Storyboard Podcast: The Curse of Cow Clicker

Game developer and academic Ian Bogost sees infinite potential in games. To him, they hold the ability to convey artistry or experiential learning beyond base-level enjoyment. His titles like Jetset (you’re a swamped TSA security worker!) or Disaffected! (a Kinko’s employee battling customers you can’t satisfy!) definitely fit the vision.

Cow Clicker was no different. Bogost set out to make a satire of social games like FarmVille, showcasing their most exploitative and abusive aspects. Cow Clicker players could click a cow picture once every 6 hours to earn a point, called a “click.” You could invite friends to your pasture to earn more clicks, you could purchase in-game currency to buy additional cows or avoid the time restriction. Every click also came with a social games staple – an accompanying Facebook announcement stating: “I’m clicking a cow.”

Absurd? Sure, but the craziest thing about Cow Clicker was the user-response. Fifty-six thousand users played at its peak. Hackers found ways to manipulate the rules to earn more clicks. Devoted gamers submitted critical reviews and even wrote strategy guides.

New York Editor Jason Tanz chronicled the rise and fall of Cow Clicker in Wired’s January issue. He joined Adam Rogers on this week’s Storyboard to discuss how Bogost’s satire became his most popular game to date and the developer’s views on this bizarre experience. Tanz also shares what went in to reporting such a strange tale, including his memories of the Cowpocalypse.

This episode may not include any social gaming aspects, but remember the online version of Tanz’s story does. Bogost described the online version’s game element as , “…a cow clicking game about the aboutness of a cow clicking game about Facebook games. Or something. The result is so completely third-order and epic I can’t even begin to describe it. ”

Either way, the back story of Cow Clicker is something you’ll want to willingly share on any newsfeed.