What are the issues Ian Bogost raises about social games with Cow Clicker?
He raises concern over social existing not to provide entertainment solely, but to keep the user engaged and coming back. The enframing of friends and the perpetual compulsion to play every second you aren’t playing leads to mental health effects.
How do social games like FarmVille enframe friends?
Social games create the “features” of friends as resources for both the player and the developer. Players have to ask their friends for help not out of enjoyment for the game but to get something out of them. Developers use this tactic to become viral, ever spreading like an actual virus.
How do social games destroy time outside of the game?
Due to their endless nature, so much time is spent in the game that all time spent outside of the game is hijacked by thoughts and ideas about the game. Media like movies and TV shows are contained within a finite experience, but since these games have no defined end, players will feel compelled to play ad nauseam.
You made an interesting point with the last question about movies and TV shows being a finite experience, but social games are a problem because the time spent on them can essentially be unlimited. I believe that this is so true.
There have been games that I have played in the past like cow clicker, in the sense that they keep drawing you back to the game. Especially mobile games, when they give you a wait time to do something…You know that you will return to claim the reward when the time is up. It is clever but evil.