Students have become increasingly more interested in harvesting crops and developing farms during the last year.But the spike in interest is not because of any agrarian factor. It’s Facebook.FarmVille, a popular Facebook game that has taken over users’ news feeds, has seen more than 118 million total installations since its release to the online world in June 2009, according to Zynga Game Network, the online gaming company that created FarmVille.
Zynga is responsible for the creation of several of Facebook’s most popular game applications, including FarmVille, Mafia Wars and Café World. Facebook, which has more than 400 million users, sees an estimated 75 million users play FarmVille every month, according to a Feb. 23 article by CNN. FarmVille allows users to develop virtual farms, earn electronic “money” to purchase better crops, barns and animals and to compete with neighboring farms.And college students are using FarmVille and other Facebook games as easy distractions from to-do lists, with some students claiming they are “addicted” to harvesting their farms. The games are targeted to 18- to 34-year-olds, according to Zynga. Reilee Morris, textile science and fashion merchandising freshman, said she obsessed over developing her farm during her first semester.”It basically makes everyone addicted,” Morris said. “I was in the Union one day, and one of my friends texted me and told me my crops were ready, so I grabbed some random person’s computer to check on it.”Active FarmVille users spend an average of 33 minutes at a time updating their crops, according to Zynga. Jeanne Marie Maraist, communication studies junior, said there is about a 98 percent chance she will play FarmVille each time she logs on to Facebook.”I always play FarmVille in class because I have my laptop,” Maraist said. “Before I can sit down to start writing a paper or studying for a test, I absolutely have to check Facebook first.”Maraist said Facebook — and the Internet in general — become  her primary sources of distraction because she carries her laptop to school in her bookbag. “Just as I carry my books in my booksack, I also carry Facebook and FarmVille in it, too, whenever I pack my computer,” Maraist said.FarmVille may be beneficial for Web sites like Facebook and Zynga, but students may not benefit from the games as much as they’d like.Jennifer Curry, assistant professor of counselor education, said she views Facebook as an escape and a hindrance to real social relationships.”Any time you spend too much time virtually, you’re living your life electronically,” Curry said. “Students who get home at the end of the day and spend the rest of their time on the Internet are losing out on the immersion in the college experience.”Some students described themselves as addicted to Facebook games, but others expressed discontent with their news feeds being ambushed by advertisements for and invitations to play the games.”I’m somewhat disgusted by it because when I get on Facebook, it’s about networking,” said Chris Jones, mathematics junior. “[Farmville] makes me not want to be on Facebook anymore.”Students not interested in harvesting crops or milking cows were recently given the opportunity to remove FarmVille from their Facebook accounts by clicking the “hide” button when FarmVille appears in their news feeds.”It aggravates me,” said Constance Deshotel, fashion merchandising senior. “I’m not concerned with who just bought 20 cows.”Sandy Presad, communication studies junior, said she hid FarmVille from her account but plays the game Bejeweled when she is at work. “I’m not obsessed, but it’s good entertainment while I sit at work for eight hours,” Presad said. “But I don’t care about FarmVille. I’m glad not to have it on my news feed anymore.”–Contact Matthew Jacobs at [email protected]