Saving the world, one hit point at a time - tech - 25 May 2010 - New Scientist: "Another popular online game is Farmville, a Facebook application with more than 80 million players. Participants manage a virtual farm, cultivating crops and livestock and selling them for 'farm coins' which can be invested back in the farm. Edward Castronova, an economist at Indiana University Bloomington, explores why people play such games. There are several powerful motivators, he says, including immediate positive feedback from completing missions, a sense of empowerment and significance, adventure, the connection to others - and the taste of victory."
Comment -- I regularly play two computer games: Combat Mission: Shock Force, which I play-by-email with my pal Scottie in St. Louis, MO; and CIV-IV.
CMSF lets me move soldiers and tanks around and fight, much like I did when I was a little kid -- only with more verisimilitude.
CIV-IV is more cerebral, but just like in CMSF, I like the fighting parts the most.
By the way, CIV V is coming out in the fall and so far it looks awesome!
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