FarmVille- the reasons behind its popularity
October 15, 2011 - Posted in Games
Facebook’s free online game Farmville, which allows users to run their own virtual farm, is set to become the most popular application on the social networking site. The game allows Facebook members to plant, grow, and harvest virtual crops, trees, raise livestock, invest in farm equipment and sell their produce for profit.
Zynga’s hit Facebook game FarmVille is arguably the most widely played video game in existence. The simplest reason behind this is advertising. FarmVille is advertised all over Facebook, so people are bound to pay attention. This advertising is incredibly effective, because it is so immediate; one clicks on the ad and can play the game.
Even users constantly advertise the game to their friends through viral channels on Facebook. As one plays, the game periodically prompts you to post about your accomplishments on your Facebook wall. These posts, which are generated with a simple click from within the game, appear in all of one’s friends’ news feeds. This encourages others to play, so in this way, Zynga gets free advertising.
Getting ahead in the game depends on having plenty of Facebook friends who are also playing. The crops in Farmville wither if one does not harvest them quick enough which encourage users to come back again and again. Rewards for adding neighbors are offered to users, prompting them to invite their friends to play too. That allows Farmville to spread very rapidly, obtaining new users very fast. What keeps the new users hooked is the simple interface and easy to use options in the game.
The game has new features and items added all the time. This keeps people checking back to see what new features have been added, and attracts new users as people get curious to find out what the hype is all about.
FarmVille won an award at the Game Developer’s Conference for the “Best New Social/Online Game” in 2010. The game owes its popularity to a growing trend among urban people who want to give the rural activities a try by harvesting vegetables, milking cows, and shearing sheep.
4 Responses to “FarmVille- the reasons behind its popularity”
It owes its popularity to a growing trend among urbanizes to try to their hand to the rural life by harvesting vegetables, milking cows, and shearing sheep. In my opinion it is a combination of the best elements of social gaming, with people’s instinct to nurture, Zinga have created an incredible fun, wholesome and rewarding experience.
By Jewel Quest Solitaire on Oct 31, 2011
Social games are keeping people engaged at Facebook, and its one of the major reasons behind its popularity. Just for Zinga’s Farmville, there are more than 200 million monthly users. Zinga the maker of Farmville truly exhausts its resources to the fullest and they are successful doing that.
By chupacabra on Nov 4, 2011