What is all this?

I keep hearing my friends talking about online games like Farmville and how much fun they are having playing it. When they tell me about it, I have to wonder exactly HOW in the world it is fun? It is simulating real life, and you are working on a farm. Working on a farm for real is a lot of really hard work. I cannot even imagine how it could be glammed up to be a fun game! My friends keep getting all excited about the things they are doing, like planting their crops and buying tractors. I just don’t get it!