It took a long time before I decided to plow fields, sow seeds, erect trees, raise animals and harvest crops. It took a long time before I played the Farmville.
Though I already have a facebook account long before it became so popular, I did not throw any attention to the featured games in the website. All I care were the messages come from my friends, colleagues, and prospect relatives who might find my account. I even ignored all other requests of events, gifts, neighbors, applications, etc. And besides, because of the nature of my work, I don’t have enough time to play online.
But over a year now, numerous people have gone gaga over the Farmville. Boys, girls, professionals, bums, and all walks of life seem to play, love, and addicted to it. Not to exclude my pupils. They keep on talking about their levels, coins, cash, gifts, and properties. They also frequently buzz of statements like “Aani na ako.” and “Hala! Mabubulok na yung tanim ko!” Question if I also play the Farmville is often asked to me by them and I casually say I don’t, just to notice their evident disappointment.
Haunted by the assumption that my pupils think that I am not “cool” despite my young age, I tried to play, and if only my mobile broadband didn’t run out of load, I would not notice that it already took me four hours playing. I, too, was hooked up. And by being hooked up I was able to contemplate the values it tries to teach among my pupils which I hope they are grasping.
Farmville teaches us to appreciate farming. Farming is one I want my pupils to be grateful for. Now that most of students aim to land a job away from the tedious farming, I hope my pupils would realize that the farmers serve as the backbone of a country. Farmers’ hardships are the reasons why foods are served in our every table and platter that feed each cell of our body. With just this thought, I hope they give high regards to farmers. Ironically, the farmers themselves shoo away their kids from farming. That’s why very rarely that a kid dreams to be a farmer when asked what he’ll become when he grows. We can’t blame them and I know everybody knows who to blame.
Children’s values of sharing and camaraderie are honed in Farmville. With all the gifts my pupils have sending me and the fertilization they’ve done with my farm, I know even in that way, they’ve learned to share the things they are abundant of. They’ve learned to love their neighbors in Farmville and I hope they learn to love their real-life neighbors, too, unlike some grown-ups who frequently argue their fellows, which I don’t want them to do.
By becoming a Farmville farmer, one’s sense of responsibility is sharpened and I expect my pupils to become more responsible in all of their ventures just like the way they prevent their crops to be withered, for I don’t want their future to be drooped and become one of the country’s trashes.
Since Farmville allows its players to improve one’s farm, I suppose my pupils develop the sense of aiming and reaching a goal. I hope that as early as today, they have already designed the path that they will follow and drawn the map that will guide them to the treasure they want to seek for in the near future. I want them to continue aspiring despite life’s imbalances and difficulties.
A lot can be learned from playing Farmville and as my pupils and I continue on playing, we will all persist in developing our own life’s fields. Though it took me long to finally decide playing the Farmville, I know that living by the virtue of the values the game is teaching us, it won’t take me and my pupils long to reap the fruits of what we have sown.
(This article is written for an attempt to be published in the Philippine Daily Inquirer's Youngblood. It is not published yet and I know it won't be published anymore. Thanks to this blog. I can post every article I want to be published.)
