It's An Addiction!

I'm sure that some of you who are reading this post are all too familiar with the little picture above. For some of you, the very sight of it gives you a high and your fingers start twitching as you struggle to hold back your desire to harvest those crops!

And then there are those of you who are like me. You've never seen this before because, you too, are a Facebook virgin (that's a story for another time). But while I have never actually seen FarmVille, I have witnessed, first hand, the addictive powers of this insidious little game.

Let me back up a bit. I have a friend at work, let's call her Sue since that is her name, who one day was telling me about this little game she had started playing on her computer. She explained that it was all about a little farm. Someone had "invited" her to be their neighbor (a Facebook thing) and she had accepted and now she had this cute little farm with fences, crops and a few animals.

Sue was explaining how she really wanted to get some more fences and cows when all of the sudden she looked at the clock. In a panic, she told me she had to go because it was almost time for her to harvest her soybeans! Say what? Soybeans?

It has been a sad thing to watch as my dear friend has gone from enjoying a simple little game to complete addiction! No longer is she content with one barn and a few cows. Now she craves multiple barns and herds of bovines! She NEEDS more tractors and "plowers" (her term, not mine) to keep up with her ever growing estate. She is consumed by her desire for the almighty FarmVille Coins! Where will it stop?

The other morning, when Sue arrived at work, she confessed that, the night before, she had been on FarmVille for three full hours and hadn't even noticed the time go by. (Wouldn't you have a "dead end" by then?) But even with that confession, there was a slightly maniacal smile on her face and a glazed look in her eyes. An addiction, I tell you!

If this was simply a story of an addict, it would be heartbreaking enough. But sadly, it goes beyond addiction. Because, Sue has now become...a pusher. You heard me correctly. A pusher. By her own confession, when her son and boyfriend teased her about the time she was spending on her farm, she drew them in.

First she asked them to help her out by harvesting her crops when she couldn't be there (pathetic!). Then, once they had been bitten by the harvesting bug, she suggested that they should start their own farms and "invited" them to be her neighbors! How low can you go?

Like I said, she's an addict AND a pusher, and she needs help! Sure it keeps her out of the casinos, but at what cost? Someone needs to stop this mindless waste of time. Obviously, I can't help...remember that whole Facebook thing. I try to offer support and alternative hobbies like reading a book but all to no avail.

So here's the bottom line. My friend needs help! She's living in the land of make-believe. And from what I'm hearing, she is NOT alone! I just hope that with this whole FarmVille thing, we won't see overalls as part of the Spring fashion lineup!