Friday, 6 May 2011
Farmville
Marketing
Farmville is described as a “Farming Social network game” which was developed by Zynga. The game allows it’s players to grow virtual crops by ploughing land, planting and growing crops then harvesting them. The game also allows players to maintain virtual livestock. The game is available through Facebook and Apple iOS devices and will be coming to Android phones within the near future.
The game allows it’s players it connect through Facebook for social interaction within the game. This allows the players to work together to earn rewards and send gifts to each other. The game has relied on word-of-mouth for it’s marketing this is mainly done so via Facebook where users can invite their friends to start playing the game also.
Production
Whilst it’s claimed that Farmville is almost a copy of a competitor’s game ‘Farm Town’ which is also available through Facebook. Farmville was originally created using Adobe Flash, This meant that you only needed a web browser and the flash plug-in to be able to play the game. Farmville incorporates Facebook information to create a richer experience for it’s players by creating social interaction for the players with their friend’s list. The Game is a low-production but has been a huge success for Zynga. Farmville’s simplicity makes it more appealing for casual gamers to start playing and become addicted to.
Distribution
Farmville originally was distributed through Facebook which has a user-base of over 500 million active users and Facebook have stated that Users install 20 million applications per day. Farmville became available for Apple iOS devices in 2010 from the app store. Both are free to play however Farmville offers virtual goods to be bought in-game for real money.
Consumption
Gamers are playing this game through Facebook and their iPhones this means users play the game for short periods of time on simply designed levels. The game also motivates you to compete with your friends to earn a higher score.
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