Onder Zeeniveau

>Have you lost someone to one of the several farm games on Facebook? Many of my Facebook friends are compulsive FarmVille players. The game is designed to keep users engage to the highest level possible. It demands lot of time and care from the users. Some would stay glued to their computers, working on their virtual farms—sowing, harvesting, erecting fences, going to the marketplace, etc.

One of my friends spends hours on this game. Not that I don’t play the game, I do it for the joy of having my own farm. Having your own piece of land where you can grow crops and raise cattle is one of the dreams of a large fraction of people, and FarmVille allows people to realise that dream. The developers of the game haven’t made online version of farming any easier than real farming. Sowing any crop takes time as it would in real world. Then the crop takes its own time to grow and be ready for harvesting. Once ready, the crop has to be harvested before it wilts.The sophistication of the game makes loyal users who will log into their Facebook account not to see what friends are doing, but only to see if it’s time to harvest crop or milk the cows.

I read in an article that some people even set alarms so that they can wake up in the night when their crop is ready for harvest. Amazing compulsion.

So far I have been able to stay away from FarmVille Complusive Disorder. How? Here are a few tips:

Set realistic targets: Like real life, you need to set a goal for the virtual life as well. Don’t go for some outrageous target. Think realistically. In my FarVille farm, I am saving for a barn house. Once I buy the barn house that costs 40,000 FarmVille coins, I will reduce the size of my farm and work sparingly, just to maintain my farm.

Choose the right crop: Like any wise farmer, you need to see which crop is best for you. Instead of quick-growing crops such as raspberries and strawberries, go for crops that take some time to grow and be ready for harvest. I find rice to be the best crop for my farm. First it will need 12 hours to be ready for harvest and then I get another 12 hours for harvesting the crop. That means I have to work on my farm only once a day. When I am not sure if I would have time for harvesting, I go for crops that take even longer for being ready. Apart from saving time, a longer harvest period means I spend less money on ploughing the field, which compensates for the lesser amount of coins earned.

Have enough open space on your farm: Any patch of land has a limit of the number of creatures that it can support. If the number exceeds that, the ecological balance gets disturbed. This the reasons why lemmings commit suicide; they try to restore the balance by reducing the pressure on the limited resources available. Apply this logic to your farm and have only the number of animals and trees that look aesthetically pleasing on your farm and don’t suck your energy juice. Keep your farm organized and leave lot of empty space for the cattle and yourself.

Don’t spend dollars for FarmVille money: You might be tempted to spend some dollars and buy FarmVille currencies. Steer clear of it. Play the game without any hurry and collect all those coins and currencies to fund your purchases. And no rags to riches dreams. Like real life, work your way to prosperity and wealth.

No alarms for playing FarmVille: Please. What joy is a game if you have to set alarms for it. Just play the game in your spare time.

If these tips does not help you get rid of FarmVille Compulsive Disorder, visit a psychiartist for help.