Playing Farmville

There are millions of "farmers" across the world. Figures are based on the "like" people clicked into in a single farms application alone and these numbers are growing. One of the most active applications is farmville. What makes this game so addictive, despite the never-ending multiple tasks that people are still willing to devote so much time ? A "farmer" spends at least 3 hours a day to harvest crops,trees and animals; to plow, plant and fertilize; to unwrap and send gifts,to answer each neighbor's request, to check factory and to complete building of this and that. Exhausting? Nonsense? But why can't most "farmers" quit such tiring games ?

I had been active in farmville and farmtown for morethan a couple of years. Active, in the sense that I played daily or even twice a day (before heading to work and after work). It was all started by a neighbor's request by a friend. Curious to know, I explored farmville.I enjoyed the simple click then came the need to beautify my farm as it was bare. A friend showed me the rules of the game, just like in real world, hardwork pays.

The more time and effort one will dedicate into the farm, the more rewards are available. Earning virtual money to purchase anything to decorate the farm to make it more realistic is the major goal . "Farmers" are in distress when there is a technical problem that would take days to resolve. The higher the level one achieves, the greater chance to unlock some improvements . Oh, I forget to mention, neighbors are needed for expansion and upgrade. The more neighbors, the better. Referring friends of friends or members of the family became the way of acquiring more neighbors.

I have dozens of neighbors. People from all walks of life. People that was once a stranger to me, now , are my instant neighbors,instant friends. People from different parts of the world, people of all ages (my oldest neighbor is 80 years old and the youngest is 12 years old ),of different gender,occupation,religion and language but we all have one in common, we all enjoy playing farm.

Neighbors request and gifts are pouring in as farmville theme goes with the real world's celebration . "Farmer" are busy accepting and sending gifts, upgrading the storage and redeeming gifts. The excitement brought by the surprise of "unlucking" as one reaches a certain level makes one's butt glued in front of the computer screen for extra hours. A habit that turns to addiction.

Anything that is above moderation is bad. A recurring cumpulsion by a person to engage in such activity despite the harmful consequences and affect one's social life is considered addiction. Too many have online and video games addictions. Diverting the attention to real life activites is one of the best paths to a solution.

I realized that for more than 2 years, I spent countless hours playing when I could've used that time to something more productive instead. If those hours I wasted had've been used to complete an online course, surely, by now, I gain more knowledge ang skills. If that time had've been spent in real life farming then I bet,I would've enjoyed much better harvesting on what was sown.

Life is more purposeful when one steps outside the virtual world, more relaxing when one strolls in the park, smelling the real flowers and enjoying the sights. The best harvest I have for morethan 2 years is friends. Friends that though I haven't meet face to face but through the years we built love and care. Friends who've been with me, when needed most, willing to listen and share insights. Friends who taught me that real friendship can be also found on the internet.

Life is short and precious. Spend the most of it with family who can appreciate one's presence. Spend time with nature, it's our gift from God, enjoy the scenery from the simplest sounds of the leaves as the wind blows gently upto the children's laughter. Avoid being trapped to whatever fun an online games can offer. The truth is, the real fun is in the real world.