I'm sure most of you have heard of it. And some of you have played it, too. It's called Farmville. On Facebook.
I play. And I enjoy it. What's wrong in it?
I've seen how different people react to it in different ways - from something bordering on contempt to curiosity to plain obsessive.
One of my colleagues, Shanti, recently said, "I've never played Farmville. It's nonsense. That and all those other games you have in there." I looked at her and decided that her comment did not deserve a reply. Instead, I gave her my signature 'blank' look.
I don't know if it conveyed what I had in mind, but she quickly added: "Well there may be people who enjoy it, but I don't see any fun in it."
Alright, that's a better way of putting it I thought, and moved on. Still without replying to her.
Another colleague, Swati, asked me, "Is it really that interesting, Sooraj? That you spend a lot of time on it?"
"It's simple, Swati," I said. "People find pleasure in different things. Just like music helps someone relax and unwind, this farm or ranch or cafe or any of those games helps someone else," I said. "To me, personally, I've always wanted to have a farmhouse... away from the noise and the crowds of the city... However, I really don't see myself having a farmhouse in this life."
"So you are living a kind of dream?" asked Swati. "Yes," I said.
It is really a dream. One which I've told my mom and my close friends... how I'd like to live on a ranch... with trees, animals, plants and what not. I've dreamt of harvesting stuff, collecting eggs and milk, and driving off in my pick-up to sell it at the nearby market.
I've dreamt of my children running around in the vast open ground, breathing the fresh air, playing with the dogs, feeding the cattle, swimming in the clear river or lake and eating farm fresh fruits and vegetables.
It's still a dream. I have no clue if it will stay one till the end of my life.
The other day I got a call at 2 a.m. at night. I had finished work and reached home by about 1 a.m. I was about to hit the sack when Devil, my colleague, called. (Btw, I don't call her Devil because she is evil... she is a sweet kid.)
She wanted me to send her gifts on Farmville!! RIGHT AWAY!!! Because she wanted to finish her maison before she went to bed. She needed one more nail!
"I need it now... I won't be able to sleep if I don't finish it today... Kunal has reached level blah blah...," she rattled off.
Good Lord!! Was she nuts? Anyway, I sent it to her.
From the very next day, she started badgering me. For gifts. "Send me a glass pane, Sooraj." "Send me a brick, Sooraj." And, quite often, I was bombarded with questions about why I didn't do something or why I did something!
Grrr!!!
"See, I play Farmville and Countrylife to relax, and, yes, I enjoy it," I tried to reason with her. I thought I had made it clear that this was just my hobby... not my profession. But her badgering didn't lessen, not one bit.
In fact, it got to such an extent that, finally, I gave her my password and said, "Go... send yourself gifts and stop pestering me."
Peace at last? No! Less than 24 hours later, my girlfriend stands in front of me, hands on her hips, with a look on her face that I don't like too much. "Who's playing on your farm?"
"Devil," I said.
"Why?"
"She wanted gifts and you know... I don't play everyday... so I just gave her my password," I muttered.
The look on her face spelt trouble. I knew it. It was right there... written in 78 point bold lettering!
I tried to reason. "Honey, you know it's just a game. And since she is so into it, I thought... you know, I'd let her 'borrow my game' from time to time," I said with a sheepish smile.
"I play on your farm," she said. "Didn't know that you would let someone else play it, too."
Oops! I didn't know my girlfriend could get possessive about Farmville!
