Games on Facebook:  Time killers come to the Wine Crowd

You missed it didn’t you?  The media-generated furor over Facebook privacy controls led to a so-called, “Quit Facebook Day” on Monday, May 31st and, near as I can tell, all of five people actually followed through on their outrage against an invasion of online privacy, which – in and of itself—is near oxymoronic given the very nature of social media.  But, these are the mainstream media times we live in – Newton’s law of motion coming home to roost.

I don’t mean to brusquely gloss over the legitimate outrage of others, but it strikes me as so much ill-advised window dressing.  The fact is, behavioral targeting is one of the benefits of the internet – one-to-one marketing is a good thing and Facebook isn’t the first to address the topic—the conversation has been going on in online advertising circles for some time and has been addressed by the FTC, as well.  It just so happens that a 25-year old billionaire happens to be the broadest target for mainstream backlash—puberty to wealthy pariah in 10 years – we should all be so lucky. 

Forget the fact that database marketers have been trying to get to this point for 25 years (what do you really think happens when you swipe your grocery store card for discounts?  Supermarkets sell that info off …), I would suggest that behavioral targeting via one-to-one marketing is a benefit – case in point, I log into Facebook and the pizza shop that is literally ¾’s of a mile away from my house has an ad and link to a coupon that shows up on the right hand side of my screen at 4:30 pm on a Friday afternoon.  I’m in the pizza buying aperture, the timing is right, and I get a coupon while the local, independent pizza shop snags some business.  What’s wrong with that?  So long as one-to-one marketing knowledge doesn’t cross the border into nefarious concern, then all the better.

Okay, I’m getting off my soapbox, but, this Facebook preface does have a point related to this post – for the connected wine enthusiast that did exactly nothing in response to Facebook privacy concerns, we can all get along with Facebook with vigor, and that now means games, the colossal time killer.

Anybody who has been on Facebook for more than a week knows about the games Farmville and Mafia Wars, amongst others.  These are incredible time sinks for the people that play them and a head scratcher for those that don’t based on the persistent emails and such that the players send out to everybody they’re connected with.

Thus far, I’ve resisted participating, but not for too much longer… my wife is embroiled in a work research project that has her playing Farmville, and actually enjoying it … it helps that she’s a Master Gardener, I suppose …

And for me, wine-inclined, enter two new Facebook and wine-related games (file under “no new idea goes unduplicated”)—My Vineyard and Vineyard Country.

First out of the gate was My Vineyard, launched in mid-April.  With 873K users already playing this game, it won’t be long before somebody is asking you to rate their wine, one of the social aspects that has been built into the game that, while first to market, seems disappointingly mundane compared to its newest competitor. Launched last week is Vineyard Country, a visually interesting game that offers dead simple intuitiveness and enough detail to be engaging – like grape varietal controls for viticulture and a separate winemaking function. 

While I’m no gaming expert, and have happily glided along life without an Xbox or a Sony Playstation, I know that both Facebook games are enjoyable as a downtime killer and I’d give a slight nod to Vineyard Country based on look and feel.

What’s your take on Facebook, privacy, sharing of information online, and killing time in front of the glow of the screen, all intertwined with your interests, like wine? Sign of the times or something else?