Click. Click. Click Click. That’s all it takes for the latest game that has been sweeping the facebook nation.

One click to plow, one click to plant and just two clicks to harvest, and before you know it you are off to the marketplace with a load of freshly harvested crops.

Wait, crops?

Yes, the name of the game is Farm Town, and it has facebookers everywhere strapping on their virtual overalls and becoming master farmers as they plow, plant and harvest their way to the top.

It starts with the grapes, then the sunflowers. Before you realize it you find yourself racing home to harvest your crops before they rot and calculating Return On Investment in an Excel spread sheet to maximize profits.

I haven’t yet pinpointed what it is that’s so appealing about harvesting crops on a fictional farm that earns you virtual money, which is mainly used to buy more virtual crops and other miscellaneous, virtual items.

In actuality, it seems rather pointless when you stop and think about it. Whatever the reason, I inevitably find myself in a conversation in the real world about gifting mango trees and how pointless the animals are on the farm.

As if facebook wasn’t taking up enough of my time as it is. It’s become a regular part of my routine: come home, read the mail, get ready for bed, reply to wall posts, check on the crops — and oh look someone’s in a new relationship. Before you know it it’s 3 a.m. and about two hours of your life has gone by that you will never get back.

Farm Town isn’t the only facebook application taking up exuberant amounts of our free time. There’s also Restaurant City, Mafia Wars, Sorority Life and Yoville.

So if it’s not harvesting crops that you’re worried about, you’re building the success of your criminal empire in the Mafia or asking your friends to start a restaurant so you can get a free ingredient.

Click. Click … oh sorry, cotton is ready to harvest. What was I saying?

It’s interesting how facebookers of all ages have seem to have gotten sucked in to the latest fad. It leaves us asking, what else could I be doing with my spare time?

And more importantly, is there an app for that?

I suppose there is something to be said for a bit of friendly competition, as one of the main goals in the game is trying to get on a higher level, or get your farm to look more impressive than your neighbors’ farms. After all, they are just another click away. There’s also something to be said for that online interaction.

More than anything, it probably provides an escape from reality for some. At the end of the day, it’s nice to wind down and focus on something a little silly for a while.

Whatever the reason for the addiction, I’ll just enjoy the fad while it lasts. In the meantime, I’ll get back to tending to my farm and feeding my virtual employees.

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