The cult named “Facebook Games”

One day, I was browsing Facebook when I received a chat message from an old friend of mine. She asked me to add her as a Farmville neighbor. I got surprised cause if anyone would ask me about this is either my closest of friends who are into these games or my family relatives. Since I don’t play Farmville simply because I don’t like this game (I do play Mafia Wars simply because it takes 1 to 2 minutes to play for a day and not waste time, also my closest friends requested me to join their Mafia and mostly because it has some RPG elements in it and I am a mad RPG fan. I plan to stop this game until I get all the achievements for good). I told her that I don’t play Farmville, but she told me that cant I do a simple thing for a friend. OK fine! So I added her as my neighbor in Farmville. Since she is my old friend, so I thought I should talk to her for a while so I asked how she was doing. She did not reply. I waited but did not get any reply. Was she just talked to me just to add her in Farmville for the simple reason that she is my friend? Well I guess this is not an issue since we have hi-hello relationship. The problem is that how games like Famville or Mafia Wars or CafeWorld or blah blah Ville or world are acting like drugs.

 

Zynga has become a cult favorite for so many Facebook users. I guess Zynga is now a million dollar company provided there are over millions of Facebook users playing these games. There are some crazy people who even would go for completing the lengthy surveys and do several multiple sign-ups. Some even pay 20-100 dollars just to get some several points. For me, I think this is very unfair, since it leaves out competition. Why people spend so much money? It’s a simple reason: try to get way ahead of others. I think it’s a waste of money, since there are ways to get into the game. Spending money on these sort of games, where it does not offer any variation and it’s only meant for replenish some points, is simply illogical. I can clearly conclude that these people are very much addicted to these games. I will come to addiction later. Even you are given only a chance to start up, since there are no way you can get back, as profiles are based on accounts. Also the games are free to play. The games even don’t offer powerful or exclusive items to brag unlike different Korean MMOs like Maple Story or Gunbound (these Korean MMOs also requires skills of a gamer unlike these Facebook games which do not require skills).

 

I agree these games can be considered as MMOs but I don’t think these games are helping socially. I usually get lots of application and group invitations of these games from people but that’s all. I think there are more groups related to these games than groups related to any other topics. When you go these groups there at least 95% of the wall posts are filled with add me posts. I guess even in those groups, meant for suggestions of how these games can be improved, have so much add me posts. I guess if there is ever a get-together party or online party with every player, I guess people will say to each other: hi…..add me…..bye!!! I guess these players are using other users for single purpose: use them as catalysts. I am not offending but if people add someone they should make sure they treat them as friends, even at least they should wish them happy birthday (Well some people did during my birthday).

 

Let’s come to addiction. As I said before there are people who are willing to pay just for replenishing points. I would rather give a perfect example of how addicted people can be. Let me take an example of one of my relatives. She is just a die-hard fan of these games. She will try to do anything that will get her to play Farmville. Every time she consistently reminds herself that she needs to harvest vegetables. When she is outside, she tries to convince others accompanying her to go back home since she needs to harvest those vegetables otherwise those will get rotten. One day I decided not to give her the internet since I use my mobile phone connection for the net. She tried so many ways to convince me to let her login to Facebook. She said she was going to finish everything within 10 min (10 min is equal to 45 min of Farmville, Mafia Wars, CafeWorld , Fishville and Island something something). At one point she acted in such desperate way that I can recall a youtube video of a WOW player who has been grounded to play WOW for a day or for a week I guess. Later I saw her calling someone to log in to her Facebook account just to harvest those vegetables before they get rotten. It became a daily term or should I say a daily life activity that she needs to harvest the vegetables. Even after morning prayers she would check on the vegetables. It became mandatory or should I say “farz”. I was supposed to finish this article within an hour but it took me two hours she was constantly holding my t-shirt and pulling me back and forth requesting me to let her use Facebook. I finally decided I am going to finish her addiction once and for all and let her realize that nothing is lost when vegetables get rotten. I am wondering if she acts like this, how about those people, who just signed up just to play those games. I am wondering, how their daily life goes. Do they have no life as what mentioned in WOW episode in South Park? I am just curious. Come on I also play Mafia Wars, but nothing is over for me if there is something wrong or if I don’t collect my rackets on time. Games are meant to be entertainment or should I say way to get into profession. It should not be abused when it is taken as a form of entertainment. Gaming should be taken as a means of satisfaction, not as a means of desperation.  I am also scared about another issue. If games like these totally dominates the market, I am wondering what will happen to the future of the games that we normally play?