My Good (?) Deed

Well, I either did a good deed or created a monster...

As some of you know, I lost my best friend recently when she died. I've been feeling so down that I just haven't known what to do with myself. I was walking around in a bit of a haze.

Last week, before everything really started going downhill for my friend's health, I was worried but hopeful. I ran into one of my elderly neighbors in the lobby. She looked as lonely as I felt sad so I went over to say good morning. I asked how she was and she told me that she was just so bored since leaving her old home. She lived on a farm at one point but I don't know if that is what she meant. I know that she is widowed. She told me that her kids had the bright idea to buy her a computer. What she didn't understand was what they thought she could do with something like a computer.

I said that I'd be glad to help her learn the basics. I said there were some things to do that weren't hard to get the hang of - watch videos and maybe read the news... She thought that was stupid. (Iowa people are blunt but so nice about it that you don't mind.)

She mentioned Facebook. She heard everyone talking about it all the time. Ugh! I loathe Facebook but...

Anyway, later on, I went up to her place and helped her set up a Facebook account. We found her kids and some grandkids and got her friended and connected to a few people. The kids are tickled that she is online. And that laptop they got her is pretty smooth! I showed her some games in the Windows store. And then...

Oh boy.

Then I showed her Farmville. Who knew that Farmville was in the Windows Store? I didn't. I've been sad ever since my old Farmville 2 farm went stagnant a couple of years ago...

I told my neighbor about the game and she was curious. How do you "farm" with a computer? What do you farm? What is the point? Doesn't it seem kind of silly?

Her eyes lit up after I downloaded the game and got it set up for her. At first, she still thought it was a little silly but... kind of fun. I quickly leveled her up to where she had some crops and trees and a few other basics. 

Oh boy. She was loving the idea of a virtual, colorful, noisy farm.

What does she love most? That she doesn't have to mess with the keyboard. She can use the mouse to do everything. She doesn't like the keyboard at all! The keyboard is what terrifies her most about a computer because she doesn't like typing. She does love using that mouse though.

Two hours in, she was playing Farmville on her own. I left her to it and said I'd come back up to help her set up her email account contacts if she wanted. I don't even think she heard me.

This morning, I finally pulled myself together enough to be around people without breaking into tears. I thought about my neighbor and went to see how she and her computer are getting along.

Well, she isn't interested in email or any more social media stuff. She likes looking at her kids' pictures on Facebook but her main groove is her farm. In less than a week, she is leveled up to having more crops and trees. She is trying to earn enough keys to get some of the nicer animals...

Guys, it was so cute. When I got there, she was working that farm like it was for a retirement pension. She was harvesting crops and racking up points like crazy. She could barely talk to me for taking care of her make-believe farm!

I love it. She is really good at playing the game. She doesn't quite get the whole "neighbor" farmer thing - liking or adding people - so I had to show her how to do that. She can trade goods and items with other players but doesn't use the chat feature. Mostly, I think she enjoys the sounds, colors, and interaction of the game. She had the sound up so loud that I could hear mooing and bleating from outside in the hallway. Her monitor is a nice 17-inch one with awesome graphics. I'm so jealous! She has it set up on a nice table that rolls over her lap while she sits in her favorite chair.

When I was up there, she had her snack of berries and melon pieces on a side table and her phone sitting in reach. I'm pretty sure I won't see her sitting in the lobby looking sad and lonely anymore.

I sat there watching her work her farm for a while. She was totally engaged. She even knows better than to spend money buying extras. She said that what she likes is that she can have so much fun without it costing her anything. (Yeah, older Iowans tend to be very cheap frugal also!)

Right now, I'm not going to bother her with setting up any more social media accounts. As far as the email, all she needs it for is to sign into her Facebook and farm. I don't think she cares if she gets any mail or not.

I left her to it. 

I'm thinking now that, where games can be timewasters for some people, they might be useful for the elderly. I'm pretty sure that it's good for my neighbor to keep her brain active. Farmville is a game but it ain't for sissies. There is a reason I rarely play it. It's almost as complicated to keep up with as running a household! For my neighbor though, it gives her something to do and she doesn't have to wait for someone to come and join in. 

Maybe we ought to teach more of our parents and grandparents to use games on computers? If they can't get out by themselves - like my neighbor - and their kids are busy with work and their own kids and such, something like Farmville is a great time-filler.

I feel better knowing that my neighbor has found something she enjoys that doesn't depend on waiting for other people to show up. I'm pretty sure that she's going to be showing some of the other folks how to play Farmville. 

Peace

--Free