Professors constantly warn students about the evils of procrastination. We are told that it will ruin us by making us sleep-deprived under-achievers. Nevertheless, procrastination permeates college students’ lives, from hitting the snooze button to pounding out papers at 4 a.m.

So how do we spend our wasted time? Shining amidst a million time-sucking tactics is a computer game called Snood.

Addicting, entertaining and ultimately simple, Snood is a Tetris-like game that can be downloaded off the Web as shareware. This means that users are asked to register the game and pay for it, but the demo version is fully functional, therefore the majority of users do not pay.

The concept of the game centers on the Snoods: cartoon-like faces made of different shapes and bright colors. The player must shoot the Snoods toward a wall, matching them with their mates and making them disappear.

It is a two-dimensional game, though the Snoods’ faces flicker with emotion as the player aims to shoot them down.

Why is Snood so addicting? Maybe college students crave the simplistic video games of their youth, like Pac-man and Super Mario Brothers.

Players say Snood is just challenging enough that it stimulates interest and also allows room for one’s mind to vegetate. Students from Georgetown to Northwestern have become obsessed, throwing Snood parties and breaking records for high scores. Saint Louis University also has its share of Snood addicts.

SLU sophomore Jordan Boland spoke with incredulous amusement about her roommate KT Niemann’s addiction to Snood. “During finals week she was playing it all the time,” said Boland.

Eventually Niemann deleted the game because she decided it was taking up too much of her time.

SLU freshman Margie Furlow laughed as she reported that, “Snood is contributing to my academic failure.” She has played 377 games and has a high score of 158,427.

It isn’t just college students who are obsessed with the game. Freshman Kari Guttman introduced the game to her dad, and she said he plays, “for hours and hours. My mom wants me to delete Snood because he plays it so much.”

Creator David Dobson is a geology professor in North Carolina. Over 30,000 copies of Snood have been registered and paid for. Dobson also sells merchandise on his web site (t-shirts, mugs, etc.), but many Snood addicts won’t ever pay.

“How much would I pay for Snood?” recovered addict Niemann asks laughing. “One cent.”