Online Gamers a Cash Crop for FarmVille

The latest video game craze sweeping America is a surprisingly cute Facebook application that doesn’t include even a single laser gun. FarmVille has attracted 60 million players, 22 million of whom still check in on their farms every day, harvesting crops, tending livestock, and helping their neighbors scare off foxes. And it could just be on the forefront of “humane gaming,” University of Denver gaming experts tell the Denver Post.

The professors say nonviolent games that can appeal to everyone from little kid to Grandma are the future. “ It's well done; it's cute; it's fun, and then you have the huge viral marketing power of Facebook,” says the director of DU’s Game Development Program. But marketing could be the game’s downfall: Some users say they’ve encountered too many scams and marketing gimmicks in the game. (More Farmville stories.)