Poll: My mom is playing Farmville?!

[BlindMessiah94]

So I went to my mom's house today to have lunch, and she got a call from my sister that went to the answering machine (the fact she owns an answering machine should tell you how technologically behind my folks are).
The call my sister made was about my mom's pumpkin's being ready.

I said "What the heck is she talking about?" to which my mom replies
"Oh she is talking about my farmvilly" (which is how she pronounces it).

The fact that my mom is so technologically inept that she doesn't even know how to right click and save an image and that she pronounces farmville's "e" exorbitantly should give you some insight into how fresh of the boat my folks can be.

But all of a sudden, for the first time EVER, she is playing a video game.

Yes, I mean that in the loosest sense of the word, but it made me kind of sad and happy at the same time.

Maybe she will start playing more complicated games in the future. She will probably never go as far as to console game, but still there are some great computer and browser based games out there. I'm sure if I found a tower defense game for her she could handle it now.

So my question is what do you think? Before this scenario I was an avid Farmvilly hater, but now I figure, if some people enjoy it and it opens up these people to gaming for the first time, it can't be all bad.

What do you think escapists.

Please do not turn this into a Farmville hate thread. Try to seriously give discussion and reasons to your opinion/perspective.

 

[SonicKoala]

My mom, too, has become obsessed with Farmville, and honestly I think that's pretty cool. I agree that Farmville has the positive attribute of being a relatively barrier-free way of introducing people to gaming. Although I have my doubts that my mom will ever play anything other than Farmville, she enjoys it, and for that reason I've come to tolerate those types of games and see that what Zynga does isn't completely evil.

....just slightly evil.

 

[Neonbob]

I don't think most of the moms who play Farmville would be that open to finding other games.
True, this is a blanket assumption that I'm basing off of my mom, but I imagine that they'd get comfortable with what they know, and not have any desire to find another source of entertainment or a different way to kill time.

Though it is hilarious to imagine my mom playing GTA...

 

[BlindMessiah94]

I don't think most of the moms who play Farmville would be that open to finding other games.
True, this is a blanket assumption that I'm basing off of my mom, but I imagine that they'd get comfortable with what they know, and not have any desire to find another source of entertainment or a different way to kill time.

Though it is hilarious to imagine my mom playing GTA...

Off Topic but oh NeonBob, how I love that avatar!

Also, I know not everyone's mom would pursue other games, but you never know. Maybe she'll try that Kung Fu Panda MMO?
It has to be cutesy and simple. I know my mom would not want to play a game where you shoot a bunch of people or cast area of effect spells. It would be way over her head and interest level.

 

[Biosophilogical]

My mum's friend started playing farmville, but the thing is, before that, she hated all games, all of them, never played them at all. As a matter of fact, when she raised her kids, she never bought them consoles or gameboys or anything, but I found it kind of sad and obscenely hilarious that such a game hater could play a game after constantly going "I never played a game in my life". The part I found sad is that I think she is still a game hater for some weird reason ... ... ... Yeah ... ... I don't have facebook, never will.

 

[SnootyEnglishman]

I won't lie i don't mind people playing Farmville and flash based browser games because it's a way to help ease those who have been non-gamers into our world. However what i do protest is when people play those games obsessively and acquire a certain skill for only that type of game start to think "hey we have a bajillion dollar crop in FarmVille that hasn't died in a week..we're hardcore" that type of attitude just makes me want to smack them in the face.

 

[razormint21]

Farmville's not really introducing people to gaming. Or at least the gaming we believe in...
They're playing farmville because their friends are playing, word of mouth spreads, and so everybody plays.

But even if Zynga promotes a hardcore, non-browser game, i bet the people who play farmville will not jump ship. Farmville is a social activity, interaction with other people, in form of a farming simulator. It doesnt represent gaming, it represents simple leisure..

 

[Klarinette]

Hahaha, oh no! I find it funny that she received a phone call about it, actually. It shocks me how important that game becomes to the people that get involved. It's really something.

My Mom got into Mafia Wars for a while (thank YOU, ex-fiance D:<), but I think she sucked at it, anyway. The only games she's ever really immersed herself in, involving other people, are online versions of Poker and Backgammon.

 

[Brad Shepard]

Snip

well, you wont see or hear from your mom for years.

 

[BlindMessiah94]

My dad's been playing Solitare on his computer for as long as I can remember, & the only interest in gaming outside of that he's ever showed was watching me play Jak II, & saying "Hey, that looks interesting." about the cover of Assassin's Creed II.

Yeah, don't get your hopes up.

Oh my hopes aren't really up. I had just never thought of my mom in any sort of "gaming" context before. I'm glad she's enjoying it, and is having fun.
I highly doubt we will both be playing splitscreen Goldeneye anytime soon.
But she enjoys playing board games so I don't think it would be a stretch for me to ask her to play Risk online with me would it?

 

[blankedboy]

My mum plays Farmville alot, I told her to try better games, I don't thinkn that'll happen for a while.
My brother is a solitary, nocturnal freak who refuses to play multiplayer against ANYONE unless they're three specific classmates of him or completely anonymous.
My dad played Cricket Captain 2002 for a while, that's it for him.

I'd say my gaming life doesn't reach my family much... OT, I voted Maybe So, because sometimes they just don't.

 

[F8L Fool]

My dad is totally addicted to Farmville. I haven't even played it, because I have sooooooo many backlogged games right now and more amazing ones are coming out every other week it seems like it.

I think any games that broadens the player base of gaming is a good thing. However, I don't think that transforming all games into the casual suck fest is the right thing to do. It feels as though every genre is trying to be as mainstream and casual gamer friendly as possible, which essentially means dumbing down and simplifying as much content as they can. Which really sucks a lot when they start doing it to franchises that I've loved for the better part of a decade.

Nothing is wrong with creating new IP's designed for casual gamers. The bad thing is when those casual games demolish and overshadow the hardcore games, making such games a rarity or extinct entirely.

 

[SimuLord]

I played Farmville for a bit when I joined Facebook. What jumped out at me was "why am I doing this? I have Harvest Moon on my DS, and that game is 10,000x better than this!"

Which in turn made me think that Farmville is all well and good, but for it to truly serve as a gateway to "real gaming" (i.e. a console or PC and a boxed or digitally-downloaded retail product generating sales for a publisher---note that even Diner Dash counts), these moms playing Farmville need to be introduced to games like Harvest Moon and given a DS.

They don't need to be playing Fallout 3 (although let's face it, that game is awesome.) As gamers we need to recognize that Farmville is evil not because it is a piece of shit (although it is), but because it ultimately takes up market share that might otherwise be taken up by real, actual game publishers and game hardware manufacturers.

 

[Biosophilogical]

I have an idea! Introduce all Farmvillers to Harvest Moon on the Wii, then introduce them to Twilight Princess (or Mario Kart, depending on their adeptness at gaming), then move them onto Pokemon, then onto Halo, MW2, Killzone and stuff ... wait, I don't want that ... change the shooters with Dragon Age, Infamous and Kingdom Hearts.

 

[w@rew0lf]

My Dad plays Mafia Wars and Farmville. I can't look him in the face anymore. The disgrace of him playing those games brings upon me. I would rather I be tied to a chair the is slowly sinking into a pit of lava and imminent doom than live with the knowledge that my dad plays a Zynga game! My whole life is now destined to go into a downward spiral without hope, love or happiness because of the sins of a bored father who decided not to play Plants v. Zombies! Because of him my fate has been sealed and I am condemned in all functions of my life!

Woe is me! For I have been forever wronged!

 

[fd18e3d0-816e-11e4-b4a9-0800200c9a66]

My mum used to play Farmville loads, she and my dad work from home se she has Facebook opened but minimized pretty much all day. My dad plays Mafia wars as well. I guess it provides a good distraction for a few minutes, especially when you spend all day at your desk. Recently my mum has stopped playing Farmville because my dad built her a green house. I'm assuming my dad hasn't started a real mafia though.

 

[Ze_Reaper_Of_Zeath]

My dad's playing Farmville. He still plays it, but now he also plays it Battlefield:VN. Yay for Farmville introducing my dad into Gaming.

 

[DazZ.]

I could argue bringing more casual people into gaming is ruining games, but I won't because I'll sound like a elitist twat. I'll let Jeremy do it in a style I'm sure you're all familiar with.

 

[Simalacrum]

Not really, no.

I doubt that your mother, if I'm honest, will move onto other more serious games... she might move onto other game like Bjeweled, but I doubt she'll go off and buy a PS3 because of Farmville.