Zynga's Success

After spending more time than necessary "trying out" both Farmville and Frontierville, I became tired of the incessant pop-ups requesting that I publicize and "share" my experience with friends. Moreover, I was amazed at how Zynga had managed to create a game experience in which players can spend nearly half their playtime working to advertise for Zynga while "enjoying" themselves and engaging in play. What really blew my mind was the fact that despite all of this, there were people willing to put money into these same games in order to buy items or advance their play abilities, so much so that Zynga is expecting "$500 million in revenues this year." This again brought my train of thought to a subject that we have discussed time and time again in this class: virtual goods and their value.

"Analysts estimate that virtual goods could bring in a billion dollars in the United States and around $5 billion worldwide this year"

To many, virtual goods may seem trivial and of no worth but then again, it may also be argued that the purchase of a cow or tractor in Farmville with real world currency is not much different from purchasing dolls or throw pillows in real life. It again comes down to how much value an individual places in different sectors of their lives whether in virtual worlds or the "real" world. With computer technologies being incorporated into every single nook and cranny of day to day life, it makes sense that people would view the internet and virtual worlds as much a part of real life as watching TV, eating dinner, working, or playing with friends. So does it make sense then that people would pay money for goods that are technically intangible?

“'It’s an experience, like going to the movies. That’s how I describe it,' said Sara Merrill of Parsonfield, Me., who plays Pet Society on Facebook with her two young sons five times a week. Recently, the family used a credit card to buy $20 worth of the game’s currency, then bought items like a haunted mirror and a potion that helped their pet, Demon Baby, grow bat wings. 'It’s still cheaper than taking the kids to Target where they will ask for a toy,' she said."

Have you ever invested in virtual goods of any sort, and if so, can you specify what the virtual good was? Now, taking into consideration that we have payed for services since the dawn of time, is it really that different from paying for "virtual services?"(When taking into account that the term "virtual goods/services" does not necessarily have to refer to those found within virtual worlds or video games, many will quickly realize that they too commonly spend money on both virtual goods and services.)