Is The Facebook Farmville Craze A Small Sign of Big Things To Come?

Written by Jeff Bullas - View Comments
Categories: Social Media, Social Media Gaming, Social Media Marketing


Is The Facebook Farmville Craze A Small Sign Of Big Things To ComeI don’t like playing games but it appears that the rest of the world does. Ask me to sit down and play a card game and I would rather go for a 50 mile bike ride. Invite me to play Trivial Pursuit and I will read a book or write an article or watch a DVD.. but that’s just me.

I watch with incredulation the ‘Farmville’ players on Facebook that stream into my updates or see the amount of time spent by my son playing ‘Mafia Wars’. The thing is that… even though it is not for me and I don’t enjoy playing virtual games, the reality is that it is having a huge impact on how people buy, act and engage  online and offline and cannot be ignored by marketers.

The games people play on social media and on the Web and in the real world are creating opportunities and financial reward that have become  multi billion dollar industries.

Jessie Schell is the CEO of Schell Games and the ex Creative Director of the Disney Imagineering  Virtual Reality Studio has called Facebook three things as well as saying we need to look at the ‘Facebook Math‘ to get some perspective of where the gaming and social gaming is currently and where it is going.

1. Big:

500 million users with the Facebook game Farmville at 70 million players which is larger than Twitter, which is equivalent to one in four Americans. Kleiner Perkins, one of the original venture capitalists behind Google  has even said that his investment in Zygna (the creators of Farmville) is the fastest growing investment he has ever made.

2. Strange:

In that it makes people will apply for a credit cards to earn more and faster virtual points for a social media game or they will spend $20 of real money so they can beat their college friend or room mate and acquire more virtual money or points to win at Mafia wars. That a  50 plus year old male would be fascinated by playing Farmville on Facebook. The psychology that is being exhibited on Facebook is certainly strange.

3. Terrifying or Unexpected

Who would have thought that an inexpensive flash game for kids ‘Club Penguin‘ started in 2005 would be acquired by Disney for $350 million or that that Wii Fit would earn over $1 Billion on its own or the $70 plastic guitar and game ‘Guitar Hero’ would be such a hit. These are all ‘unexpected’.

To view more about where Jesse thinks the future direction of  social gaming is going and the implications for marketers click here or on the image to view his 28 minute presentation.

Beyond Facebook and Farmville and the Future of Social Gaming

The implications for this explosive growth is something much bigger than just the gaming industry as the games mechanics and rewards are a strong indication of the purchase impulse. As Rueben Steiger the CEO of  the social media agency ‘Millions of  Us‘ says.

“Today, the research on buying behavior is beginning to be reframed in terms of gaming mechanics.”

An indication of how seriously gaming companies are taking this, he mentions that Farmville just launched a massive in-store campaign with 7-Eleven that includes broad in-store co-branding while rewarding cash purchases of hot dogs and Slurpees with Farmville currency. More important, however, is applying the lessons being successfully demonstrated by these games to promotional and branding efforts.

So even though I may poke fun at Farmville and say “No one cares about your stupid farm” there is a much more serious aspect of social gaming that we have only seen the start of and social gaming should be not discarded or discounted in social media marketing campaigns.

Is social gaming changing your behaviour and buying patterns?



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  • http://twitter.com/mariajose_su/status/17468947246 María José Sandoval

    Is The Facebook Farmville Craze A Small Sign of Big Things To Come?: I don’t like playing games but it appears tha… http://bit.ly/9sYEc8

  • http://twitter.com/custom_fanpages/status/17468947612 Custom Fan Pages

    Is The Facebook Farmville Craze A Small Sign of Big Things To Come? http://bit.ly/9sYEc8

  • http://twitter.com/itshumphrey/status/17468948727 Humphrey

    Is The Facebook Farmville Craze A Small Sign of Big Things To Come?: I don’t like playing games but it appears tha… http://bit.ly/9sYEc8

  • http://twitter.com/omzerr/status/17473567291 Omer Jawaid

    RT @jeffbullas: Is The Facebook Farmville Craze A Small Sign of Big Things To Come? http://bit.ly/aSddAg

  • http://twitter.com/iampramit/status/17479540916 Pramit J Nathan

    Is The Facebook Farmville Craze A Small Sign of Big Things To Come? http://bit.ly/aJICNz | RT @jeffbullas

  • http://twitter.com/rasheedkk/status/17480390006 яαšнєє∂

    RT @IamPramit: Is The Facebook Farmville Craze A Small Sign of Big Things To Come? http://bit.ly/aJICNz | RT @jeffbullas

  • http://twitter.com/organicguru/status/17498946935 Organic Guru

    Is The Facebook Farmville Craze A Small Sign of Big Things To Come? « @Jeffbullas Blog http://bit.ly/bFlkzH

  • http://twitter.com/julianlacey/status/17503583187 Julian Lacey

    Is The Facebook Farmville Craze A Small Sign of Big Things To Come? http://bit.ly/bA6yo3 #sm

  • http://twitter.com/heligonix/status/17506972257 Heligonix

    Demographics/Psychographics of online Farmville players is oddly unexpected. (via @jeffbullas) http://bit.ly/9Lbc6Y

  • http://troubledownsouth.wordpress.com Trouble Down South and Other Stories

    I haven’t gotten into the Farmville or Mafia Wars craze, but I receive lots on invites or requests. I can see how these games affect behavior. Many of my friends on Facebook are into the games.

  • http://mikedaye.com Mike

    Not changing my spending habits, but I’ve seen how social gaming has affected others. Interesting topic.

  • http://twitter.com/yovanof/status/17563685206 gregory yovanof

    RT @jeffbullas: Is The Facebook Farmville Craze A Small Sign of Big Things To Come? http://bit.ly/aJICNz

  • http://beatybow.wordpress.com beatybow

    Very true. Many of my Facebook friends absolutely love games. Farmville is very popular.

  • http://www.organicuniverse.com OrganicGuru

    Everyone that I know who is on FB loves playing Farmville. I can’t say I am a fan of games but if it appeals to the masses, it is smart for FB to keep adding games. It is a money maker for them.

    Club Penguin was a great tool for kids to learn responsibility. I bought a subscription for my family because I liked the concept and thought it was a safe way to introduce tech “common sense” to kids.

  • http://www.3daysinlondon.info Cindy

    goodness me! I too have had loads of Farmville and Mafia join requests but ignore them. For me they appear to be a total waste of time….but I can see the attraction and they can be quite addictive I guess (I have 2 family members who spend hours on the games). However, my particular addiction is twitter, so I cant criticise :) Interesting to note how much revenue they generate…perhaps I should invest in the companies behind the games! Thanks for a thought-provoking post.
    Regards
    Cindy

  • http://twitter.com/modaempoesia Moda Em Poesia

    Reflection about Jeffbulla’s article:

    Behaviour patterns may be changing/
    However there’s still consciousnes/
    Common sense must be prevailing/
    Will the virtual world be endless?

  • Anonymous

    I am with you on the gaming on Facebook. I absolutely DETEST IT! It has got to the point that I have BLOCKED the applications only to find that new ones are created and my notifications are still be filled with game requests.

    As a marketer though, especially in Social Media and Search Engine Marketing, I have to stop and think about this. I have to consider the true power and potential that these games have.

    I have a FB account and a Twitter account, but why would I ignore Farmville who has a following that is equal to one of the same accounts? I would be ignorant, or at least in my mind not that smart! I really have my head turning on this and how I could use this for my business model. Great Post. You got my 2 thumbs up.

    (Suggestion: Add DiggDigg Word Press Plugin if you are not already using it. Allow users to share on FB, Twitter, LinkedIn, Digg, Reddit, and maybe a few other sites. I am currently rethinking if I have too many on my blog, but check it out. http://allenresha.com)

  • http://twitter.com/himachhag hima chhag

    I don’t like playing virtual games. But i have seen lots of people mad about it !!
    So the figures you have said in this article are not surprising.
    But obviously, great information.
    Thanks.

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