How Social Media Gaming Nearly Broke Me

Monica Bullock

I used to get so excited when I received a virtual gaming gift notice. Granted, I didn't have a lot of time for all out gaming, but mobile gaming on my iPhone or iPad was a breeze with Facebook. It seemed more in pace with my age group and all my friends were playing. It was nice connecting with friends through these mini shared adventures or with a challenging word play. Not every social media game I played cost me an arm or a leg but a few nearly broke me. I've had to remove these troublesome apps just to keep my spending under control.

So which social media games cost me big time? How did I break the virtual habit?

Snoopy's Street Fair: It is my opinion that Charles Schulz would be appalled at how this game is played. When you first load this game, you see your favorite Peanuts characters with their cool, clickable personalities and fun interactions. After a few days, it became apparent to me that if I wanted to see all my favorite characters become involved in the game, I'd have to pay. You buy Snoopy dollars (poor Snoopy, he's become a schill in his old age) to use in the game. Now the game does give you a few dollars for advancing to the next level but it is never enough to get any of the exciting items. At the end of each week, I'd spend $10 buying 100 Snoopy dollars to buy, well nothing really.

After a few minutes, I looked over my iPhone purchases and boy was I shocked! I spent $140 on this dopey game. To top it off, when I reset the game, I lost all those plug-ins I purchased. 140 bucks gone bye-bye! That's the equivalent of a night at a beach condominium or a week of groceries here.

Pioneerville: I wasn't a huge fan but I played it enough to know this social media game was going to be expensive. You just about had to buy necessary items or recruit a bunch of people to play to get everything required. I stuck to killing rattlesnakes and making my character say, "Howdy, Neighbor!" I only spent $40 on this game but that was enough to make me quit.

To resist temptation, I went into my Facebook account and blocked all game apps. If something gets by me, I delete the post or block it from future posts. I've sworn off social media gaming, (sorry Snoopy!) and decided to save my money for real prizes I can hold and see long after the game is over.

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Published by Monica Bullock - Featured Contributor in Beauty and Lifestyle

Monica is a small business owner and writer living on the Gulf Coast. After attending college at the University of South Alabama, Monica purchased her own cosmetics and skin care business. In a few years, sh...  View profile

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  • Monica Bullock2/21/2012

    IKR.. I'm shocked by Snoopy's stingy behavior.. The more I play it the more frustrating it becomes. Did you know you can start the game over and reuse the purchased dollars? At least that's something, huh?

  • Mama Kodok2/21/2012

    Hahahaaa...every now and then i'm sickly tempted to buy snoopy dollars. A month gone now and i'm now on level 24, still securely zip my purse. I'll just try to be content on what i have now and spend the dopey dollars wisely.

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