The Games We Play

Of late, I’ve developed a very bad habit. I guess it would be more accurate to call it a new bad habit, since it’s not the only one I have.

A few months ago I started playing Pet Society – a game on Facebook that revolves around your very own virtual pet.

You can “create” the critter you want, which includes everything from its facial features to its color to the markings on its cute little self.

Every day there’s a “lottery” which lets you win free “coins”. “Coins” can also be won in various other ways, and the more “coins” you have, the “richer” you are, and the more “items” you can buy.

New “items” are added to the virtual pet shops every week. This includes everything from “clothes” for your “pet”, to food items, to furniture for its home, to toys and lots of other fun things.

You can even choose from different types of cute little “petlings” for your “pet”, and yes, I know how corny it all sounds.

I have wasted considerable time on this silly game, and I must say it has been a very enjoyable experience. Don’t judge me until you’ve played it though. If you’re the reasonable person I think you are, you’ll have more sense than to take me up on my frivolous challenge, which in turn means you won’t be able to judge me. I much prefer it that way.

The other day, my sister was playing something called “Baking Life”, and every time I saw her sneaking off to “check” on her little bakery, I’d laugh and make fun of her to my heart’s content. It was payback time for all the ridicule I routinely went through because of my virtual pet addiction.

Little did I know, that my trap was already set.

When my sister published a Facebook “story” urging me to adopt an abandoned “puppy” that had wandered into her “bakery”, I thought I’d check the game out only because I wanted the “puppy”.

Two “puppies” and a “kitten” later, I was thoroughly into the game, “baking”, “selling” and “expanding” my mint, chocolate, and raspberry colored cozy bakery.

The more “goods” you sell, the higher the “profit” you make, and the more levels you “unlock”, which in turn increases the types of things you can “bake”, which means you can then earn more “coins” to “buy” more “items” for your “bakery” and your virtual avatar, both of which you can style as you like.

I’d tell you more about it, but I have to go and check on something in the “oven”.

Stay cool and make sure you don’t “bake” in the sun this summer,

xo