Living in a computer- generated dream world

Amalshan GUNERATHNE

I love Facebook!

Oh!my, what to choose?

Did you see that?

FB games

The absurdities of virtual universe are such that it takes you away from the monotony of routine daily life and traps you in a make-believe world filled with thrilling adventure and excitement.

The possibilities are endless. You can live the life of ultimate mafia leader and boss around you gang to enhance your cartel, market your virtual merchandise and turn yourself into the ultimate business magnet or else you can start your own pet farm with virtual cows, ducks and vegetables and spend your time tending to their chores without caring a dime about the outside world. The popular Facebook (FB) games such as Mafia Wars, Farm Ville, Barn Buddy, Fish Ville and Sims provide them all.

The Virtual world has the capacity to provide excitement, adventure and thrill which you often fail to find from real life. In a sense, it is a means of escapism from tedious, monotony of your routine life. Times are such that it is rarely that you spend your free time doing an outdoor activity. The virtual games offer it all. You can start your own virtual garden and tend to your virtual pets without ever having to set foot outside from your living room.

Playing FB games

There is no harm in playing FB games as a past time activity. But the risk is that if your let yourself get carried away, the fantasy could overpower you, draw you away from the outside world and kill your progression in the real life. As you let yourself lose in the fantasy, you totally forget the outside world and get fascinated by all the magic that surrounds you. It could aggravate to an extent that you begin to develop a sense of affection towards the characters in that virtual universe. You begin to care for your Farmville pets. You attend to their issues with great enthusiasm and tenderly begin to attend to your virtual crop. The extreme of it is that you develop a sense of purpose within that illusive fantasy itself which ultimately makes you neglect your real life.

"For starters it is entertaining and that is why we do it. Also it opens up a whole new world to you where possibilities are endless. It fascinates you and draws you in and sometimes, though you do feel that it is a waste of time, you still get so lost in the fantasy that you fail to find a way out of it," Rashaine Lalendra FB user eloquently expressed.

As you delve deeper in to the game, it feeds you with a sense of power and as you level up your characters, it provides you with a false sense of accomplishment which keeps you hooked to the game. For instance, if you take a popular FB game like Mafia Wars, it offers the player with a sense of power and authority which he may have failed to find in real life. "I found it rather creepy. I am not a violent person, but I had no issues with ordering mob-attacks and killing other virtual gangs. I found a certain sense of power creeping in, as I got addicted to Mafia Wars," an avid fan of Mafia Wars FB game commented.

Making less productive

It could even lead you to fall behind your studies and professional work. Some do their office work while keeping FB tabs online and the habbit could end up being very distracting and could make you less productive as individuals. The fact is that you invest so much mental energy on your virtual chores that real life just becomes secondary.

Having said, as a leisure time activity, FB games do offer great entertainment value and with proper time management, they could end up being good leisure time companions. "It is fun and entertaining and also you have to take in to account that forms of entertainment have evolved with time. Sometimes we do not always get enough time to go out and engage ourselves in outside activities. Therefore, I see nothing wrong in having bit of fun with FB games, as long as you manage your time properly," another routine FB user commented.

Some even says that games help them with a productive means of coping with stress and anxiety issues. "I play Angry Birds whenever I am in a bad mode. It is a great stress reliever and thrills you with great entertainment as well," another twenty three year old Facebook user,Dilukshi Dalpethado noted.

However, the problems occurs when you let it become more than just a past time activity. The addictive nature is such that sometimes without even you knowing it, the game begins to fascinate you, grips you and it takes hold of your real life.

Extreme cases

There have even been extreme cases where addiction has resulted in tragic disasters. For instance, in 2010 Alexandra V. Tobias, a 22-year-old mother from Jacksonville, FL, was charged with second degree murder for the death of her three-month-old son after she shook her child in rage when child started to cry, interfering with her Farmville session. It is reported that she shook her baby while angry, and then smoked a cigarette to calm herself down before shaking him again. It is reported that the baby may have hit his head on the computer while she was shaking him. However, irrespective of such extreme cases, the challenge lies in getting used to novelties of modern day entertainment forms and restraining yourself from being carried away with the excitement.