Wikipedia

FarmVille

This is thelatest accepted revision,reviewedon15 October 2024.
"Farmville" redirects here. For other uses, seeFarmville (disambiguation).

FarmVilleis a series ofagriculture-simulationsocial network gamesdeveloped and published byZyngain 2009.[3][4]It is similar toHappy Farm[5]andFarm Town.[6][7][8]Its gameplay involves various aspects offarmlandmanagement, such asplowingland,planting,growing,andharvestingcrops,harvesting treesand raisinglivestock.[9][10]The sequelsFarmVille 2andFarmVille 3were released in September 2012 and November 2021, respectively.

FarmVille
Developer(s)Zynga
Publisher(s)Zynga
EngineFlare3D
Platform(s)Android[1]
iOS[2]
Adobe Flash
HTML5
ReleaseFacebook
  • WW:19 June 2009
HTML5
  • WW:13 October 2011
Genre(s)Simulation
Mode(s)Single-player,multiplayer

The game was available as anAdobe Flashapplication via thesocial networking websiteFacebookandMicrosoft'sMSN Games.[11]It was previously available as amobile appfor theiPhone,iPod Touch,andiPadfor a brief period in 2010. The game was free-to-play; however, to progress quickly within the game, players are encouraged to spendFarm Cash(inFarmVille) orFarm Bucks(inFarmVille 2), which are purchasable with real-worldcurrency.FarmVillewas thus one of the first majorfreemiumgames.[12][13][14]

After launching on Facebook in 2009,FarmVillebecame the most popular game on the site, and held that position for over two years. At its peak, in March 2010, the game had 83.76 million monthlyactive users.Daily active userspeaked at 34.5 million.[15]After 2011, the game began experiencing a considerable decline in popularity. By May 2012, the game was ranked as the seventh most popular Facebook game. As of April 30, 2016, its rank had fallen to the 110th most popular Facebook game as measured by daily active users, whileFarmVille 2had climbed to 42nd place.[16]

On September 27, 2020, Zynga announced that it would discontinue the firstFarmVilleon Facebook on December 31, 2020, as Facebook was to stop supporting games running onFlash Player—required byFarmVille—on that day.[17]Following the existingFarmVille 2,FarmVille 3focuses on mobile devices.

Gameplay

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Once players began a farm, they would first create a customizable avatar, which could be changed at any point.

One player's customized farm

The player began with an empty farm and a fixed starting number of Farm Coins, the primary currency in the game. Players earned XP (experience points) for performing certain actions in the game such as plowing land or buying items. At certain XP benchmarks, the player's level would rise. As the player obtained more items and progressed through levels, crops and animals would become available to them via the "market" where items could be purchased using either Farm Coins or Farm Cash. Farm Cash was earned by leveling up or completing offers, or purchased for real money.

The main way a player earned Farm Coins, the less important of the two in-game currencies, was through harvesting crops or visiting their neighbors. The player would do this by paying coins for plowing a unit of land. This readied the land for planting seeds, which would eventually be harvested after a set amount of time. The amount of time it took for a crop to mature, and how much money a crop would yield when harvested, was dependent on the crop planted and was noted on its entry in the "market" dialog.[18]They would wither, or they would be of no use when a crop-specific amount of time had elapsed, the amount of time being equal to 2.5 times the amount of time taken to grow the crop (for example, crops which took 8 hours to grow would wither after 2.5×8=20 hours). However, a player could use Farm Cash (purchasable with real-world cash) to purchase an "unwither" to rejuvenate the crops, or use a biplane with "instant grow" to cause crops to be immediately available for harvest. Although the biplane could be purchased with coins, this special feature was only available for Farm Cash. As a player leveled up more, crops with a higher payoff and economy would become available. Sometimes a crop would need a permit that costs Farm Cash in order to be planted.

A player could buy or receive from friends livestock and trees or bushels, such ascherrytrees orchickens,which did not wither but instead became ready for harvest for preset amounts of money a set amount of time from their last harvest. Trees and livestock could not die.

In-game purchases

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The two main in-game currencies, Farm Coins and Farm Cash (inFarmVille) or Farm Bucks (inFarmVille 2), were available for purchase from Zynga with real-world money. Coins could also be "earned" within the game by completing tasks or selling crops, and could be spent on basic in-game items such as seeds. Farm Cash and Farm Bucks were more difficult to acquire within the game, and could not be earned within the farm's economic system, only by special actions like leveling up or completing tasks. Farm Cash and Farm Bucks provided a route to acquire further in-game items, such as additional animals for the farm, or to acquire in-game resources like animal feed, water, fuel and power, which were otherwise slow and/or laborious for players to acquire.

Social interaction

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Like most Zynga games,FarmVilleincorporated thesocial networkingaspect of Facebook into many areas of gameplay. Contacting other players allowed the player to improve their farm more quickly, by using their help as farmhands or by gaining rewards from helping them. Often the aid of other players was a substitute for Farm Cash, the game's purchasable in-game currency, giving players an effective choice between spamming their friends withFarmVillemessages and requests, or paying real-world cash.FarmVillehad allowed players to add neighbors that are not Facebook friends, thus allowing the player to have many neighbors at hand. Players invited friends or other players that were not Facebook friends to be their neighbors, allowing them to perform five actions on each other's farms per day by "visiting" it. Neighbors could also send gifts and supplies to each other, complete specialized tasks together for rewards, and join "co-ops" - joint efforts to grow a certain amount of certain crops. Gifts were sent as mystery gifts with expensive, but random items, special deliveries with building supplies, or by choosing a particular item to send. They cost the sending user nothing. ForFarmVille's 2nd birthday, a series of different mystery gifts were added to the Gifts Page.

Development

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The game was presented as a concept toZyngaby a small team from the University of Illinois, and was based on a previousSims-style browser game.[4]The team of four were hired, paired up with other staff within Zynga, and an initial version of the game was release about 5 weeks later.[4]

The game used Facebook's then-new API access, which allowed the game to exploit the interconnectedness of players.[4]

In order to maintain engagement, the game demanded that players return frequently, e.g. to harvest a virtual crop before it withers and dies.[4]This was beneficial to Facebook, since it drove some engagement with the platform.

Partnerships

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FarmVilleoccasionally ran in-game partnerships where users can visit another company's virtual farm and buy or receive items with their brand logo. For example, as of June 9, 2011, users could get freeMcDonald'shot air balloons, McCafe products and the ability to visit McDonald's' virtual farm. Other brand partnerships include Minion,Frito Lay,Dish NetworkHopper,Capital One,American Express,Lady Gaga,Rio (the motion picture),Haiti Relief Fund,Discover Card,Cascadian Farms,[19]Megamind,[20]Farmers Insurance,[21]MicrosoftBing,[22]and7-Eleven.[23]FarmVillealso offered engagement advertising where users could interact with a brand in exchange for free Farm Cash through an ad platform calledSVnetwork.[24]

Release

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Expansions

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FarmVillehas added numerous expansions over the game's lifetime, where players farm in new locales that include England, Hawaii, Japan, Atlantis,[25]Winter holiday locations,[26]Australia and more. As of 2014,FarmVillereleases a new farm approximately every six weeks.

Board games

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In 2012, Zynga, in conjunction withHasbro,released several kids' "Animal Games" based onFarmVilleunder the "Hasbro Gaming" imprint. These include versions ofMemory(in a "Disco Dancing Sheep" pouch),Go Fish(in a "Groovy Chicken" pouch),Old Maid(in a "Rockstar Cow" pouch), andHungry Hungry Herd(a redux ofHungry Hungry Hipposwith the characters Gobbling Horse, Munching Pig, Snacking Sheep and Chomping Cow replacing the Hippos in the original game).

This is one of several games in the Zynga game library to be released as physical board game versions. Others includeDraw Something,Words with Friendsand aCityVilleedition ofMonopoly.[27]

Reception

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Despite the initial success of the game, it has received a negative reaction from critics, video game designers, and personalities.Timemagazine called the game one of the "50 Worst Inventions" in recent decades due to it being "the most addictive of Facebook games" and a "series of mindless chores on a digital farm".[28]

In a December 2010 interview withGamasutra,game designer and programmerJonathan BlowcriticizedFarmVillefor being designed to create an atmosphere of negativity, requiring an unprecedented commitment to the game, and encouraging users to exploit their friends.[29]

The video game researcherIan BogostdesignedCow Clickeras a satire ofFarmVilleand similar Zynga games to deconstruct the repetitiveness and perceived absurdity of such games.[30]

Awards

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FarmVillewon an award at theGame Developers Conferencefor the "Best New Social/Online Game" in 2010.[31]The crowd booed a Zynga executive as he accepted the award.[3]During the13th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards,theAcademy of Interactive Arts & SciencesawardedFarmVillewith "Social Networking Game of the Year",along with receiving nominations for" Outstanding Innovation in Gaming "and"Outstanding Achievement in Online Gameplay".[32]

Sequels

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On June 26, 2012,FarmVille 2was unveiled,[33]and was subsequently released in September 2012. It differs from the originalFarmVillein a number of ways.[how?]

FarmVille 2: Country Escapefor mobile devices (iOS,Android,Windows Phone[34]andWindows[35]operating systems) was released on April 10, 2014, and received a positive review fromThe New York Times.[36]Unlike other games in theFarmVilleseries,FarmVille 2: Country Escapecan be played offline.

FarmVille 3was released in November 2021.[37]

References

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  1. ^Zynga."FarmVille 2: Country Escape - Android Apps on Google Play".google.Archivedfrom the original on 2015-04-05.Retrieved2015-05-13.
  2. ^Zynga Inc. (17 April 2014)."FarmVille 2: Country Escape".App Store.Archivedfrom the original on 18 May 2015.Retrieved13 May2015.
  3. ^abVictor, Daniel (2020-12-31)."FarmVille Once Took Over Facebook. Now Everything Is FarmVille".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.Archivedfrom the original on 2021-01-01.Retrieved2021-01-01.
  4. ^abcdeBains, Callum (5 July 2024)."FarmVille at 15: how a cutesy Facebook game shaped the modern internet".The Guardian.Retrieved2024-07-05.
  5. ^Kohler, Chris (24 December 2009)."14. Happy Farm (2008)".The 15 Most Influential Games of the Decade.Wired.p. 2.Archivedfrom the original on 2 October 2011.Retrieved10 September2011.
  6. ^Gardner, Jasmine (29 September 2009)."Futurology: FarmVille on Facebook".London Today.Archived fromthe originalon 1 October 2009.Retrieved11 October2009.
  7. ^"Zynga Launches" FarmVille ". Does it Look Familiar?".All Facebook.22 June 2009. Archived fromthe originalon 16 August 2010.Retrieved3 November2009.
  8. ^Nutt, Christian (October 11, 2009)."GDC China: Chinese Indie Game Trends and Opportunities".Gamasutra.Archivedfrom the original on October 19, 2011.RetrievedJune 29,2012.
  9. ^"Facebook farmers want India flag".BBC.9 October 2009.Archivedfrom the original on 11 October 2009.Retrieved11 October2009.
  10. ^"Zynga's FarmVille Becomes Largest and Fastest Growing Social Game Ever"(Press release).Market Watch.27 August 2009.Archivedfrom the original on 27 October 2009.Retrieved11 October2009.
  11. ^"Farmville Coming To The iPhone In June".TechCrunch.7 June 2010.Archivedfrom the original on 9 June 2010.Retrieved7 June2010.
  12. ^Beausoleil, Michael (January 6, 2021)."RIP Farmville: The Facebook App that Shockingly Changed Gaming".
  13. ^Workman, Lance; Reader, Will; Barkow, Jerome H. (March 19, 2020).The Cambridge Handbook of Evolutionary Perspectives on Human Behavior.Cambridge University Press.ISBN9781108900966– via Google Books.
  14. ^Poell, Thomas; Nieborg, David B.; Duffy, Brooke Erin (October 14, 2021).Platforms and Cultural Production.John Wiley & Sons.ISBN9781509540525– via Google Books.
  15. ^"Zynga's CityVille becomes the biggest-ever app on Facebook | GamesBeat".venturebeat.3 January 2011.Archivedfrom the original on 2018-07-05.Retrieved2017-11-12.
  16. ^"Facebook Apps Leaderboard - AppData".appdata.Archived fromthe originalon 16 April 2016.Retrieved30 April2016.
  17. ^Bigtas, Jannielyn Ann (27 September 2020)."FarmVille on Facebook officially announces closure after 11 years".GMA Network.Archivedfrom the original on 13 January 2021.Retrieved28 February2021.
  18. ^ "How long does it take for a crop to wither?".Zynga.1 October 2009.Retrieved28 October2009.[permanent dead link‍]
  19. ^"FarmVille Users Plant 310 Million Virtual Organic Blueberries".Mashable.22 July 2010.Archivedfrom the original on 14 October 2011.Retrieved14 October2011.
  20. ^"FarmVille Megamind promotion is in full bloom for 24 hours only".Archivedfrom the original on 29 October 2011.Retrieved14 October2011.
  21. ^"Farmers Insurance Partners with Zynga's FarmVille, Protects Against Virtual Crop Withering".15 October 2010.Archivedfrom the original on 16 September 2011.Retrieved14 October2011.
  22. ^"Bing Advertises On Farmville, Acquires 400,000 Facebook Fans In One Day".Archived fromthe originalon 5 October 2011.Retrieved14 October2011.
  23. ^"7-11 Starts Selling" FarmVille "Slurpees".Mashable.24 May 2010.Archivedfrom the original on 10 November 2011.Retrieved14 October2011.
  24. ^Michael Learmonth. (25 October 2010)."Zynga Grows One Thing Advertisers Want: Mass Reach".adage.Archivedfrom the original on 7 February 2011.Retrieved3 April2015.
  25. ^"Atlantis Onboarding Guide".FarmVille Blog.4 March 2013.Archivedfrom the original on 5 March 2013.Retrieved4 March2013.
  26. ^Oxford, Nadia (5 November 2012)."Christmas comes to FarmVille with Mistletoe Lane".Gamezebo.Archivedfrom the original on 9 November 2012.Retrieved20 November2012.
  27. ^"Games, Toys, Action Figures, Collectibles, and Gifts - HasbroToyShop".hasbrotoyshop.Archivedfrom the original on 25 October 2014.Retrieved3 April2015.
  28. ^Fletcher, Dan (May 27, 2010)."Worst Inventions: Farmville".Time.Archived fromthe originalon May 30, 2010.Retrieved2013-06-07.
  29. ^Parkin, Simon (6 December 2010)."Catching up with Jonathan Blow".Gamasutra.p. 3.Archivedfrom the original on 10 December 2010.Retrieved9 December2010.
  30. ^"Poking at Cow Clicker".Edge.Archived fromthe originalon 4 August 2011.Retrieved31 July2011.
  31. ^"Game Developers Choice Online Awards Archive 10th Annual GDCA".Archivedfrom the original on 1 April 2013.Retrieved8 December2010.
  32. ^"D.I.C.E. Awards By Video Game Details FarmVille".interactive.org.Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences.Retrieved19 November2023.
  33. ^"Zynga unveils Farmville 2 game at Unleashed event".BBC News.26 June 2012.Archivedfrom the original on 14 October 2013.Retrieved23 December2012.
  34. ^Callaham, John (December 2, 2014)."Zynga's FarmVille 2: Country Escape has quietly made its Windows Phone debut".Windows Central.Archivedfrom the original on March 29, 2015.RetrievedFebruary 20,2015.
  35. ^Ponder, George (February 18, 2015)."Farmville 2: Country Escape - life in the boondocks for Windows Phone and Windows 8".Windows Central.Archivedfrom the original on February 20, 2015.RetrievedFebruary 20,2015.
  36. ^"Reviews: Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes, FarmVille 2: Country Escape and Monument Valley".The New York Times.April 22, 2014.Archivedfrom the original on May 2, 2014.RetrievedMay 1,2014.
  37. ^Orr, Aaron (2021-10-07)."Zynga opens pre-registration for FarmVille 3".Pocket Gamer.Retrieved2023-06-05.

Further reading

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