At a such a dinner party recently I sat back in amazement as the the entire table tuned towards Facebook and more specifically on online ‘game’ on the famous site called Farmville. Now to most the point of such an online application remains puzzling to say the least; it involves planting various seeds only to log back in and harvest them after a period of time resulting in some ‘profits’. Yet the enthusiasm of this particular crowd was a stark reminder of how successful this type of app can be but to what ends?

Google seems to have injected new energy into the world of online advertising, a world we were told was coming to an end over and over and I’m sure that the constant deluge of pennies accounts for a significant portion of the profits but what amazed me here was the users part with real cash in order to progress themselves faster through the game, keep up with friends or win the race against the office rival.

Yes friendly competition is alive and kicking on Facebook in the middle classes. Remember we’re not talking million dollar developments here, investment in these games by comparison are tiny. ROI on the popular ones must be out of this world.

Micro transactions like these in the grand scheme of a middle class household are miniscule – no more then the muffin to accompany your morning latte and in the current financial climate it seems to be the little things that make the difference. Getting one over on your friends or rivals is well worth paying £3.50 for. And should your place in the country be a farmhouse rather than a tent on your virtual cartoon farm in cyberspace you still have one up on the ‘Jones’.