"It's only about exploiting the players and yes, people report having fun with that kind of game. You know, certain kinds of hardcore game players don't find much interest in FarmVille, but a certain large segment of the population does. But then when you look at the design process in that game, it's not about designing a fun game. It's not about designing something that's going to be interesting or a positive experience in any way -- it's actually about designing something that's a negative experience.
It's about "How do we make something that looks cute and that projects positivity" -- but it actually makes people worry about it when they're away from the computer and drains attention from their everyday life and brings them back into the game. Which previous genres of game never did. And it's about, "How do we get players to exploit their friends in a mechanical way in order to progress?" And in that or exploiting their friends, they kind of turn them in to us and then we can monetize their relationships. And that's all those games are, basically."
Of course, this problem isn't limited to just FarmVille; many Facebook games are using similar mechanics to different degrees. Blow points out there is great potential in Facebook as a platform, but right now most of the popular games out put an emphasis on the game's viral component and retention factor, instead of actually making a game fun.
As an employee of a company specializing in Facebook games I don't want to make the next FarmVille. I want to make a game that can stand up to casual PC games outside of Facebook. If a game doesn't need to rely on retention mechanics and instead leverage the community and connectedness of Facebook to enhance the fun factor already present, I think great success can be found.
Full interview: http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/6224/catching_up_with_jonathan_blow.php
