If you've spent any time on Facebook then you have heard of Farmville, the virtual farming game. In the game you grow your farm by monotonously clicking the mouse to grow and harvest crops, milk cows and shear sheep. You must pester your friends to become your neighbors to win awards and boost your level.
As a player of the game, and a former farm boy, I'd like to provide some insight as to the differences between the game Farmville and actual, real-life farming.
Farming |
Farmville |
| Farmers spend most of their working hours outside with the livestock, or in the fields with their crops. |
Farmvillers spend most of their working hours indoors, on the computer, clicking the mouse. |
| Farming can be a dangerous profession with big machinery and sharp tools. |
Farmville can lead to carpal tunnel syndrome with all the small mouse movements and constant clicking. |
| Farmers love the land, and will farm until the money runs out. Doing anything they can to keep their land in the family. |
Farmvillers get bored after a couple months and abandon their farm leaving crops to wither and die |
| Farmers make good neighbors, except for the smell sometimes. |
Farmvillers make annoying neighbors, filling your Facebook feed with their awards and lost animals, and they smell. |
| Farmers spend real money to buy real fuel to power their real tractors. |
Farmvillers spend real money to buy virtual fuel to power their virtual tractors |
| Farmers offer their harvest at market providing sustenance for people around the world. |
Farmvillers provide a market for virtual Halloween decorations for their farm providing sustenance for programmers at Zynga, and an easy target for derision from geek humorists like me. |
| Farmers fear the day a plague of locusts or some plant disease will kill their crops. |
Farmvillers fear the day their raspberries will be ready at the same time as that really long meeting and their crops will die. |
| Most farmers would be bored out of their minds playing Farmville. |
Most Farmvillers are bored out of their minds playing Farmville. |
