"PLAYBOY PARTY" on Facebook

GameStop’s social games publisher Jolt Online has just released its latest Facebook game, Playboy Party. Yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like.

In a world where it seems perfectly natural to tend to a virtual farm or manage a village of Smurfs, perhaps we shouldn’t have been surprised that a game where you get to throw your own Playboy-tastic party exists, yet we are.
After getting over the initial shock and realizing that, “yes Virginia, there really is a Playboy Facebook game,” we did the only logical thing: We played the game for 45 minutes.

Combining the social elements of FarmVille and some of the mechanics of a game like The Sims, Playboy Party can best be described as what would happen if Darren Star (creator of such television classics as Melrose Place and Beverly Hills, 90210) had a Facebook game. It’s over-the-top, trashy and a lot more entertaining than it should be.
You begin the game by choosing and customizing your avatar and then going through a solo mode that shows you how to play the game. The goal is to basically create a kick ass party, making sure that the music is lively, the alcohol is flowing and that guests are taken care of. You can invite celebrities and Playmates to the party, which will help increase your popularity.
If people get too wasted, you need to ask them to leave so they don’t bring down the vibe. Likewise, if the paparazzi, out of control frat boys or the creepy guy from across the street crash the party, it’s your job to bounce them.
As you greet guests and get rid of unwanted people, you earn coins and fame points. Fame points propel you to the next level. When you move on to the next level, you are rewarded with extra items and collectible photos (that are basically bikini shots) and classic Playboy magazine covers. I ask you, in what other game is a 200 pixel copy of the March 1986 issue of Playboy (featuring Sally Field!) a reward?
As far as the “social” elements of the game — you can invite friends to your party and you can visit the party of other friends. You can also send gifts or prank your friends. Pranks mean you send frat boys, creeps or paparazzi to their shindigs.
The game is ridiculous and clearly more than a little sexist, but we have to say, we’re still a little bit impressed. It’s not that the game is fun or addictive to play; to be honest it really isn’t and it certainly is not addictive in the same way as other social games like FarmVille or Smurf’s Village. No, what makes the game work is that it recognizes how utterly inane and stupefying the concept of having a Playboy Party Facebook game actually is. It’s that sort of self-acceptance of its kitschiness, of the campy nature of the game that makes it succeed.
Plus, think about how much grief you can give your friends who do wind up playing the game. That’s a party right there.
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