- What are the issues Ian Bogost raises about social games with Cow Clicker?
At first, what was originally supposed to be a commentary on how mind numbingly stupid and easy a game can be, after users began gaining a cult following to Cow clicker, its creator also raised awareness on the addictiveness of these types of games which led to copious amounts of stress on the creator to supply such cow clicking fiends with more cows.
- How do social games like FarmVille enframe friends?
I feel like there are both positives and negatives when it comes to playing with friends, whether that be together, or from far away on modes like co-op mode, theres always a way to engage with one another through the game. Though, in co-op mode, I hear things can get pretty nasty. Typically friends don’t screw one another over but greed and not playing by the house rules can sometimes cause friendships or bonds to break due to certain greedy players finding loop holes in the system.
- How do social games destroy time outside of the game?
We can get so wrapped up and engulfed in a “social world” that prevents us from being socially aware of our true surroundings. Though people can still have a social life on these virtual platforms, sometimes in extreme cases, we forget about the bonds we’re meant to grow naturally, as well as family relations and real world problem solving skills. Not to mention, nature is beautiful too and sometimes we’re not out there enough.
I agree with you, how simple and dumb Cow Clicker actually is. It reminds more of a game that I played on my ipad when I was a little kid but I don’t really remember any specifics about it. Though the games that seem rather dumb and easy always tend to be popular nowadays.
It’s kind of entertaining how Cow Clicker became exactly what it was making fun of. It’s makes the problem of social games seem so much worse.