Editor's note: Business Insider is contributing a series of columns to CNN.com that challenge commonly held beliefs about the tech world. (Business Insider)  -- Zynga's hit Facebook game "FarmVille" is arguably the most widely played video game in existence. What is especially impressive about that is that "FarmVille" isn't any fun. We aren't being snobs, saying people shouldn't like it because it isn't good. We're saying that people don't like it, but they play it anyway. Try explaining "FarmVille" to someone who has never played it, and watch their eyes glaze over. Ask your friends who fill your Facebook newsfeed with their "FarmVille" accomplishments, and you'll find that most of them are embarrassed. They think the game is stupid and boring, but they just can't stop playing.
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Zynga's hit Facebook game "FarmVille" is arguably the most widely played online game
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The company makes it your duty to play "FarmVille," creating a sense of social obligation
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Facebook is an extremely odd platform for games, but it's successful
Facebook
Facebook
Facebook
Facebook
@placeholder recently cut back on game developers' ability to post updates to users' walls, because people were angry that their newsfeeds were filling up with "FarmVille" spam.
Zynga
Zynga
"FarmVille" is in a league of its own in terms of users, but as a game, it is almost identical to every other @placeholder game and every game released by its competitors.
Zynga
Zynga
On the one hand, it is incredibly successful, generating hundreds of millions of dollars for @placeholder alone.
Zynga
Zynga
@placeholder has made a lot of noise about establishing its own destination site, but none of these games has ever taken off elsewhere, because people won't play them without the ads, the viral reminders and the sense of obligation.
Facebook
Facebook
Facebook
Facebook
For one thing, its business is at the mercy of @placeholder's whim.