Zynga Games Has Become My Full Time Job

Well 2 of them anyway: Farmville and Pioneer Trail

I started playing Farmville and Pioneer Trail  about 2+ years after I joined facebook. In their infancy these games were pleasing distractions that amused me. I loved positioning the decorations and rearranging my farm and my town respectfully, but in recent years these 2 games no longer are a pleasant distraction. They have become my obsession. Every morning I wake up to turn on my computer and log in to my facebook account. My first priority is to look for those posts my "Farmville & Pioneer Trail friends" have left so I may click on those much needed items. I must add a side note here. I had to take a 4 month sabbatical during my student teaching. During that time nothing existed, not friends, family nor facebook. If I had time, which was very little, I would dabble, but for the most part I did not exist beyond my student teaching. 

Upon my return to the world I found that to my surprise everything did not exist around me. Farmville & Pioneer Trail kept churning out quests, and buildings while I was whittling away at lesson plans and creating work for my 7th & 8th graders to show their understanding of the tasks set forth by me.

So I embarked to find friends because quite honestly the ones I had had became bored and stopped playing the game and the ones I did have were few in number, under 10 if you can believe that. My sister of the 

heart, who is an avid player,  referred me to  a wonderful facebook page Fed Up With Zynga. I found willing fans to friend me and help me, I increased my friends to about 40 -50, but I think I have about half of those who are active, which is immensely better than the 10 or so I had so I am happier Zynga fan. This indeed was wonderful because I was behind in the many quests that had been given during my hiatus. I have about 100 or more quests in my folder at this time and they keep giving new ones and I keep hitting my head against the wall, metaphorically speaking, because I am unable to keep up w/the expediency Pioneer Trail gives them. 

Now here comes my obsession. Farmville, I have discovered has quests! These quests offer nice xp and bonuses. The other newbie I found is there is competition for trophies. Now I am really hooked. Plus I love the crafting and farming aspect of the game.The cout de gras is I am able to travel to 4 other locations in addition to my home farm! Oh I was a HAPPY Farmer! I am smitten by trophies and badges. They are shiny!  I know I haven't gotten to the time consuming part, but bear w/me please. I do have a purpose in this jumbled chaos of a brain.

Pioneer Trail has some added features also but just maintaining my hometown is imposing enough! Now the obsession and time comes here.

This morning, while waiting for the loading of Pioneer Trail, which is stuck at half way, I came to the conclusion that I was a bit obsessive. Here is is after 11 a.m. and I have not budged from my computer since 6:30 a.m. except to take the children to school & class, which is about an hour of my time. I have spent approximately 2 hours on these two games and I am not finished with my work, yet. Let me show you an example:

Mind you this is dependent on which game has goodies for me to click first, which is usually Farmville.

Me: Click on this prize, reload homepage, click like, click on this item I need for quest, reload homepage, 

click like, click on this item friend needs for quest, reload homepage, click like and finally load game. Harvest farm crops on home farm, harvest animals, harvest groves & orchards, harvest all buildings, harvest all specialty items, harvest crafting items, and now determine what I need to plant for quests & trophies, crafting materials, bakery and spa. I do this for 5 farms, most of them over 100 plots of farming. 

Now to Pioneer Trail. Pioneer Trail, oh how I love this game, but you are an attention whore! Load time for the game is at least 2 -3 minutes. I refuse to let any application have access to my computer, I find that too intrusive. If the game loads I have to wait another 5 minutes to get through the Pop-ups. Pop-ups? That is what I call the numerous ads that Pioneer Trail "offers" me.

Pregame Pop up: "Ask your friends for these now! This is generally random items the game thinks I need to work on. I have been burned by this before. I click on one of the items and ask my friends only to find out I have an over abundance of the item. I immediately click the green button "Maybe later, Play Pioneer Trail!

Pregame Pop up #2:  "Congratulations Margarette 70% off All Horseshoes Purchases! Game Cards and eCards included." Click on red x to close.

Pop up #1: In box: I accept and help all requests and close.

Pop up #2: Carnival Manager, I do not understand this part of the game so I click on the red x to close.

Pop up #3: "Congratulations Margarette 70% off All Horseshoes Purchases! Game Cards and eCards included." Click on red x to close. Wait... (this is where I start speaking to my computer, which drives my husband insane and my children to fits of hysterical laughing. Due to my comments interact with their conservation. And yes, I yell, scream and argue with my computer and I usually end up on the losing side because the machine refuses to do what I want it to do.) Anyway I say to my computer "Did you not understand that I do not want this the first time you asked?" Moving on.

Pop up #4: Today it is "Heavy Lifter" I can share a wonderful gift for my neighbors. I click "Share"

Pop up # 5: Reward completion! whoo hoo! I did something correct in my little virtual world. Oh wait it is just another darn tootin quest.  A timed one that I will never complete. 'sigh'.

Pop up # 6: Buy Horseshoes Get Free Gifts! Click on red x to close. This I must do quickly because if I see anything of interest I sit there and argue with myself about getting the horseshoes, but I persevere and continue on to the next pop up.

Pop up #7 : Congratulations you are being offered a 70% discount off Horseshoes! Me: "Wait. Did you not get it the first time I do not want this?" "Click on red X to close" Okay, I may be embellishing on this one a bit but I do receive this one EVERY time I log onto the game and EVERY 5 minutes or more. 

Pop up #8: Gift box, I scroll through the list and get excited at seeing some items I need to help me complete quests. More on this soon.

Pop up #9: Gift box. Send gifts to your friends! Hey! Do I not get to choose what I send them anymore? I know, I know this is a suggestion but I feel like my choice has been stolen away from me. Sometimes I click on the "suggested" item and sometimes I close the box because I want to choose my gifts. I am a rebel what can I say?

Hey! I am finally to the game. OH Yeah. This is the most time consuming part of the game. I click on each of the buildings either to collect bonuses or feed animals. I am only level 84 so I have to use extra energy or food my neighbors  have sent so that I am able to harvest or feed the animals which is usually around 500 energy. I have 250 trees in my orchard and I have 10 trees outside. I also have animals outside the buildings that are youngins so they are not privileged to be in a building. This takes about 1 hour and half. Then I do about 10 quests requests, or building requests. This is where the gift box dilemma comes in. I see the gifts but the gifts are not registering on my quest log, which have me requesting the same items again, which in turn takes more time.

I have spent total approximately 4 hours working on both farms and quest requests. I am totally driven. I need help.Oh and I am not completely done. I check back on Farmville and Pioneer Trail throughout the day. Checking crops and other quest items. I am on at 11:30 p.m. to do the final check through before bed. I dream about what crafting items I need. What quests I want to complete. I strategize on how to complete quests by what crops to plant. Is there a Zynga help group? A 5 step program?

My final thought puts me into panic mode: What happens when I start teaching?!!

Thanks partners!