Farmville
I don't really play video games. I had a regular Nintendo as a kid and liked playing Duckhunt. Later on I had a brief period where I enjoyed Dr.Mario. The closest I get is playing Bejeweled occasionally.
But even I couldn't ignore it when status updates started popping up on my facebook newsfeed. I would assume that the person next to me was studying on their laptop and then be proven very wrong. It seemed like everyone I knew was playing it. People are compulsively checking their facebook accounts. I'm talking about Farmville, a virtual farm game that is played as an application on facebook.
In Farmville the objective is to raise crops and livestock. Zynga, the company that made Farmville is also responsible for Mafia Wars, Cafe World, and Fishville. These games are also played as applications on facebook. The company makes money through ad sales as well as direct payments from players -- you can use real money to purchase in-game credits.
What is interesting to me is how many people I know play it as well as the social aspect of it. Being more popular in Farmville helps your gameplay. Your facebook friends have the option of becoming your neighbor and helping you out. This element of the social web is what I suspect is the key to its popularity.
http://www.zynga.com
Comments
I myself have fallen into those loops as well (I play dungeon quest on my pre). its a good time waster that forces you to wait and come back later.
In my opinion, the game runs highly on the rpg addictiveness. I have fallen into this multiple times, either it being to finish a quest, to go up a level, or to gain a new item. This mainly comes from the satisfaction of finishing something long and hard, and trying to gather new items to gain new items (or plants in this case) and the cycle is endless (and entertaining).