I posted part of this over on
Cyber Chocolate, but it fits here, so I'm reposting it and adding to it.
I'm addicted to
Pet Society on
Facebook. I admit it. I play that damned game every night and when it's not working, I go through withdrawal. It's sad, really. I'm a grown woman, addicted to a silly little animated online game. It's been mostly down the last few days and I seem to have forgotten how I used to spend my time before the game came into my life. Now that's really sad.
So, I was reminded by this how once I spent too many hours reading blogs and writing blog entries. Or the nights I spent making user pics with Photoshop for my
LiveJournal. Or cruising
flickr, especially reloading Explore/Interestingness over and over and over for hours on end.
One of the appeals of Pet Society for me is the level of interaction. At first, it was the cute graphics, but I quickly realized that my pet seemed to react to me. Sure, it's all programming, but the programmers are clever in how they've conceived the pets. They react to objects when you click on the objects, but also, on their own. When left to their own devices, they'll pick up toys set on the floor and move them around. They hop into the tub for a bath. They "think" in images of food when hungry, sigh heavily when very hungry, and will play with particular items, ie blow on the pinwheel or kick a soccer ball or answer a cell phone without prompting. The game is constantly changing, with new items added weekly.
You can also run races, grow plants, and visit other pets, all of which earn coins which let you buy more things, and Paw Points which help you earn more rooms.
Another appeal for me is the chance to play decorator and earn more rooms to decorate. In a way, it's a virtual dollhouse, and I love (and have) dollhouses. The game is now available on MySpace, but has been on Facebook for over a year now. I've been playing since last fall, but it's been only the past few months that my level of playing has reached addiction proportions. And I love seeing what other people do with their pet homes as I enjoy decorating my own.
At some point, my level of play likely will wane. I wonder what will replace Pet Society as my main online addiction when that happens.
~~~o0o~~~
