Dear Journal…
I wish to reach out the people who feel that they are ‘stuck’ at home and turn to the internet – and YoVille – for entertainment and even company. I myself am a housebound player, and this is my story…
I started playing YoVille in June of 2009. Why did I start playing? Boredom, plain and simple. I am a divorced parent and sole carer of my disabled teen son. To fit around his needs I am self-employed and work, for much of my time, from home. This means that I seldom get the opportunity to go out anywhere, or meet people. There are nights when my son goes on Facebook and is able to ‘entertain’ himself, but I still need to be there, keeping an eye on him. At these times, when I am just sitting there, with no one to talk to and nothing worth watching on television, I get extremely bored. That’s when Facebook, YoVille and especially YoRehab come to my rescue!
To go back to the beginning, I actually joined Facebook in March of 2009. Previously I had posted on Yahoo 360 and the eBay UK boards, but with the closure of 360 and a change in the eBay boards, I followed my online friends to Facebook. After a few weeks of ‘learning to drive’ the thing, I started looking around at the different games. Eventually I found YoVille and signed up, but didn’t really take to it because of the lack of interaction between myself and my small group of YoVille friends. Most of my established friends did not – and still do not – play! It was only after a few months online, making new friends, that I decided to try it again – and was delighted to find that my friends ladder was starting to fill up nicely.
Then I found the link to the YoVille forums and took a look. Through posting I met several new friends, and as a result,some of them have become very close friends on Facebook. It was also through the forums that I became a member of YoRehab. Agents had been watching my somewhat ‘eccentric’ posts in the forums and decided that I was Agent material. Unfortunately things got difficult at home and I had to step down as an Agent after six months. However, things picked up and I was so pleased to be asked back. Although my time is still limited, I am thoroughly enjoying myself as a writer. The Agents are a great bunch!
Through Facebook, the forums, and in game, I have met many people who are in a similar position to me. Some players are elderly, or at home with young children; some are carers,or are themselves disabled. YoVille has proved to be a very popular way for young people to interact with each other but it has also proved to be a lifeline for those other people who feel in some way cut off from the outside world.
Alby x
Are you a housebound YoVillian? Do you turn to the game for companionship as well as entertainment? Have you made any lasting friendships through the game? Let us know what you think about this journal below. We’d love to hear your opinion. Please don’t forget to share this article so the rest of your friends can read it too!
