If you are on Facebook, you’d be knowing that there are two types of people out there on this social networking site : 
- Gamers : The ones who play Facebook games viz Candy Crush Saga, FarmVille, Mafia Wars etc
- Non-gamers : The ones who hate these games and gamers with a vengeance.
I have played FarmVille, Hidden Chronicles, day and night for 3 years, non-stop. But then almost 3 years ago, one fine day, I gave up on playing these addictive games just on a whim and since then, there’s no looking back at these virtual farms or finding hidden items in the British Kitchen or Tut’s Tomb. I have been in both these categories, though I don’t hate these games and gamers with a vengeance! And that’s because, I can empathize with these gamers.
These Facebook games are social games i.e. you can’t play them in isolation, you need a lot of friends to play with you, and you need to help each other too. And when you need gifts or ‘energy’ to play, you ask your ‘friends’. Now incidentally or intentionally, some of these game apps do not have filters. I mean, when you click to ask or send gifts/energy, a list of all Facebook friends in alphabetical order appears. Now segregating and selecting only co-gaming friends from the list of some 200-600 (or more) Facebook friends is tedious. So, a gamer selects all or let’s say 15-20 friends per request and sends the game request. So, the request goes to gaming as well as non-gaming friends.
Also some games have things-to-do like, “Invite new friends to play Dragon City and get the exclusive Chimera Dragon’. (And guess, how many new friends you need to invite… Just 200!!) Now, when one is playing Dragon City, having that magnificent, limited edition Chimera Dragon in your Dragon City is a MUST. So, you as a dedicated and ardent gamer leave no stone unturned to get it and invite ALL the friends in your Facebook list!
Now when these game requests for gifts/energy reach the non-gamers, all hell breaks loose. The result is a deluge of status updates on being fed-up of receiving Candy Crush or Mafia Wars or other Facebook game requests! Candy Crush is the hot favorite for both the gamers and non-gamers these days, though. Some updates are polite, some are helpless appeals and some are plain rude and even threaten to unfriend the gaming friends.
Now, I find these updates very amusing! Whenever, I see such updates, I wonder, why should a simple one line few words notification about a game annoy or irritate people so much? What could possibly happen if you received a couple of requests each day?
Then I realized, there must be some reasons for we have so many people getting upset about receiving these unwanted game requests. May be the pings of these game requests on their smartphones distracts them and wastes their time and in turn drains the battery of the phone. Or may be they were expecting to see a notification about the number of ‘Likes’ or comments on their latest update or picture or link and all they get to see is a useless, game request! Pretty valid reasons actually, to be irked about, you may say!
Now, if you are upset or annoyed about something, what’s the best course of action? To have a crib fest on your status update or to find a solution to it?
If you type, “How to stop receiving game requests on Facebook”, Google the God, provides about 25,30,000 results in 0.31 seconds!! I wonder, why this option is never explored. Also, a little bit of scouting the Facebook settings can give you that Eureka! moment!
But then we all are different, I mean the gamers as well as the non-gamers. We all have different needs and act differently too! Also I believe, everybody has a right to be who they are. We cannot force others to behave differently if they disagree with us. And the reason why we are all different is to allow us to; to keep learning about each other so we can keep working with each other and live with one another.
So, while gamers should play the games that they love and enjoy, the non-gamers should do what gives them peace and happiness… a crib fest or hit block app!
PS : For those who have no time or inclination to explore the Google links or scout the Facebook settings… To block the unwanted game requests, Go to Settings → Blocking → Block Apps → Type the name of the app to be blocked!! Yes, it’s that simple!
62 Responses
I am one of those patient recipients of game requests 😛 I dont react, or respond. I simply ignore. But I wonder how these games can get people addicted to them.
Good pointers you’ve given here. Thanks for sharing the way to block the apps. That’s helpful to many who want to block the requests !
Wow! Like your attitude, Sreeja 🙂 Oh, these games are very very addictive. Of course, it depends from person to person. People like me and there are millions of us, who are addicted to these social games on FB. You may like to read more about my addiction here
http://shilpaagarg.com/2009/11/insanity-of-my-addiction.html
Happy to help 🙂
I have never played games online and have dealt very little offline – insisted by my daughter. Few days back, I was getting some requests to play some card games and now I understand where these game requests come from. Thanks for this useful tip based post :-). Appreciate.
Aha! Glad that this post helped you to know the workings of game requests 🙂
I don’t play FB games for the simple reason that the app wants my permission to post on my timeline before even I try the game! Good – I don’t want to get addicted anyway 🙂
Destination Infinity
Oh, you can edit those settings too! But it makes sense to stay away from these addictive games. I realized that once I was de-addicted from FarmVille, I had so much time at my hands to do so many useful and worthwhile things 🙂
I was quite high on Farmville and Mafia Wars like three years ago and now, I just hate the sight of such games. heehe! Appreciate your flexible perspective..just be and one thing I loathe is those WhatsApp and Instagra.
I wrote a short story into two parts and welcome ur honest feedback on
http://vishalbheeroo.wordpress.com/2014/06/08/lane-256-kamathipura-mumbai-part-one/
http://vishalbheeroo.wordpress.com/2014/06/08/lane-256-kamathipura-mumbai-part-two/
Oh, you played these games too! I never played Mafia Wars! Even, I am now no longer attracted by these games. Though a lot of friends, pushed me to play Candy Crush. On Whatsapp, you can mute the groups, not the individuals though. So, you will not get alerts just the messages, which you can read later or simply ignore. Individuals on Whatsapp can be blocked 😉 Havent explored Instagram as yet!
repeated status updates left me perplexed too 🙂 What a timely post. May be people get annoyed but some times the req does go with out notice or intention. Loved reading it 😛
right now I am badly addicted to candy crush
Yes, it happens that way sometimes, but non-gamers have the power in their hands… they can simply block 😀
Aah! You are a Candy Crush fan too. I played it for a few days on phone since a friend was after my life to play this game. Imagine!! 🙄 But I removed it pretty soon and am glad that I did that 😀
Thank you Afshan, glad you enjoyed reading this post 🙂
So true Shilpa. Glad I had explored this option some years back. Initially like u i was an online game addict as well- i played farmville or mafia wars from my sister’s account to get some high level gifts from her. Then one day like you I gave up too and there was no looking back. Though yes gamers shud enjoy the game and non gamers should continue to live in peace! Really Good post. Totally agree with you 🙂
Oh, dont ask, I created 2 accounts on FB just to play FarmVille, so I had 3 farms of mine, I played from my husband’s FB account and later on from son and sister and brother-in-law’s id too!! I guess, nobody was as crazy and addicted to FV as me!! 😛 Those were some good times 😀
But I dont miss them anymore. Glad that we kicked the habit! 😀
Thanks Shesha, glad you enjoyed this post 🙂
Quite an amusing post! I was hooked to Farmville a few years back and it took me a while to detox myself. So when candy crush came along I was wary and never took to it.
Thanks for the tip on how to block the app request. I’m gonna block those candy crush requests right away 😉
Wow! We have a lot of ex-FV players here! 🙂
Happy blocking 😀
I’ve never played these games. I’ve received quite a few requests/invites to play these games, but I’ve ignored these requests/invites without getting worked up.
That’s a cool and a sane thing to do 🙂
Like you I have been on both sides of this camp. I find the people that throw a tantrum on Face Book because they get game requests when they don’t play a bit childish. I mean…geez…like you said it doesn’t take rocket science to block the app. Just do it. For this particular person that had a fit and informed everyone that they do not play games and do not want game requests I suggested blocking the app because many times the game automatically sends the requests. I apologized if any requests had come from me and went on. I am pretty tech savvy…I know how to block what I need to block and keep what I don’t.
I know what you mean, Kathy! This blocking thing is soooo simple, all one has to do just click settings! But guess, for some, drama on the FB wall is much better and interesting than quietly blocking the app! 🙄
I’m not a FB game player (except for Words With Friends, which I don’t actually play via FB anyway!), but I have no problem blocking the apps from sending requests. I’m surprised more people haven’t figured it out!
My point exactly. When one knows about blocking people on FB, I am amazed, how they are not aware of blocking apps!! 😯
Well, I don’t play FB games often. If I do, it is just Candy Crush (which gets irritating when one is stuck in one particular level for what seems like eternity). And I play mostly by myself 🙂 If I have to request for something, I send to the gamer friends who are still active in it. I’ve seen the updates saying gamers to “get a life” and have been tempted to reply, “Is posting a long rant status a sign of having a life?” 😛
LOL 😀 I like your reply! I can envisage a war between Gamers and Non-gamers, on FB if that reply was ever posted! 😀
A completely well-needed post, Shilpa. I am often confused when I keep receiving multiple game requests. Yes, indeed, it is easier to block than crib. But imagine if people didn’t rant or show off on social media, what would they do with their lives :D?
Thanks Rachna! I know, it can be annoying, but just block one time and you get peace of mind forever!
LOL 😀 I know 😉
Haha!! I am a non-gamer. Only because I don’t need another addiction in life. I know it is easy to block these requests but some of us non-gamers are simply lazy! They will host a crib fest but won’t go to settings!! Just let them be!
Oh yes, let them be! To each his own! 😀
A very good and informative post. I have always loved to play Scrabble and I still play this game everyday. After a new format has been introduced, I play for an hour or so every day. Previously I made some very good friends.I also play a few mind jolt games/ Some of them are very interesting.
I used to play Scrabble too earlier and it is interesting if you have a nice partner to play with!
On the Non-Gamers side!! Seriously the requests piss me off!! Grr!!!
😀 Keep calm and simply block, Nibha 😀
Heh. No facebook games for me. In fact, mostly no facebook for me. Just can’t afford the time suck.
Great post, Shilpa and a much needed one, I am sure! I never figured out the addiction to games online. Of this sort, anyway!
Agree, time on Facebook simply flies away and most of it is so unproductive. Better to stay away or limit the time on it!
Oh, it’s good that you have been away from these games… they are designed for people to play non-stop or keep coming back to them again and again! 😐 Thanks Vidya, glad you liked this post!
I was so addicted to candy crush 6 months back.. I used to play it day and night, in class and home, during lectures and breaks, non-stop. I played so much that I had completed 350 levels in 2 months! And then one fine day, I just stopped playing it! Just like that and I have never opened the app after that. Today reading this, I feel like playing it now 😀
350 levels in 2 months… wow!! You surely did great with CC!
Did you go back to playing it?? 😀
I was a farmville and mafia wars addict till I got on to photography thanks to my better half. Now I no longer play any games in FB
PhenoMenon
Photography is any day the bestest choice as compared to these FB games. And you are so good at it too! 🙂
Hence one of the reason .. I dont have a FB profile.. 🙂 saves me all the hassles.
Bikram
You are the most enlightened one of the lot, Bikram. No FB… no hassles! 😀
I was a farmville addict for about 3 months, 4 yrs ago… I was a non gamer before that and I remain a non gamer after that 🙂
” I find these updates very amusing! Whenever, I see such updates, I wonder, why should a simple one line few words notification about a game annoy or irritate people so much? What could possibly happen if you received a couple of requests each day?” Exactly what I felt… But then I reasoned may be its not annoying to me who has only about 100 fb friends and whose smart phone remains in bag or desk untouched most of the time :), but for those with 500+ fb friends it might be annoying… I used to ignore those requests until I read this and now I have blocked them 🙂 Thank you 🙂
Good decision, Seena 🙂 Good now you will not have any temptation, whatsoever! 😀
Good to see you after a long time! How have you been?
Thank you for the solution. Seriously!
Happy to help 🙂
Reminds me of my latest addiction to Tetris and Candy Crush. Recently purchased a Nancy Drew game as well.
I was addicted to Tetris on phone a long time ago!
Is there a Nancy Drew game? Wow! Do you get to solve mysteries with clues etc in this one?
I just ignore these requests.
Best thing to do! 🙂
I used to game a lot too about 4 years back but now have been successful in blocking quite a few of them myself.. This one is a great informative post 🙂
Blocking unwanted game requests is such an easy thing to do! Thanks Kajal! 🙂
I have never been on FB playing games.
Like evryone else,I receive reqests and logically block them.
That’s simply cool! 🙂
I have blocked requests for all except Candy crush and farmville 😛 and when one of my friend ended up cribbing about requests… I sent her even more and tagged her too 😛 yeah I am bad friend 😀 Wonderful post Shilpa. I prefer they block rather than crib about it. Who listens anyway 🙂
LOL 😀 You are a wicked friend, Raj 😀
You said, it… who listens now-a-days 🙄
Well said….
Thanks for the note on FB settings 😉
You are welcome, Satya! 😀
This post has been selected for the Tangy Tuesday Picks this week. Thank You for an amazing post! Cheers! Keep Blogging 🙂
Thank you, Blogadda 🙂
You nailed this one Shilpa. And yes, I’m back after a brief hiatus. Fortunately I have always been rather tolerant and whenever I get requests I usually send them a sarcastic answer in reply. And it works. They kind of leave me alone after that. Of course, I could just ignore too. But where’s the fun in that ? 😛
Thanks Sid! Sarcastic replies from you!!… Poor gamers!… They need your empathy and support, Sid 😀
Oh you have nailed it! I agree 100%. Just block it, duh! Or do you crib just to show that you are not into games, you have “better” things to do?
Yes, the ‘better’ things that they do is to organize a crib fest!! 🙄
My mom calls me up and says ‘ I need a life. Have already sent you a FB request ‘ hi hi. It’s a simple thing that comes in the notification. I think people can just choose to ignore it rather than make a hue and cry 🙂