Nadine, a twenty-seven-year-old woman with red hair and piercing green eyes, settled into her favorite booth at the local diner. The smell of coffee and bacon filled her nostrils as she placed her order with the grumpy waitress.

As a video game designer, she’d never had trouble focusing or maintaining her willpower. But lately, she’d found herself increasingly drawn to her phone, playing an addictive new game she’d discovered. She told herself it was just harmless fun, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to it than met the eye.

It started innocently. She’d lose a few games here and there, but never thought much of it. That was until she began to be a top winner each day. At first, it was just extra lives or power-ups, but as she soon got cash prizes for being on the app for so long.

As the weeks went by, Nadine found herself spending more and more time with the game. Her friends and co-workers grew concerned, often making jokes about her newfound addiction.

Finally, her luck ran out.

After ten weeks of some decent results but a few big wins, Nadine was the biggest loser of the week. For the first time, she caught a glimpse of the game’s true nature.