Virtual VS Real


These days it has become truly essential to mention about our ‘status’ while conversing with somebody; weather we are talking about our real or virtual world.

The other day when I was talking to a male friend on a random topic, he suddenly interrupted: “Hang on, what’s the time?”

“It’s 5’o clock,” I replied

“Gosh, I burnt all the recipes in the kitchen…” he thumped his head in disgust.

“Finally, you started cooking,” I said.

“No re,” he gushed… “I am talking about my virtual Café World.”

OMG I wondered. How easily can a consciously random discussion be engineered into a subconscious Café World!

It’s sometimes even more amazing when we become so real in our virtual world. How our characteristics reflect our virtual ways. The other day Falgun was playing Happy Aquarium, (a game on FB that includes feeding fishes and cleaning neighbours’ aquariums). Being back from tour after a long time he was liberally feeding his starved fishes. On seeing a huge downpour of virtual fish food I almost yelled at him “Stop! Stop! You wasting so much food.” Taken aback by my reaction he calmed me down saying, “Relax, it’s just a game.”

Oh Yes! (I though regaining my posture) It’s just a game and I am over reacting. My habit of ‘no wastage allowed’ be it food, water or electricity made its presence felt even virtually.

Similarly, my unconditional love for animals is reflected when I play Happy Pets. When I pat my cats in the game, I do it with utmost care… just like I used to do it to my pet cats back at my maiden home. The difference is that I get rewards for a virtual pat. In another incident, I blamed one of my friends for being a miser even virtually just like she is in her real life. Being my neighbour in Happy Aquarium, I tapped her treasury box for earning coin. However, on finding hardly any coins in her box I grumpily muttered, “What a miser… she never has money with her.” And suddenly I realized I was not on an outdoor shopping spree with her but playing just another virtual game.

The virtual gaming scene has taken the virtual community by storm. More than 60% of India’s population lives on agriculture; but FB & Zynga (game’s owner) are surely the richest with over 350 million farmers – Farmville users across the globe. A large chunk of our country might have been turned into agricultural land, but data suffice by saying that the FB & Zynga own the largest chunk of the globe in farming – VIRTUALLY!

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