Zynga, publisher of a slew of free-to-play Facebook games (like FarmVille), is putting playable advertisements in its games. Players will be able to play ads for companies like Progressive Insurance in order to win in-game cash and other rewards. Basically if you’re playing FarmVille, you might get a Progressive Insurance pop-up mini-game; if you play the mini-game, you’ll be rewarded with some FarmVille crystals. However, not all mini-games will give rewards. It’s unclear at this point whether or not it will be obvious which mini-games offer the rewards.

This probably sounds like a nightmare to parents, and understandably so. While adults may be subtly influenced by advertising over time, kids are a lot more susceptible to it—and a lot more likely to give in to the desire for things like crystals. This is probably a good opportunity to go over some media literacy 101 with  your kids. The good news is it doesn’t seem like these mini-games will offer the opportunity to spend actual money, but they will be hooked up to social media accounts.

Zynga was formed in 2007. The company has a large roster of games. You might want to check if you or your kids are playing any of these, just so you’re aware of the new ad policy:


This article was written by

Keezy is a gamer, illustrator, and designer. Her background is in teaching and tutoring kids from ages 9 to 19, and she's led workshops for young women in STEM. She is also holds a certificate in teaching English. Her first memory of gaming is when her dad taught her to play the first Warcraft when she was five. You can find her at Key of Zee and on Twitter @KeezyBees.