It wasn’t long ago, maybe six months, that I incessantly teased my wife for playing Farmville on Facebook. The game looked lame. Who wants to waste time plowing digitally, planting and harvesting virtual crops, and collecting electronic feathers from chickens and milk from cows?

Then, amidst the tedious hours of unemployment, I started playing Farmville because I had way too much time to waste. I was hooked, even worse than my wife (and our young children, who began playing the role of hired farm hands when Mommy grew bored with the game). I’ve been gainfully employed for several months now, and I’m still playing Farmville!

My addiction is so strong that my wife has been feeding it by buying new Farmville goodies at 7-Eleven, including this Super Big Gulp cup that won me a pool-diving cow for my farm:

Fortunately, my boss, David All, is a big believer in the potential of social gaming to boost corporate and political brands. PR Week recently published his essay on the subject, and I am now one of the team members at the David All Group brainstorming ways to use social gaming as a promotional tool.

So Farmville is now both work and entertainment. It’s a sweet assignment.