Ready for the final harvest?

A snapshot of the original game from 2010. Pic/Facebook

Playng the role of a successful farmer on FarmVille was an addictive pastime that taught users about patience, organisation skills and time management. Now, after 11 successful years of spreading the joy, Zynga, creators of the game, announced the closure of the flash versions of the game from December 2020, after Adobe announced that it would stop distributing Flash Player for web browsers, which will directly affect the game. While the newer versions, Farmville 2 and 3, will be available on the mobile platform, we caught up with three gamers to share their memories.

Alarming craze

Sylvie Fernandes, an executive assistant in a law firm, would wake up up in the middle of the night after setting her alarm to ensure every task was completed in time, and she would spam her friends' timelines with requests for farm equipment. "Harvesting tulips gave us maximum points." Over the years, the game's format had changed and she lost interest. "But if they bring the original experience from 2010 back, I am ready to do it all over again," she admits.

Swear by farming

Marketing professional Joveena Abreo, was introduced to the game in college. "There was a strange joy in growing crops and selling them, since we never experienced it in the city. Each crop had a harvest time. The failure of doing it in time would make them rot!" She remembers sharing her password with friends who would tend to her farm when she attended classes. "Sounds crazy, but that's how much we loved our farms. I'd like to be a part of its farewell on Facebook," she adds.

One last time

MBA student Jeffer Mich Reshance recalls competing with friends to be on the top and also getting upset when crops would wither due to lack of time or a bad Internet connection. When the creators launched FarmVille 2, he tried it out, but soon lost interest. Given the fact that he wouldn't have the opportunity to be a virtual farmer ever again, he says, "I'd take advantage of the remaining time. Compared to aggressive games nowadays, it helped me learn about time management and patience. I wish it was still around."

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