“Attention: A rare and elusive turtle has appeared on your friend’s island, hurry to be the first to adopt this cute little guy!”
You have probably seen this message, or at least something like it. Maybe it was a lonely pink cow that had lost its way, or it could have been an invite to join the mob. Regardless, if you have a Facebook account, you are aware of these games.
A survey of 50 individuals with a Facebook account revealed that all had tried at least one Facebook game. Thirty of them had well-established “farms,” and 20 had achieved at least a “125k Medal” in the game Bejeweled Blitz.
So what? Most people enjoy playing games. One might argue that it is part of human nature. The problem comes when games become more important than real-life responsibilities. Take the popular game “Farmville,” for instance.
“Procrastination through cultivation,” is the term used to describe the obsession my friends have with this game. Of the 30 individuals who said they had a “well-established farm,” 25 admitted to playing the game in lieu of doing homework. Ten of those said that maintaining their “farms” had at least once resulted in a negative real world consequence.
“I use my computer to write papers and do homework. The Internet is always there and it isn’t uncommon for me to put off the responsibilities of school in order to harvest my crops,” Stephanie Samuels said.
Forty-eight of those interviewed cited avoidance of homework or to-do list items as a reason they play online. “It is so easy to do, if you have a connection [to the Internet] you’re set,” said Ashley Nosam. “Who wouldn’t play?”
Good question. From the evidence of many casual conversations, as well as my own research for this article, I am forced to admit that most people do play. Like many of you, one of the things I do every morning is log on to my Facebook account. I maintain several pages, and, to be fair, Facebook is a great way to get information that may be important to my day ahead. For the most part, I find the services and features of the site to be helpful and entertaining.
Do I play any Facebook games? I have tried a few, but they are not my cup of tea. Do I think Facebook games are wrong? No. Do I think they can be a waste of time? Most definitely!
Play for entertainment.
Play to defrag from a stressful day.
Just don’t let your real life be negatively affected.
By these games we play.
At a glance:
Who: Facebook users
What: Facebook Games
Why: For entertainment or to avoid homework
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