16):
Look at how beautiful it is.

Speaker 1 (01:17):
We're throwing an orchestral party tonight, so I'm just getting
ready for it.

Speaker 3 (01:21):
Okay, so how long have you been playing garden Escapes.
It's been about a month of hardcore playing. And it's
like a match puzzle game. So the problem is, and
you know this, Elvis, we share a love of casino
games together, specifically slot machines. So when you start making
the puzzles, they start lighting up, and you get extras
and bonuses, and it makes noises in the phone vibrates.

Speaker 1 (01:40):
And you're life fun.

Speaker 3 (01:41):
Yes, it's fun, but we find that you are always playing.
I mean it is always I'm not exaggerating.

Speaker 1 (01:49):
Yeah, it's it's.

Speaker 6 (01:50):
Addictating, impacting your performance.

Speaker 1 (01:52):
Okay, well that's the question.

Speaker 3 (01:54):
Should you be thinking about cutting back if it's not
impacting your performance.

Speaker 1 (01:59):
Probably not.

Speaker 3 (01:59):
But once you pass that point where your performance is impacted,
which Nate is saying, that you're not really getting your
jobs done.

Speaker 6 (02:08):
And I know this because when I come up to
Andrew and I want to talk to him about X,
Y or Z, he's on his phone and I go hey, Andrew,
and then he immediately does this, Yes.

Speaker 3 (02:18):
He slams his phone down upside down, so we can't
see what he's doing.

Speaker 1 (02:21):
We know what you're doing.

Speaker 4 (02:22):
We know what you're doing.

Speaker 5 (02:23):
That's an addiction. Yeah, he's not that.

Speaker 6 (02:25):
You can't hide it, pal.

Speaker 1 (02:27):
I've watched a lot of interventions, so now I'm just
seeing it from the other side, and you know, I'm
realizing I'm doing the classic intervention steps. Okay, well, hold on.

Speaker 3 (02:33):
Before an intervention, we need to make sure he is
going overboard with his usage for this game.

Speaker 1 (02:38):
So you're saying, I have to check that screen time,
go check it. It's going to be so bad.

Speaker 4 (02:42):
It's the pointment intervention where all of us share with
him how his Gardenscape addiction has negatively impacted us.

Speaker 1 (02:48):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (02:48):
Yeah, I would like to go first.

Speaker 1 (02:50):
Scary Scary has really bad breath. Don't let it too close.
I can smell that.

Speaker 3 (02:56):
Thank you, Scary, it's really bad. Don't don't get that
close to him. He already has problems with this video
game issue.

Speaker 1 (03:02):
Where do I go to screen time? Oh no, my
phone is broken screen time? Oh that's smart. Yeah, Oh gosh,
you know the phones are so difficult these days.

Speaker 3 (03:13):
Let's see. Oh god, what is screens twenty seven minutes?

Speaker 1 (03:18):
Why that, Oh God, garden Scapes is Yeah, garden Scapes
is a solid six hours.

Speaker 6 (03:25):
Oh, I didn't know what that meant.

Speaker 1 (03:28):
We didn't, Andrew, you know you knew, No, I just you.

Speaker 6 (03:31):
I just didn't see it. One quarter of your day
playing gardens.

Speaker 4 (03:36):
Just trying to build the orchestral scene.

Speaker 1 (03:37):
I to feel like it should start playing that. It
sounds like if he likes it, I would like it too.
I did not realize these.

Speaker 2 (03:43):
Types of games I've had, We've had issues in my
house about this.

Speaker 7 (03:46):
Years ago. There was one where you like build an
entire like I don't.

Speaker 2 (03:49):
Know city and like the like the same session and
I went to sleep and I woke up and my
husband was still in the bed playing the same game
for the night.

Speaker 7 (04:00):
I'm like, what what do you.

Speaker 1 (04:01):
How many hours?

Speaker 4 (04:02):
It was a lot?

Speaker 7 (04:03):
Must have been asleep seven eight hours?

Speaker 5 (04:05):
Are here was a problem.

Speaker 2 (04:06):
Yeah, And he realized it and he's like, I gotta stop,
So he stopped playing it.

Speaker 7 (04:11):
So that was years ago. The question happens.

Speaker 5 (04:13):
I want to break down the psyche for a second.
What is the joy and that you get out of
or the gratification that comes with successfully building a garden
on a screen that's virtually.

Speaker 1 (04:25):
All sorts of things.

Speaker 3 (04:26):
Yeah, I mean you're you're actually creating something that's not real,
but it's real on the.

Speaker 1 (04:32):
Screen, and the puzzle portion of it is really addicting.
And also there's creativity, yes, thank you Elvis. Yes, creativity.

Speaker 4 (04:41):
Yeah. Oh, there's so many problems. I would like to
share soon how his Garden Scaves has negatively impact in
my life. But Andrew is a child's game developer's dream
because he walks by something shiny with colors and he's
there in two seconds. It's a kiosk at a mall.
He's there. It's a game where, like the Claw game,
you never win. Andrew will spend thirty dollars on it.

(05:02):
The man has a problem. Yeah, and I say this
because Andrew and I do a lot of stuff together
outside of work. He has canceled plans because he got
distracted playing garden Scaping.

Speaker 1 (05:13):
Is this true? It was like one time, but yeah,
he shown.

Speaker 4 (05:18):
Up late to things because he's like, I'm sorry, I
got distracted playing garden Scapes. And he he uses this
as though that's a genuine excuse to have not done
the thing he was supposed to do. So that Andrew
is how your garden scape addiction has negatively impacted me.

Speaker 1 (05:32):
I didn't get off at the right stop on the
train either.

Speaker 3 (05:34):
Because I was playing Really two, Okay, so let me
ask the ultimate question, and please and answer honestly. Yes,
have you ever lied to cover up the fact that
you were busy playing garden scapes when you should have
been doing something else?

Speaker 1 (05:49):
No? No, I will say, don't you lie to me? Okay, Dad? Wow?

Speaker 4 (05:55):
I mean, isn't it kind of why if he hides
the phone every time.

Speaker 1 (05:58):
Somebody wants to know if you share your phone?

Speaker 3 (05:59):
Down up, tied down, So now I can see the screen.
That means you are sort of hiding.

Speaker 7 (06:02):
That means you're doing something you're ashamed of too.

Speaker 1 (06:04):
Is this my rock bottom? It's my rock bottom? I
gotta get rid of garden Scapes? No?

Speaker 3 (06:09):
No, See, how come we can't just control it?

Speaker 1 (06:11):
Because it's bright and shiny and then you just there's
no end to it vibrates. Yeah, and it's just us all.

Speaker 6 (06:16):
The things it rewards.

Speaker 4 (06:18):
He gets rewarded for his matches.

Speaker 3 (06:20):
Okay, so you know their job is done. They created
this monster which is.

Speaker 1 (06:25):
Doing its job. I said to myself, I was going
to build the garden, because there's several other levels outside
of this one. I want to build it, make this
mansion have the most beautiful garden, and then i'd be
done with it. But now I'm just thinking I should
quit and just get ahead of it this way.

Speaker 3 (06:39):
Wait, hold on, Red, there's enough. There's a mansion.

Speaker 1 (06:41):
Yes, it's you're building a beautiful garden mansion. Oh, I
get back to you.

Speaker 2 (06:47):
I've got one that I think would get Gandhi addicted.
Spencer's playing it in the Jurassic Park one and he
and he gets dinosaurs and he has to take care
of them and I can't tell you how many dinosaurs
it out now in his worl.

Speaker 7 (06:59):
And he gets, I gotta feed them. I gotta whatever
that would get you.

Speaker 1 (07:02):
Jurassic Park one.

Speaker 4 (07:03):
I think.

Speaker 7 (07:04):
I don't know what it's called, Jurassic World, Jurassic something.

Speaker 4 (07:06):
I don't know.

Speaker 5 (07:06):
Okay, So does gardenscapes have in app purchases?

Speaker 1 (07:10):
Yeah, but I don't do those.

Speaker 5 (07:11):
I was gonna say, how much money you spending on
the extra?

Speaker 1 (07:13):
I would never spend money on a game like that.
I know my limit.

Speaker 4 (07:17):
Okay, good?

Speaker 6 (07:18):
Should we get him a sponsor? Seriously, is there somebody
that's gone through this, that knows the ups and downs
of when that.

Speaker 4 (07:26):
He can call them.

Speaker 6 (07:27):
Yes, seriously, there can you find someone?

Speaker 1 (07:32):
I don't know, I think I can't. I don't know.
I think I don't need a sponsor. I'll be fine.
I can do this. You can go cold turkey. Yeah,
I will delete it right now.

Speaker 3 (07:43):
I don't think you should delete it. You need to
control it. Wouldn't that be more satisfying?

Speaker 4 (07:48):
Can't you just limit yourself in the time.

Speaker 3 (07:52):
Deleting your quitter? All right, well, can we just keep
an eye on this and maybe.

Speaker 1 (08:00):
Yeah, I promise I won't play Gardenscapes in the workplace anymore.
You can just do it less. And it's hard to
do it less because then if you get like an
electric showdown, then all of a sudden, yes, and it'll
reward you every time that you stay away. Yes. If
I take like two days off, I come back and
it's like, oh, you got bonus puzzles, and then you

(08:21):
got bonus lives and all this other stuff, and then
all of a sudden, it's like, oh, well two hours
of my time matches. They really have you addicted? Yes,
you really are. Don't you have a game that you
play all the time to shut.

Speaker 4 (08:31):
The hell up. I talked about how to play it
nearly as much as this. I'm obsessed with Russell. I
wish other people would play it with me. It's a
word game. It's good for your brain.

Speaker 3 (08:42):
See word games are good for your brain. There is
an argument for that. But still limit your time on
the phone.

Speaker 4 (08:46):
I would say, max at Russell. I'll be thirty minutes
a day now, but I want to play it every day.
I gotta get myst.

Speaker 1 (08:53):
Your neighbor that banged on your wall and told you
to shut up.

Speaker 4 (08:55):
That was years ago. Andrew. I was collecting coins.

Speaker 6 (09:00):
So that loud.

Speaker 4 (09:01):
Yeah, yeah, I had. I had the volume all the
way up. And it was mornings, you know, like I
wake up early early, and then I was playing my
Ruzzle and I was collecting the coins and I got
a bang on the wall. And Andrew apparently has the
memory of an elephant. Just hold on to these things
for so long. Yes, it was a problem.

Speaker 6 (09:16):
I trying to distract from his own addiction.

Speaker 1 (09:19):
I see. I'll tell you what.

Speaker 3 (09:20):
Let's keep an eye on gardens escapes with you, and
ruzzle with you, young lady. Let's continue to monitor this please. Yeah, yeah,
and thank you, thank you. You can do it, Andrew.
If you can just limit your time on your garden scapes,
it'll be a good thing for everyone.

Speaker 1 (09:36):
This has been an eye opening experience for me. This
feels like my rock bottom. If I'm getting interventioned, I mean,
if you want to check me into a ninety dight program,
I'm fine with that.

Speaker 2 (09:47):
I would some program, some suggestions where he wants to
go program.

Speaker 1 (09:54):
Yeah, I'm sure we'll say bar yeah, okay, good luck
and god

Speaker 7 (09:58):
Wi the Elvis ter Ran after party, mm hmm

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