Zynga Introduces Retail Game Cards For FarmVille

[Greg Tito]

Zynga Introduces Retail Game Cards For FarmVille

You can now buy online currency for use in Zynga games like FarmVille at retail outlets like 7-Eleven and GameStop.

Many players of FarmVille don't participate in purchasing items for their farm because they are uncomfortable sending credit card information over the interwaves. Also, it is difficult to give such virtual items or currency as a gift. Zynga has killed two birds with one stone by allowing users to purchase in-game currency at the following retail stores: 7-Eleven, Target, Best Buy and GameStop. That doesn't mean that every one of those stores will have the cards in stock so proceed with caution.

The pre-paid cards will come in $10 and $25 denominations and are available for the games FarmVille, Mafia Wars and YoVille. The cards are specific to the game, i.e. you can't use Mafia Wars cash in YoVille. You can redeem the cards directly on Facebook, or at zynga.com.

At least I know what I'm buying my mother-in-law for Christmas this year.

Source: Gamezebo [http://www.gamezebo.com/news/2010/03/25/zynga-introduces-game-cards-retail]

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[fenrizz]

Zynga, you brilliant bastards!

I am sure that this is gonna make them a small fortune.
At least as long as these games are in anyway.

 

[AndyFromMonday]

Not worthy news but I suppose the Zynga fanboys will get an erection the moment they see this.

 

[Lost In The Void]

God Damn they're just gonna keep raking in the cash and players at this rate. Its actually a scary thought, I never thought that they would actually get as big as they have.

 

[Kollega]

Not worthy news but I suppose the Zynga fanboys will get an erection the moment they see this.

Can you even call them "fanboys"? I do not think they're actively pushing their opinions on others. They are not fanboys, they're just addicts.

Who wants to go set their headquarters on fire?

 

[John Funk]

Zynga, and it's related games, are not news worthy. Get off the rotten teat, cater to your followers and fanbase...

This place is going to hell... =(

Eighty million people disagree with you. Seeing as how Zynga was quite the buzz at GDC, so would many game developers.

I would be more than willing to bet that many of the Escapist regulars play FarmVille et al and just don't say anything because of the ridiculous attitudes on display against anyone who dares to enjoy a filthy casual game.

 

[notyouraveragejoe]

Zynga, you brilliant bastards!

I am sure that this is gonna make them a small fortune.
At least as long as these games are in anyway.

I fully agree.

Also I think this is getting kind of ridiculous. Honestly what a rip-off.

Eighty million people disagree with you. Seeing as how Zynga was quite the buzz at GDC, so would many game developers.

I would be more than willing to bet that many of the Escapist regulars play FarmVille et al and just don't say anything because of the ridiculous attitudes on display against anyone who dares to enjoy a filthy casual game.

I play Casual Games And I Am PROUD!!!!!! Just not FramVille or anything by Zynga since I can't Facebook game for the life of me. I do play anything that passes on game websites like OneMoreLevel though...

 

[RUINER ACTUAL]

With this today and the news the other day about EA selling games in pieces, I'm about to give on the future of gaming. I think I'll time lock my gaming in everything up to March 16, 2010.

 

[beddo]

As I work for a social gaming company I know that these have been out for a while. They must have re-packaged them.

 

[Cherry Cola]

I just realized what's going to be criticized for destroying society after people have stopped complaining about video games.

Zynga and developers who follow their trail.

Think about it! Most people criticizing video games are people that don't belong in the video game generation, people who didn't get into the "fad" of video games and therefore does not fully understand anything about them. And since people always fear what they don't know, a lot of people tried to brand video games as bad influence.

Now simple games like Farmville cause tons of people who don't normally play games to grow very addicted to them. We hear about these things in the news, but many of us, as you can tell from reading the forums, don't actually play Zynga games on a day-to-day basis, if even at all. From my observations, I can see that many users become "scared" of how many Zynga players join the Escapist simply to vote for a company that they feel doesn't really hold a candle to many of the other developers on the list if measured by technical achievements.

In short, it is now us, the people playing video games who are growing biased towards a certain medium of entertainment. I find it very ironic that it has played out like this.

 

[Crunchy English]

This isn't news, but given our hatred for Zynga as of late, this makes sense. What better way to bait us? I'm officially abstaining from MM for the remainder, that much is obvious, but I'm also abstaining from this website until it ends. I'm out for a while. See you in a couple months.

 

[Onyx Oblivion]

They already did this kinda stuff with Nexon, etc., right?

 

[jebussaves88]

Zynga, and it's related games, are not news worthy. Get off the rotten teat, cater to your followers and fanbase...

This place is going to hell... =(

Eighty million people disagree with you. Seeing as how Zynga was quite the buzz at GDC, so would many game developers.

I would be more than willing to bet that many of the Escapist regulars play FarmVille et al and just don't say anything because of the ridiculous attitudes on display against anyone who dares to enjoy a filthy casual game.

It's not that. I play Mafia wars casually, using it as a five minute click-fest every morning. It's pretty good...for what it is.

See, a lot of us thought that The Escapist was for those who saw games as a means of escapism from reality, not in a reclusive "keep me away from the Sun" kind of way, but rather as a place where those who sought news, articles and conversation that would better the medium, and further encourage the argument for games being art, or however you'd want to phrase it. It is to this end that a lot of people are taking issue with the inclusion of Zynga in March Madness; their games are not this kind of escapism. You cant try and compare the masterpieces of the Half-Life, Bioshock and Mass Effect universes to the world of "click-click-click-damn-credit-card-details-click-click-damn" without raising a somewhat confused response from the demographic which has originally found its way to a site that had previously condemned some of the methods employed by Zynga's creator, and spoken out on the mother whose child starved to death as she Farmville'd her way through a whole week.
But back to my original point. Escapism is kind of what's implied in this sites name, so it is those games which its demographic are going to want to read about on this particular site. It is those games they'll want to celebrate in any kind of contest whose winner is decided by the public. It does not want to have to watch as the name's of Bioware and Infinity Ward and anyone else you care to name to be swept under the rug just so Zynga voters flocking in can push up the sites advertising revenue. I understand its good for you guys, the staff, but just understand why we're not happy having the ideals we came to this site with being sold out.

 

[beddo]

I just realized what's going to be criticized for destroying society after people have stopped complaining about video games.

Zynga and developers who follow their trail.

Think about it! Most people criticizing video games are people that don't belong in the video game generation, people who didn't get into the "fad" of video games and therefore does not fully understand anything about them. And since people always fear what they don't know, a lot of people tried to brand video games as bad influence.

Now simple games like Farmville cause tons of people who don't normally play games to grow very addicted to them. We hear about these things in the news, but many of us, as you can tell from reading the forums, don't actually play Zynga games on a day-to-day basis, if even at all. From my observations, I can see that many users become "scared" of how many Zynga players join the Escapist simply to vote for a company that they feel doesn't really hold a candle to many of the other developers on the list if measured by technical achievements.

In short, it is now us, the people playing video games who are growing biased towards a certain medium of entertainment. I find it very ironic that it has played out like this.

There is a certain degree of irony but the same is true in other areas of media such as music and films, indy versus mainstream. Mainstream will generally always do better against an independent in terms of popularity and profit, just look at blockbuster films like Avatar.

What people are worried about is losing control of the content. For example, you HAVE to be connected to the internet and indeed Facebook to even play these games. They offer them a 'free' but a lot of game benefiting items cost real money. With disc-based games you buy the content, flat price, you know what you have and you know that its yours, no one can stop you playing because they're updating something etc.

I think this is what gamers fear, losing control. In any case it's not something to be particularly worried about. Where there is demand there is supply, just look at how DRM has been removed from music. The 'core' gamers that make up the industry still represent the biggest spending and profits, that probably won't change for a while and even if it does, when there's money to be made there will always be a market.

 

[OmegaXIII]

I find this a lil disturbing that people care that much about their virtual farm

 

[Sixties Spidey]

Oh my fucking God. It's official. I lost faith in humanity.

 

[BULLDOGG33]

With this today and the news the other day about EA selling games in pieces, I'm about to give on the future of gaming. I think I'll time lock my gaming in everything up to March 16, 2010.

The future of gaming does look bad. We have hit the point that most publishers are more worried about how much money they can get from us instead of catering to the gamer. Oh well back to playing my Sega Genesis

On topic: I dont know much about these games but this just looks like a money grab to me.

 

[Pimppeter2]

SWEEEETT!!!

I always want stuff in farmville but I'm too lazy to work for it.

 

[w00tage]

SWEEEETT!!!

I always want stuff in farmville but I'm too sane to work for it.

Fixed for you