FarmVille allows farmers, ranchers to tell their story to the public

By MATTHEW WEAVER
Capital Press

FARMVILLE, U.S.A. -- Welcome to a farm where pink cows give strawberry milk, wheat is ready to harvest in three days and neighbors are always eager to give you a banana tree or reindeer.

And more than 65 million people "live" there.

This mythical place is FarmVille, one of the Internet's most popular games. Tens of millions of "farmers" have joined the online agricultural experience, and on any given day 27 million of them are hard at work growing virtual crops and raising cybernetic animals of all stripes.

Bill Mooney is FarmVille's secretary of agriculture. The vice president and general manager of Zynga, the company that created FarmVille, told the Capital Press he wanted to create a fun experience that allows players to connect with friends and express their individuality.

"We knew FarmVille would be a hit, because the game has successfully captured the essence of going back to the basic mechanics of life and resonates well with players all over the world," Mooney said.

Developers tried to keep the game realistic with varied times for harvest and the inclusion of tractors, fuel and animals, Mooney said.

There are also aspects that are not entirely realistic, such as baby elephants and alien cows, he said.

Mooney said he has heard from farmers and others in agriculture who say they love the game or who want to partner with the company.

Zynga is open to future collaborations, Mooney said. He is currently discussing a partnership with the FFA. Zynga spokesperson Lisa Chan said the company has been in talks with the national organization, but no agreement has been reached.

Julie Adams, National FFA director of marketing and communications, said applications like FarmVille, even though they don't accurately represent agriculture, demonstrate the fondness the public has for farming.

"It shows at least an appreciation for where your food comes from," Adams said.

The popularity of online farming games is exciting, said Sarah Hubbart, communications coordinator for Animal Agriculture Alliance.

"It's showing people are interested, having a good time growing virtual crops and taking care of their virtual animals," she said.

In November, the alliance posted a video on YouTube titled "The Real FarmVille," comparing the game to real farming.

"It's a simple, straightforward video that shows that farming is a lot harder than it looks when you're just playing it on your computer," Hubbart said. "We're just hoping to reach some of those people who play the game and get them thinking about where their food is coming from."

Lebanon, Ind., professional agricultural speaker and social media consultant Michele Payn-Knoper said farm games and social media like Facebook and Twitter can be used by farmers to interact with the public. The games provide a fun, quick way for users to get in touch with farming, she said.

The biggest opportunity is for agriculture to have a voice in the conversation, she said, noting many anti-agriculture activists already use such outlets.

"If you're not there, rest assured, many of the anti-agriculture activist groups are there having a voice for you," she said.

Payn-Knoper said she knows farmers who, in addition to using Facebook or Twitter, also play FarmVille.

The game is especially popular with teenagers.

Robbie Lulay, a sophomore at Regis High School in Stayton, Ore., has played FarmVille about a month. About 40 of the 119 students at the rural school play FarmVille. Lulay said he got started through friends on Facebook.

Lulay's parents farmed in the past, and he lived across the street from a farm. He enjoys working his own virtual land, even if the game isn't realistic.

"Eh, it's not too close," he said. "Your plants don't get diseases or anything, but they die if you don't pick them."

How to play

When they sign up, FarmVille users receive a small parcel of land, which they can till and plant seeds for various crops, acquiring experience points and virtual gold for their efforts when they harvest the crop.

Farmers also raise animals, collect eggs from chickens, use pigs to find truffles and milk cows. Put a bull and a cow together in your dairy barn and soon you will have a calf.

Friends can share free gifts, from livestock to fruit-bearing trees. They can also visit a neighbor's farm and earn points and gold by scaring away pests or applying fertilizer to help their friends' crops grow.

As points accumulate, the farmer can purchase more land, animals, housing, equipment and more expensive crops.

Farm games grow

The number of online farm games is growing, developers told the Capital Press.

Like FarmVille, SlashKey's new game, Farm Town, is on Facebook. Another developer, PlayMesh, has announced it would follow its popular game, iMafia, with iFarm, a game for the iPhone.

More than 1 million people downloaded the game in 10 days, PlayMesh CEO Charles Ju said.

The iFarm game incorporates drawings of real images of plants as part of an "immersive farming experience," Ju said. But some aspects of farming were omitted for the sake of simplicity.

Related links

FarmVille website: www.farmville.com
Zynga: www.zynga.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com
SlashKey: www.slashkey.com
PlayMesh: www.playmesh.com
The Real FarmVille video by Animal Ag Alliance: www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYc21ogh1M0