We’ve all been there. You look at the clock and realise you’ve got half an hour to kill before doing *insert random non-gaming activity*. You just haven’t got time to play a game as you’re stuck on a boss in this game, and this game is tricky and the other doesn’t have checkpoints but you need your fix! So what do you do? Find some online application with a casual time based game so you can do what you want and leave the game to recharge your energy points. We’ve all done it, but where does it lead?
With most people these days having a Facebook/Bebo/Myspace/something else similar account, access to games that allow a certain amount of action and then need your character to recharge are hugely accessible and the number of them is growing by the day. I’m sure many Facebook users have found themselves playing Mafia Wars, Vampire Wars, Robin Hood, Pirates, Fashion Wars (?!) or one of the other countless choices of basically the same game in a different skin. Easy for the developers to knock out, these games are basically exactly the same but with the text changed to suit the topic, yet many people, including yours truly, end up playing multiple games!

Why does this happen? It’s simple. You get so use to being able to just do a bit when you want that when you have more time you end up disappointed when you have to wait a while…the answer of course is to start another one whilst you wait…and then another one…and just one more. This is fine for a bit of silly fun but when you actually start to progress your character in several games it soon turns out you no longer have time to turn on your console, because you are too busy running backwards and forwards trying to do the most you possibly can on 10 real time games!
Unfortunately I’m speaking from experience. I once fell into the trap many years ago and have avoided it ever since but recently Facebook has become nothing but a way for me to play games and so I am weaning myself off most of them. I’m doing well, I’m down to Farmville and Mafia Wars…and Vampire Wars, but that’s it! I know I can beat this menace, I just need to ride it out till the onslaught of console game sequels arrives. But be warned, these casual games make look like fun, but you may end up losing more time than you bargained for!

N.B. Kudos to Zynga who have made the majority of these games and decided to add achievements or trophies to all of them. They must have an evil mastermind in control!
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