Social Media Games: Play it safe or pay later

I’ll admit it. I am addicted to Farmville on Facebook! I also play (somewhat addicted) Scrabble with my son and old friends on Facebook. If you are a “friend” of mine on the social networking site, you probably already know this about me because I always post the lost pink cow or ugly duckling I find. Or if you play too, we are “neighbors” in Farmville, right?
Imagine my dismay when I see an article with a picture of my favorite Farmville in Time magazine that says “Are you getting scammed by Facebook Games?”
(http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1935698,00.html)
Alas! The story doesn’t end with Farmville. The company that created it, Zynga, also created Mafia Wars, Café World, Yoville and Roller Coaster Kingdom. Chances are if you yourself don’t play one of these games, you know someone who does. According to the Zynga website, they have 50 million daily active users.
Here is how the game works:
You start Farmville with a plot of land and a small amount of virtual money. You earn more virtual money by tilling the land, growing crops and taking care of animals.
If you want to progress faster in the game, you can also purchase (through credit cards and Paypal) more virtual money. If you don’t wish to use a credit card, you can sign up (continue reading...)