You may have noticed a difference in your Facebook friends list over the past few months. Instead of updating statuses, your friends have just announced award after award listed from Farm Town, or pleas for aid in Mafia Wars. There's no mistaking it: they've been bitten by the gaming bug. But the sudden boom in gamers playing these sorts of harmless games may pose a bigger threat, or a great boon, to our hobby than many could imagine it.

If you're like me, you've been a fan of video games for some time. I've played since my early teenage years and have, in some shape or form, had a console or computer set up for gaming ever since. I was the kind of high school kid who was happy to come home and spend hours in front of the newest video game, neglecting homework and chores in favor of entertainment and button-pushing. It was a choice I paid for, however, because when it became clear that I was neglecting other responsibilities for video games, the games were (forcibly) removed from my access for a while. Over time, I had to learn to balance real world responsibilities with my interest in video games, which is a large part of why I'm a casual gamer these days. The demands of the real world just overwhelm the amount of time I'd like to spend playing games.

Unfortunately, this new breed of gamers doesn't necessarily have this sort of history with playing games. Many of them have avoided console gaming entirely, and find themselves drawn in by the childish simplicity of these Facebook games. It's just a small amount of field or a few Mafioso antics. Then, they realize they're only a few points away from a new level. Surely they must get that before they log off, right? Before they know it, hours have passed by and their normal household and workplace responsibilities have been pushed back in order to get, "just one more level."

The addiction of these games doesn't just stop there. The more popular of the Facebook plug-ins are social games, which means enlisting the help of friends and family will help get players ahead. Soon, these new players are looking for anyone with a pulse to help them advance. The person who was formerly incredibly stingy about what friends they'll accept are suddenly seeking out help from people they've barely even met, just to get a little farther in their game. It's a sad sight to see, my friends, especially for those of us who have built up a balance between gaming and a responsible life.

Don't get me wrong - the expansion of the gaming market is never a bad thing. It's even created some interesting experiences for me (never did I expect to see my wife, let alone my mother-in-law, stating they desperately needed more x.p.). It's also created some fun situations of "I told you so," as the people who used to restrict my gaming habits have now succumbed to the hobby themselves. After being grounded so many times, it's kind of fun to hear my mother drone on about how late she was up attempting to get to the next level in a game.

I learned the hard way, we need to be cautious around these newcomers to our hobby. If cultivated, their newfound enjoyment for simple gaming applications could be transferred to other games. Your co-worker or spouse who never showed much of an interest in games might be your new co-op partner or FPS opponent. If treated poorly, however, pointing out the amount of time being "wasted" on these games... well, speaking from experience, it's a quick way to push these new players away from gaming entirely. Even their beloved famiglia and farms will wind up abandoned and another new gamer could be lost forever.

When I first saw the addictive nature of these Facebook applications, and their appeal to people outside of the normal scope of gaming, I saw a chance for the tables to be turned. People who had looked down upon my hobby or never quite understood the time investment put into a game were suddenly shirking their own responsibilities in favor of more play time. I even put out a tongue-in-cheek warning in the style of those old cautionary tales, warning about the potential hazard to our society. Recently, however, I realized we shouldn't be wary of this new breed of gamer. We should embrace them and help bolster our hobby, picking up what these Facebook games started and carrying it over into the games we love and enjoy.