Social games have become a phenomenon as the popularity of social networking sites has exploded. One of the most successful of these was FarmVille, released in 2009 on the site Facebook. Almost overnight, the game became one of the top on Facebook and set the model for the genre.
The concept of the game is fairly simple. Users are given their own farm to manage and have the ability to gain farm coins and experience points. In order to grow their farm and become successful, users plant crops. As they grow, they can be cultivated, earning more coins and points. As these increase, so do the number of crops available in the "market". The ultimate objective of the game is to manage a successful farm while earning as much currency as possible.
Social interaction is also a major component of the game. Utilizing the social media platform, users can invite their Facebook friends, and more recently, other users that are not their friends, to become farm neighbors. Neighbors can visit one another's farms and perform actions on it. Gifts can be exchanged as well. A single farmer can establish a wide network of neighbors.
Harvest Moon, a role playing game introduced in 1996 is said to have been the jumping off point for FarmVille. This RPG created the concept of virtual farming to the Super Nintendo platform, although it was not wildly popular. Its successor, Happy Farm, was far more widely known, especially in China. This is the game that truly set the stage for the virtual social farming concept. It appeared on the web just one year before the Facebook game.
The developer, Zynga, is a well known creator of social games for both stand alone platforms and social media sites. The company has created dozens of successful games over a myriad of platforms. It is the developer of most games found on Facebook. In each of these, users may play for free with the option of making in-game purchases via "Facebook credits". The company has been so influential, a German copycat, cleverly named "Plinga", has even attempted to mimic the model.
This has quickly become a billion dollar industry, leaving the door wide open for advertising opportunities. Most users that participate will visit the same site every single day in order to keep up with their farm, restaurant, or what-have-you. Companies may decide to invest in product placement within the game. Or, banners displayed across the top of a page will surely catch attention. This can increase traffic to any website or company.
Once the most popular activity on Facebook, FarmVille has since nestled comfortable into the number seven slot. However, its ubiquity inspired a sequel, FarmVille 2. Zynga, however, continues to produce social games. For the most part, each one has been met with success.
Facebook has been known to make or break brands and games. The introduction of FarmVille onto this site almost guaranteed its success. Although it has fallen slightly since 2009, it continues to hang on and inspire sequels and other games.
The concept of the game is fairly simple. Users are given their own farm to manage and have the ability to gain farm coins and experience points. In order to grow their farm and become successful, users plant crops. As they grow, they can be cultivated, earning more coins and points. As these increase, so do the number of crops available in the "market". The ultimate objective of the game is to manage a successful farm while earning as much currency as possible.
Social interaction is also a major component of the game. Utilizing the social media platform, users can invite their Facebook friends, and more recently, other users that are not their friends, to become farm neighbors. Neighbors can visit one another's farms and perform actions on it. Gifts can be exchanged as well. A single farmer can establish a wide network of neighbors.
Harvest Moon, a role playing game introduced in 1996 is said to have been the jumping off point for FarmVille. This RPG created the concept of virtual farming to the Super Nintendo platform, although it was not wildly popular. Its successor, Happy Farm, was far more widely known, especially in China. This is the game that truly set the stage for the virtual social farming concept. It appeared on the web just one year before the Facebook game.
The developer, Zynga, is a well known creator of social games for both stand alone platforms and social media sites. The company has created dozens of successful games over a myriad of platforms. It is the developer of most games found on Facebook. In each of these, users may play for free with the option of making in-game purchases via "Facebook credits". The company has been so influential, a German copycat, cleverly named "Plinga", has even attempted to mimic the model.
This has quickly become a billion dollar industry, leaving the door wide open for advertising opportunities. Most users that participate will visit the same site every single day in order to keep up with their farm, restaurant, or what-have-you. Companies may decide to invest in product placement within the game. Or, banners displayed across the top of a page will surely catch attention. This can increase traffic to any website or company.
Once the most popular activity on Facebook, FarmVille has since nestled comfortable into the number seven slot. However, its ubiquity inspired a sequel, FarmVille 2. Zynga, however, continues to produce social games. For the most part, each one has been met with success.
Facebook has been known to make or break brands and games. The introduction of FarmVille onto this site almost guaranteed its success. Although it has fallen slightly since 2009, it continues to hang on and inspire sequels and other games.
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