Penguins Tumbl and Judge

Mar 08 Reblogged

Cultivated Play: Farmville →

everythinginthesky:

The secret to Farmville’s popularity is neither gameplay nor aesthetics.  Farmville is popular because in entangles users in a web of social obligations.   When users log into Facebook, they are reminded that their neighbors have sent them gifts, posted bonuses on their walls, and helped with each others’ farms.  In turn, they are obligated to return the courtesies.  As the French sociologist Marcel Mauss tells us, gifts are never free: they bind the giver and receiver in a loop of reciprocity.  It is rude to refuse a gift, and ruder still to not return the kindness. We play Farmville, then, because we are trying to be good to one another.  We play Farmville because we are polite, cultivated people.

Interesting thinking on why Farmville is so popular and such a bad idea.

Notes

  1. fusionreaktor reblogged this from everythinginthesky and added:
    the tumblr radar:...This is precisely the reason...to not...
  2. theg33k reblogged this from cvxn and added:
    everythinginthesky:...If that’s why people play Farmville, do I not play Farmville because...
  3. cresell reblogged this from everythinginthesky and added:
    O my goodness, I am so glad to finally be past that phase in my life.
  4. asecretcity reblogged this from everythinginthesky
  5. afeedfromcloudmountain reblogged this from everythinginthesky and added:
    Thought it was crazy that more people play that game the World of Warcraft. I never got into Farmville, but it’s been...
  6. awalkinmysneakers reblogged this from bumpcarbabe and added:
    Well, I have no problem ignoring gifts on Facebook :| I’m not stuck in a loop or reciprocity, but rather in a line of...
  7. bumpcarbabe reblogged this from everythinginthesky
  8. heatherfacethebitch reblogged this from karawest and added:
    The gift thing is bullshit, because I have a lot of rude-as-hell FV neighbors. Once a person reaches 300 friends just...
  9. brighterthansunshinee reblogged this from everythinginthesky
  10. juansie reblogged this from everythinginthesky and added:
    Thank God I’m out of the Farmville loop.
  11. anaithnid reblogged this from everythinginthesky
  12. minimalistic reblogged this from everythinginthesky and added:
    I never played this, or even have a Facebook account, but I always found the concept to be rather amusing. Especially...
  13. idonotknowwhy reblogged this from everythinginthesky
  14. sango0711 reblogged this from everythinginthesky
  15. heycheeky reblogged this from everythinginthesky and added:
    Yo no juego Farmville, pero se puede aplicar a otras cosas I guess
  16. obsetress reblogged this from everythinginthesky and added:
    the most important thing to recognize here...that, whether we like it or not,...
  17. braggs reblogged this from everythinginthesky
  18. brightsips reblogged this from boopkins
  19. withlove-amz reblogged this from everythinginthesky
  20. baileykins reblogged this from everythinginthesky
  21. mysticalhawthorn reblogged this from everythinginthesky
  22. shoddy-cursive reblogged this from everythinginthesky and added:
    my dad asked me how to make a farmville one time and i told him that if he got a farmville it’ll give our computer a...
  23. karawest reblogged this from everythinginthesky

Next Entry → ← Previous Entry