Ian Bogost points out that social games, like Cow Clicker, are often boring and repetitive. In Cow Clicker, all you do is click a cow every few hours, which highlights how these games rely on simple, addictive mechanics instead of meaningful gameplay.
Games like FarmVille treat friends as resources. , which can turn friendships into something more like a transaction than a real connection.
Social games often force players to check in frequently or wait for timers to run out. This can make people feel tied to the game.
It’s fascinating how people can become addicted to games with such simplistic mechanics. I like to think that I wouldn’t become addicted to it myself, but that’s probably not true