LookAtVietnam – People no longer come home, turn on the TV, and flip channels to see what is on: Instead, they sit in front of a computer, go to Facebook,

Time to kill: Photo of a farm owned by Cam Giang (nickname) in the Facebook game Farm Ville.

“Even before checking my email, I go to Facebook just to see if there is anything new on my homepage and to see which of my friends are online. Next, a few minutes are spent commenting on friends’ posts, or taking fun quizzes.

“Then, I go to my game.”

In some games, money arrives every hour, and gamers have to get it to the bank before someone steals it.

In others, gamers have to buy items to advance their play but only have an opportunity to earn money every six hours.

So, Queenie gets up early and sits up late to look after her farm, grow crops, prevent her crops from being stolen, and steal friends’ crops if possible or add bugs and weeds to them.

“Farming games like Barn Buddy are gentle and suitable even for ladies. But what I like most is stealing crops from friends. Preventing others from stealing yours is, for me, a fascinating part of Barn Buddy. I’m growing another farm on Farm Pals – a game which also allows gamers to steal crops from each other.

“Gamers can also buy livestock like chicken or sheep for their farms. Listening to the sounds of chicken chirping and crowing and dogs barking brings the feeling of working in the countryside.”

These so-called “social games” combine the two biggest current online trends: games and social networks. They are simple to play and seem to appeal to everyone.

Virtual explosion

Farming games have begun to attract a massive number of users in the last six months. Besides Barn Buddy, Facebook also has a number of other farming games like Farm Town, Farm Ville, and Farm Land for the wired community which are now attracting virtual farmers in droves.

Meant for all ages, they are being played by whole families.

“I’ve noticed a transformation in myself since I started playing these games and using Facebook regularly,” says Embededer.

“One of the things I enjoy is meeting people from all over the world who are playing these interactive games at the same time.

Cam Giang, the owner of a large farm on Farm Ville, says: “Facebook allows players to easily distribute the games to their friends by inviting them to play.

“I like the functionality of Farm Ville. It may be cartoonish but it’s very simple to plough and plant. These games instill in players a nurturing aspect – they design something, it grows over time… I’m completely absorbed when playing.”

Huyen Tran does not have enough “passion” to be a farmer and so spends her time earning money from her restaurant on Restaurant City.

“I love to buy elegant items ranging from classy wall fixtures to antique vases to decorate my restaurant. I love to create my own recipes – starters, main courses, desserts, and refreshing drinks – for the restaurant,” Tran says.

Tran almost never takes her eyes off her restaurant: Even if she has some other work to do, she makes sure she returns pronto to her computer and restaurant.

“Beginning from a small restaurant with simple furniture and an oil stove, gamers have to think of how to get rich as quickly as possible. I had to build slick restrooms, fit air conditioners, and instal a music system to satisfy customers. A restaurant owner also has to take care of employees.

“I find the restaurant business interesting. Maybe I’ll pool money with friends to open a restaurant.”

But there is a well-documented dark side to online games. Many gamers admit they spend an inordinate amount of time on the games, throwing their personal lives and relationships out of kilter.

Kien Dao, a friend of Queenie, complains that Facebook games have become the main topic of their conversations. He says Queenie keeps talking about her farm and crops even when having lunch with his family.

“Gamers must realise that chatting on the internet cannot completely replace a face-to-face phone conversation. Similarly, growing up on a farm or running a restaurant on Facebook is nothing more than a game.”

“But I cannot do anything about this trend since Facebook games are the only place where I can meet some of my friends.

“I just want to warn that we live in a real world and these games can make people neglect their work. Besides, direct interaction creates truer feelings.”

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News