I recently decided to start playing Farmville to see what it was that engaged millions of people and generated millions of dollars for Zynga. I determined in advance I would not pull out the credit card, under any circumstance. I figured I would be able to play for awhile and then would hit a preprogrammed wall where I would have to fork over some cash to keep having fun.
Nope. It turns out that you can develop a lovely farm and an ever increasing coin purse just by diligently planting and attending to your crops. Now, of course, this is no life of luxury. No tractors. I have to click each plot one at a time to plow, rather than four at a time, but tractors require virtual fuel anyway, which cost virtual coin. My fuel supply is stockpiling. I feel I should get a carbon credit. And of course, no luxury items. No 5000 coin sunglasses for me. No ostentatious farm manor, or kitschy holiday themed animals or exotic pets nearing extinction. No vast expansion of my farm either, which would just require ever more clicking… and for what? Nope, just working the soil with my virtual, clicking hands, prudently reinvesting my coins and allowing a little capital to accumulate, a little cushion to cover the loss of an occasional withered crop.
Its not a bad virtual farm life. I love the golden squares of ripened pineapple, the bright red cranberry bogs, my trees laden with citrus, cherries, and golden, rainbow apples. I love the greenhouse, the scientist in me marveling at the wonder of stasberries. I am quite fond of my couple of cows, few sheep, scattered fowl and the odd penguin. And I have a nice shade lean-to when I want to just kick back, relax and take in the wonder and beauty of my farm, nature and the world.
The game is a little moral lesson in the virtue of leading a simple life, free from material striving and ostentatious, pointless consumption. It illustrates how full and rich life can be when you set aside the need for instant gratification, set aside greedy ambition, stop worrying about keeping up with the Jones’s and just live within your means enjoying the simple pleasures of a life well lived.
Nope, I haven’t pulled out my credit card and Zynga has taught me an important life lesson. By the way, how on earth do they make so much money? I don’t know, I’m just a simple farmer. Gotta go milk the cow.
