Keith Lui's Blog

A while back I read an unfortunate story about a mother killing her 3 month old son for interrupting her Farmville game.

This tragic story made me wonder how something as simple as Farmville could have such a strong influence on people.

Until recently, I was playing a Facebook game called Tycoons. Every day, I would buy raw materials at low prices and sell finished goods at high prices, with the sole objective of amassing as much wealth as possible. After a few months, however, I realized that the game has lost its fun – it was more of a routine than a game that was true to its name. In no way did it resemble the path to becoming a Tycoon. I have blocked the application since and have never looked back.

Yet Farmville continues to remain popular, surpassing 80 million users in February 2011. Why? I’ve identified several reasons:

1) Some people who like the idea of farming find a (farming) simulation fun.
2) Farmville is free and easily accessible (anyone with a Facebook account).
3) “Farmers” are able to interact and help each other out.
4) With the game going viral, more and more people start each day, hoping to compete with their friends. (I admit that I often try out new applications after seeing them on my news feed.)
5) Most importantly, it’s a combination of all of the above.

As the Facebook Apps Product Life Cycle nears maturity, and as App developers are offering more and more new ideas, apps like Farmville will need to continue updating their products to retain their fans and players alike.