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Losing my PC virginity in Pet Society – Part 1

Published July 2, 2010 Money & Points 22 Comments
Tags: Pet Society, Playfish Cash

Are you a Playfish Cash virgin? Do you refuse to spend real money on this game? Are you the only one amongst your friends who doesn’t have a fishing glove or a secret garden?

If you’ve already given in to the temptations of cash items, do you remember your first time? What did you buy?

Heiða from Iceland was a PC virgin until last month, when three of her friends, Rakel, Viktor, and Sigurður gave her 260 Playfish cash. (By the way, don’t ask me how to pronounce that special character ð. I can only guess that it might sound like a d. I love how it looks, like there’s a dagger right through the letter.)

Heiða was excited by the gift, but she was careful not to blow it all away. So what did she buy? “I bought a socialite potion, a bear petling, a large room and a wig dye,” she said.

Heiða's pet Raison and her bear petling in Pet Society

“I haven’t bought much cuz it’s the only Playfish Cash I’ll ever have, so I’m trying to make it last a long time. The socialite potion was a big disappointment to me and many others.” According to the Boutique, it’s supposed to cause a magical effect for seven days and allow you to earn more coins per visit. But Heiða says that it didn’t change much.

“My favorite item is probably the large room I turned into a bar,” she says. (Expanding a room costs 15 PCs.) “It looks so cool. Gigi Mac gave me a disco ball to put in there and it really completed the room,” Heiða says. “The bear petling is also super cute. I tried to do online research on everything I wanted. My boyfriend calls me a petaholic and I’m starting to think it’s true, seeing as I play PS more then I will ever admit,” she says.

Do you remember your first PC purchase? What did you spend the money on?

The Icelandic Bar by Heiða

Playfish offers 1,000 coins for E-mail Addresses

Published January 22, 2010 Money & Points 15 Comments
Tags: Facebook, Pet Society, Playfish

A day after announcing that applications won’t be able to send you notifications on Facebook, Playfish is trying hard to get gamers to give out their e-mail addresses. Earlier today, the company posted this notice on the Pet Society Facebook page:

A thousand coins is a nice bonus, and it sure beats running around the stadium ten times in a row or making all those tedious visits to other pets in your network. But really, how far does 1,000 coins get you in Pet Society? At the clothing store this week, you could get the following:
1 Bouffant Wig (900 coins) + 1 Groovy Pants (100 coins) = $1,000 coins. It’s not even enough for an entire outfit!

Maybe you could take advantage of the offer and then cancel out on the e-mail service after you receive your thousand coins. But if Playfish’s past offer of free fan gifts is any indication, it might be several weeks before you see the moolah. (However, we love the giant snowglobe that was delivered on Christmas!)

Personally, I’m opting out of this. Let me know if you decide to do it, what your e-mail inbox looks like afterward, and whether or not you get the coins right away.

Thanks to Andpet and Dawn for the news tip.

Make More Money in Pet Society by Cleaning

Published January 16, 2010 Money & Points 19 Comments
Tags: Make More Money in Pet Society, Pet Society, Playfish

Playfish finally made it easier for pets to make more money. You can now get ~~four~~ 10 coins just for grooming your pet and your friends’ pets. So grab that soap or brush and give yourself a nice tip. Depending on the starting cleanliness and happiness levels, you can earn up to 140 coins per pet. This is a great new source of income for poor pets like mine.

Note:

You don’t get any coins if you just hand over the soap or brush to your pet.
You also don’t get any coins if he hops in the shower or bath.
Once your happiness level is full, you stop making coins for brushing.
Once your hygiene level is full, you stop making coins for cleaning.
It’s harder to poo since your hygiene level is full.

Other Changes in Pet Society:

You can now sell the food that you’ve cooked for more coins. (Example: Vegetable soup now garners a 2-coin profit instead of just 1. Still not exactly a way to get rich.)
Trees will grow fruit more often.
A free teddy bear if you are a Facebook fan of Playfish.

These aren’t exactly get-rich-quick schemes, but it’s nice to know that Playfish is listening to players’ requests. (At least to some of them. I’m still waiting for two pets to be able to sit together on a couch or bed.) The company may have also taken cues from Zynga’s Petville, where cleaning up after your pet is rewarded.

Become a fan of Playfish on www.facebook.com/playfish

How Much Money Do You Spend in Pet Society?

Published October 23, 2009 Money & Points 28 Comments
Tags: Pet Society, Pet Society cash, Playfish, Playfish Cash, virtual goods

playfishcash

Virtual goods is big bu$iness. According to an industry report, Playfish is expected to earn $30 million this year from their games. Ca-ching! Ca-ching! Quite impressive during a global recession.

Many people are boggled by the idea of paying for virtual goods. “Pet Society isn’t real,” is a typical argument. Well, neither are movies. Yet, we routinely pay anywhere from $3.99 for a DVD rental to $10 at the cinema to watch make-believe stories that are usually predictable. People pay for fantasy and entertainment. It is nothing new.

A friend of mine, Luxe, does purchase Playfish cash regularly. However, she suspects that people who are active in the forums and blogs are not spending real money on Pet Society. If they get cash goods, such as the Halloween Fish Biscuit, they do it through trading. Is this true? Let us know.

Finally, if you’re wondering if it’s worth filling out those annoying surveys for free Playfish coins, contributing blogger Kavya did a story a few months ago on that very topic. We recommend the car insurance survey as we’ve both had success with that one.

The End is near – or is it?

Published January 27, 2009 Gardening & Decorating , Money & Points 8 Comments
Tags: Facebook, Pet Society, Social games

Note: This was written in January 2009, when 34 was the highest level players could reach.

There are now over 5.8 million Pet Society users, making Pet Society the second most popular game on Facebook (the first is Texas HoldEm Poker). Like many people, I have been addicted to PS since I started playing it, but now, I’m a bit worried about reaching the end. What will I do once I hit level 34? What other activity could possibly take its place? Will I rent movies again or venture out to restaurants for a bit of amusement? Or gulp, will I actually go back to doing some work on my computer? It’s gotten to a point where I am starting to think of my life as BPS and APS: Before Pet Society and After Pet Society. But now, I’m starting to fear my life PPS – Post Pet Society – and wondering how I will fill that impending void.

I interviewed several advanced players from all over the globe who’ve reached levels 32 and above to see if they were experiencing similar fears. What I found was surprising. Most of these players are still very attached to the game and play for hours each day. They’re also creative in their approach to the game, keeping things fresh and interesting. For them, level 34 isn’t the end, it’s just the beginning.

Player: Lara
Pet: Lilly
Location: France
Lara had the most impressive Lunar New Year decorations. Her house looked like a Qing dynasty palace.
Q: Has the thrill of Pet Society faded?
A: Absolutely not! But now that I have a lot of things, I’ll save a lot of coins to buy all of next week’s new items.
Q: Do you ever buy coins with real money?
A: I never buy coins, I don’t have real money to waste. I earn almost all my coins visiting my friends. I have almost 300 friends now, so it’s very convenient when I need money. It takes me about an hour to visit them all. It’s fun and cute, and I can see some beautiful houses while visiting.

Player: Penny
Pet: Brianna
Location: Australia
Penny has been so generous and selfless, giving me expensive items like a pink refrigerator while expecting nothing in return. I was impressed by her gourmet kitchen, which includes a lit stove to boil a pot of tea. She likes to shop till she drops, buying gold mystery boxes by the dozen. In these times of recession, Pet Society satisfies her shopaholic urges.
Q: What keeps you going in PS?
A: I’m still playing, visiting, cleaning pets, doing fair trade with players, giving things to PS friends. This game is still evolving as it is still in beta stage. It is really a very simple game in itself, and I think in its simplicity is its success.
Q: How many friends have you added for the purpose of playing Pet Society together?
A: Currently I have 142 PS friends.
Q: How many pets has your pet slept with?
A: Probably all of them.

Player: Dawn
Pet: Bearcat
Location: California, US
This California girl says that if her pet were in a movie, it would be played by either Meg Ryan or Sandra Bullock. When I visited her, she was busy doing laundry.
Q: What’s the best thing you’ve gotten in a Mystery Box?
A: A gold balloon, a black ducky luxurious armchair, and a dancing daisy.
Q: What’s your favorite outfit?
A: Hmm, that’s a tough one! I love the pineapple hat, taco hat, tiara and playful fish hat. (But now, Bearcat is really into her ox costume.)

Player: Amidara
Pet: Sleepy
Location:Thailand
This Thai beauty is the only pet I know who actually looks good with a fish on her head. Like Paris Hilton, she’s obsessed with pink.
Q: How addicted are you to PS?
A: Let’s say I am very very addicted. I don’t think about giving up at all. I just bought some coins with real money last night for the first time. I promised myself that I would not do it, but last night the competition for stuff in the forums was so tense that I had to splurge.
Q: What do you like most about PS?
A: I really enjoy decorating my rooms. Tonight I will renovate my bathroom. I love my garden (wish I had more dancing daisies), and I just added a kitchen room. Pink is my favorite color. My pet’s bedroom is all pink, like in my real life.
Q: How many golden poos have you had?
A: Never had one; never wanted one. I like to keep my pet clean.
Note to Ms. Thailand: Please don’t deprive your pet of its natural urges. There’s no shame in poo. Even celebrities and glamour girls need to take a dump every now and then. Poo pride is strong in Pet Society!

Player: Fran
Pet: Yume
Location: Texas, US
This pet was the first one I’d seen in a space helmet. I love the look! Doesn’t she look like a Japanese rock star?

Q:Did you ever buy coins with real money?
A:Ya, I bought some coins in the bank. Please don’t tell anyone, OK? LOL. I got some excess money from my financial aid last semester and bought some coins with it. I’m always getting those $49.99.
Q: What keeps you going?
A: I don’t think there’s really an “end” to this game. As long as there are new things coming from the shops or mystery boxes, this game will not end.

Getting a Sugar Daddy in Pet Society

Published November 24, 2008 Gifts , Money & Points 31 Comments
Tags: Facebook, Giving gifts in Pet Society, Pet Society, Social games

My days of jumping rope are over, cuz this girl has got herself a sugar daddy. And what a sweet daddy he is. In one day, I scored a robot, a piggy bank, a cat, a fish bowl with a jumping fish, and most impressively, a bed! The same bed I’d been eyeing for days. All of this was given to me by Fernando*, who asked me to be his friend after reading my blog.

Fernando has got to be one of the richest—and most dedicated—players. He has over 600,000 paw points and 300 pet friends, most of them women, making him the Hugh Hefner of Pet Society. Lucky for his playmates—or his “Angels of Pet Society” as he calls them, Fernando is generous with gifts. He says that in the past, many angels have given him gifts, so now, he’s “paying it forward.” Thanks to him, my humble house is now crammed full of goods.

Sushi's new bed and toys, thanks to her Sugar Daddy.

Sushi's new bed and toys, thanks to the Sugar Daddy.

My friend Holly noticed immediately. “How did you get all that stuff? I thought the fish bowl wasn’t available any more.” I told her about the sugar daddy. “Wow,” she replied. “Your house looks really good.” I could hear the tone of envy, even though this was all in text. Then she posed a challenge: “Ask him to give you the pink kimono. Sushi would look so cute in that!”

Once again, I was reminded of the Real Housewives of Atlanta. Like the show, this game is all about shopping and looking good. With Fernando acting as my benefactor, my status in the neighborhood just climbed several notches. I imagined cooing to my new friend: “Oh, Fernando, honey, can you buy me that cute little kimono?”

But I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Call me a working gal, but asking for expensive gifts just isn’t my style. And since I don’t know Fernando well, I didn’t want to ask him for something and be indebted to him in some weird way. Still, I have to admit, it’s nice to be treated by a rich guy. I may not be a gold digger, but I won’t say no to gold–or diamonds for that matter.

Fernando's Playboy Mansion. Check out the huge sound system.

Fernando in his Playboy Mansion. Check out the huge sound system.

On a final note, I forgot to list another way to make money in my last post: walk around the neighborhood and shake the trees. Every once in a while, a golden coin will pop out of a tree. It’s an easy way to score loose change, but the trees dry up quickly and you won’t get rich by doing this alone.

Finding gold amongst the greenery.

* All names, including pets’ names have been changed to protect the privacy of the players.

How to Make More Money in Pet Society

Published November 20, 2008 Money & Points 204 Comments
Tags: Facebook, Pet Society, Social games

Since my tryst with Wasabi, I’ve been saving up for a bed of my own. Slight problem: the bed costs 2000 points. I’ve also noticed that Holly’s pet Genevieve* changes outfits nearly every day. What’s a girl to do? How can my broke, cross-dressing pet keep up?

Bed, Bath & Fcking Beyond in Pet Society

I’ve noticed there are four ways to earn points and buy cool stuff in Pet Society:

1. Go to the bank and purchase points with real money. 26,000 points cost $39.99, but I refuse to cross that line. I might be a procrastinator who wastes countless hours and months in mindless pursuits, but I’m a frugal procrastinator.

2. Perform mind-numbing, repetitive motions, such as skipping rope. I noticed that Sushi gets only one point after seven mouse clicks. At this rate, it would take me literally 14,000 clicks to earn enough points for the bed. I’m a frugal procrastinator with attention deficit disorder. There’s no way I can sit through that many clicks.

3. Compete in hurdle races and earn 30 points for every victory. Sushi has won a few times, but more often than not, he slips on a banana peel and feels the agony of defeat.

The agony of defeat in Pet Society

4. Visit other pet friends. This is the easiest and least time consuming way to get points. A visit to each friend garners 20 points per day.

Desperate to earn points, I went to the forum and found many other players in the same position. “Add me!” they urged. One guy from Greece specified, “Cute girls, only. Plz.” Hoping to avoid the sleazy weirdos, I chose six mild-looking players, all women.

Now, every time I visit one of their pets, ca-ching! Ca-ching! The stadium races have become more fun too, as you see your new pet friends in the audience, a nice feature and clever programming by the game’s creators. So far, none of my new adds have turned out to be a crazy stalker, but one person is a self-admitted Jesus freak and Joel Osteen fan. Every once in a while, I have to see status updates like, “Jane is amazed by how well God listens to her beautiful children.” But reading drivel like that is worth seeing the money pile up in Pet Society.

* All names, including the names of pets, have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals.