Social Media Gaming Out of Control

Whether you play yourself or you see your friends’ annoying update posts on Facebook about “Finding a Lost Cow on the Farm” or “Extra Cake for All”, it is evident that Social Media Gaming has gotten out of control. FarmVille, Cafe World, and FishVille (just three of many games out there), all made by game company Zynga have taken off in popularity for a range of Facebook users. They are not just for teenie boppers. In fact, the majority of Social Media Gamers are University aged or older. But what makes these games so popular?

The interactive and addictive qualities of Social Media Games force users to somewhat devote their life to the game. For example, in FarmVille, players plant seeds, build bars, or raise animals. Every so often, depending on the seed you choose, you need to water it. Should you forget or not have the time to log on, your plant will die. Similarly in FishVille, your fish will die if you don’t feed them and on Cafe World if you do not serve the dishes soon enough they will spoil.

The time limits imposed by the game force you to play more often that you might necessarily want to and often, players will either schedule what they plant based upon their daily schedule or even plan their daily schedule based on when their crops need to be harvested! There are even calculator websites where you can determine the exact time you will need to take action within your game. Others enjoy the games because they do not necessarily take your full attention. It is very easy to multi-task while playing Social Media Games.

The real draw to these games is the interaction between Facebook users. You can add your friends as neighbours so that you can send gifts to each other or help out other peoples’ games. As you play you earn points. By playing on Facebook, you can compete with your neighbours, making the game further interactive between players. You can also post on the news feed about your actions, rewards, and awards within the game (which can be really annoying to those people who do not care but have their Facebook news-feeds filled with this nonsense). For those that do play, they feel a positive sense of interaction between their friends and it can often fill a void for those people who cannot do so in real life.

Social Media Gaming is taking over. One in four Americans play FarmVille or a similar game through Facebook. Obviously, companies are realising the strong growth and have begun to take part in the games. In so doing, they gain popularity for their own sites. By joining in on the fun, companies can friend more people as many of the games promote this action so that you can get to higher levels or purchase more advanced items that you need to beat out your friends. My only words of advice—beware of these games. They are fun. They are easy. They are competitive. You will become addicted and it takes a strong person to stop playing.

Time to go: I need to go serve a turkey on Cafe World.

Image by sabrina.dent

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