A Slight (Game) Obsession

A few months ago I was introduced to the "Apps" on Facebook. That is, a list of games that can be played with all of your Facebook friends. The more you play, the faster you advance, earning money, raising pets, growing cotton, baking soufle and fighting in a mafia. For probably the past year, I had been receiving neighbor requests, gifts of food, animals, and untraceable cell phones, but I just ignored all of them... until this past fall.

By the time it was over, I had opened my own theme park, established a booming restaurant, danced with old friends, joined a mafia, and developed acres of bare land into a thriving farm. But, the late night obsessing has gotten to be too much. Some games only kept me interested for a few days, others a few weeks, but there are a few that have gotten me to the point of scheduling crop growth, meal prep, and energy packs around my day-to-day routine! I've become one of *those people* who clog up everbody's news feed with my obsession! I don't want to be that person. I want to get back on schedule and be in bed by 9 (pushing it tonight). I want to stop being preoccupied with the computer when my girl just wants me to play "Little People" with her.

So, I've whittled it down to the last one (which was also the first and most obsessed). I'm "cleaning up" my farm and getting ready to call it quits. Cold turkey. Cows will be waiting to be milked, plots are plowed and ready for planting, and my fruit trees will be abundant, but I will not play.

What is it about us that we become so caught up in a virtual world that we lose track of time? Can I really just stop with the games? Sure. Now I just need to remember to block the applications from my news feed and inbox. I can do it!