I have to feed my animals.

I have never been a big online gamer and I used to get so agitated when my newsfeed on Facebook had been taken over by all of my friends and their farms, cafe's and mafia activities.

It just seemed as though that is what everyone logged on for rather than holding social conversations with one another. Tanz definitely shed light on how these games have sparked a change in society. These games have virtually traveled from social networking sites to smartphones, so that people have the access to them anytime of the day. Today, well everyday for that matter, my mother constantly checks her phone because she downloaded an app called DreamZoo where she takes care of zoo animals. She's so into the game that sometimes she ignores phone calls and text messages, so that she can feed her animals and make sure they're good. Williams et al speak about social capital, which is increased through the constant interaction with these online games. Facebook allows these online gamers to invite their friends to help out in their cafe, feed their animals, water their plants, shoot their enemies, etc. so these users are, in a sense, meeting new people and become more interactive with the game and other users. People also take these games seriously sometimes, getting upset at other users for any actions that they have taken in the game that was detrimental to the user's gaming ability. People try to maintain relationship with other users that enjoy the game and that are willing to help other users with their cafe, zoo, etc. The fact that these online games are now applications for smartphones show that the games have had a great impact on society. They are not just games people play in their spare time. They have been implemented in people's daily lives, so that they take their cafe, zoo, and criminal activities with them. No matter what genre the games are, people become so absorbed by them and treat them as if they were physically apart of their lives. It becomes a habit to log in to Facebook and check on your farm, or check your phone every five minutes to see if your cow is hungry.

Jasmine