I've been forced to become a neighbour for some friends on FB. The amount of requests I get is ridiculous. I really hate this game!

I loved this game at first but I'm so sick of all the clicking and having to play it daily. I plant the crops that take the longest to grow now so I don't have to play it so much lol

Just another reason why I will not be joining facebook.

wow people not on facebook still exist?

We are few... and I would like to say mostly old but even they have been taken over.

I was for quite some time. The only reason I joined as of recent was because of the amount of people on facebook. It's a nice application but It gets a bit annoying that my friends have to post every few hours - like I need to know their every move lol.

Now that the 360 will intergrate with it in a few months. How many 360's will be playing farmville? ;)

this is game stealing nintendo casual sale :p.

all casuals in my school play farm ville.

monstasack, i dont think much, unless facebook implementation have all the browser, java script, flash features of full internet browser.

Most major social games use a 'free to play' model that involve an unlimited amount of microtransactions.

A few games that use this type are:

• Battlefield Heroes
• Farmville
• Mob Wars
• Mobsters
• Sorority Life

What happens is this:

Users are allowed to play the game for free, without issue. However, there are special promotional items that allow for better stats/abilities that can be only purchased via a transaction between the player and the host. Rather than state the item costs '$0.99 USD' they usually opt for coins or in game currency.

Players can get currency in one of 3 ways, usually:

• Play the game enough to earn it
• Buy it via a credit card, paypal, or other means (Boki, PayByCa$h, ect)
• Earn it via an affiliate program (by signing up for a survey which pays the host)

The advantage with this monetization structure vs. outright buying is the fact that the amount of money that can be gathered from a player is essentially unlimited. There is no set amount of cash that a player can purchase in a game, nor a set amount of items that the player can purchase.

It's a very innovative model, and it works very well for many users that would not otherwise purchase a video game, or content, as it offers content to those willing to work for it (in game, which may yield ad revenue), work for it outside the game (by doing an affiliate offer).

I work for a company that uses such methods. I can't really share exact data, but the fact is that there's a very small cross section between hardcore gamers that usually buy outright, and those that prefer the 'free' payment options. That is, that a company can meet the demand curve in a unique way via these types of schemes.

As for the '40 million farms vs. 58 million players' - if I read the article right, they state that there are 40 million farms created daily.

It's wickedly addictive!
I blame my last gf! It wasn't enough for her to play the innocent, the naughty and be courted although we don't stay together anymore, she had to invite me to that darn game!!!

Edit:

I have played it for less than two days now, and I too figured out I'll have to play this way.

Actually, I've seen that FarmVille is quite manageable, just don't seed after plowing and you can get a pause as long as you like without losing your virtual money. OTOH FBK aquarium games quickly become nagging and annoying, they are basically tamagotchis. In one I let all the fish die, in another I'm selling them, I'll just send back gifts to that ex-gf of mine that has a fixation for FBK and its apps.