There is an interesting little article at Times Online that points out that games are one of the main reasons as to why Facebook is so addictive.
Obviously, having games in a social networking tool is a great way to get more people to spend time using the service. Still, there are limits to how much value a game can add. No matter if Facebook has millions of games (it has thousands), unless a game is made well, it still would not matter.
So what are the things that make Facebook app games so addictive and why can people not stop playing them?
Looking into the nature of Facebook applications, let us take the basic formula of a standard FB game and see what we will get. First off, signing into an app will have you running through a basic tutorial about how a game is played. Then you get set off with a few basic in-game tasks to get you oriented with how the gameplay works. In less than 20 minutes of signing in, you would have a solid grasp of what is needed in order for you to progress.
Tasks are simple and easy to do, which is encouraging but repetitive. Occasional rewards will drive you to push for the next stage or the next level, but there is always the need to wait for either a day or for a few minutes. This leave and come back formula makes people want to check with their accounts a lot.
Once the joy of the game washes out, the feeling of having to keep up with friends kick in. Having to see the progress of everyone in you contact list playing the same game creates an unconscious pressure to keep playing in order to either stay ahead, keep up or catch up. It is ultimately this cycle which makes FB apps so addictive.
Get to know more about how games make people want to use Facebook more at Times Online UK.
