Social gaming succeeds through virtual goods

My sad little farm :( But me with cute pigtails!

Why did I play?

Per force of an assignment, I had to give in to something most people enjoy doing on a daily basis – playing a game on Facebook. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes I do indulge in a game or two of Bejeweled Blitz, but spend money on it? That's definitely not on my top 10 list of purchases.

However, I bit the bullet and I did it. But not on Bejeweled Blitz, I decided to go to the second most popular game on Facebook – Farmville.

As of posting, over 38.5 million people like Farmville. Why is that? Well, probably for the same reason I enjoy Bejeweled Blitz. It’s an escape and a way for procrastination. But, who doesn’t do that already? Companies like Zynga have just provided a different way for us to do it while at our computers.

How do these social games survive?

Advertising? Yes. But that’s not how they bring in the big bucks. According to a 2010 study, virtual goods bring in 59.6 percent. Advertising only accounts for 14.1 percent. In a projection for 2012’s revenue, the study predicts that the revenue from virtual goods will rise slightly.

My piece of the pie.

Now, I’ve officially contributed to this rise. Buying the lowest Farmville card I could find at Walmart, I sent Zynga and Facebook a total of $15. I hope they enjoy it!

So, with my gift card handy, I logged on to Facebook, typed “Farmville” into the search box and before I knew anything else I not only lived across the street from a farm (literally) but owned one. I had my own American dream. A place to live, grow fruits and veggies and raise some cows – all with a simple click on my track pad.

What’s better than that?

My two sense.

Cute!

I would like to keep my cents. Even though it was OK to be playing with money, it wasn’t thrilling. If I’m online spending money, I would much rather it be shopping online for something that would be eventually tangible. A new dress or toy for my niece sounds like a better investment. Wouldn't you rather do that then have some special berries on a non-existent farm? 

But, my opinion isn’t the “be all end all.” Are those berries actually better? Am I missing something?

Tweet

Pin It