Hay Day

One of the most popular and long-lasting games we have played on our ipads this year has to be Hay Day. This bright and cheerful farming simulation has helped us to:

•  practice reading large numbers, 
• practice reading words, 
• learn about supply and demand, and market forces,
• learn about harvesting, production and manufacture (you need to harvest raw materials from your animals and fields and combine them to make the more complex products required by your customers),
• learn patience and the need for saving up to buy necessary infrastructure (rather than spending all your money on cool decorations) as we have not spent any "real world" money on this game,
• learn about games that want you to spend real world money in order to progress, and discuss the effectiveness of advertising strategies used to entice you to do so,
• learn about the cyclical life of a farmer, for instance, that animals need regular care, and that crops must be regularly replanted.

It has also been very enjoyable. We all have our own farms. This is Mulga's.

The following review expands on why we have found this game to be such an enjoyable learning experience:

Rather than all produce being treated as “cash crops,” immediately turning into money the second it is harvested, crops and animal products go into a player’s storage. The player then has a number of different options for what to do with them. They can be sold directly to characters who come visiting the player’s farm; they can be used with special buildings to create more advanced products (milk from a cow can be turned into cream, for example); they can be sold to other players; or they can be used to fulfil orders.

Orders are published on a noticeboard on the player’s farm and usually require the player to provide multiple instances of two or more products, some of which might be manufactured items. Upon fulfilling an order, players send the component items off in a delivery truck, which takes a short period of real time to deliver the items before returning with money and experience points in the back.

...

Trading with other players unlocks at level 7 and allows players to put items up for sale in their roadside shop. Players can set the price and choose whether or not to advertise in the local paper — if they do, their products and the price will appear in other players’ mailboxes each day, while if they don’t their products will only be available for sale to friends who visit them. This is an excellent feature, since players can not only put up crops and other produce for sale, but also tools. It helps get around the inherent illogicality of most social games whereby players can send items they don’t possess to friends in order to “help” — here, players can trade items in a much more realistic manner than usual, giving a much greater sense of realism and requiring far less suspension of disbelief.

 The game monetizes primarily through its hard currency, used to speed up time-sensitive actions. Soft currency may also be acquired via in-app purchase. Purchasing coins will help the player progress quicker as the game is relatively tightfisted with the amount of money it gives out at a time, requiring the player to work for their cash rather than awarding it in vast quantities. Despite this, the game never feels unfair — it is perfectly possible to have a satisfying experience without spending any real money on the game, it will just take a bit longer.  

http://www.insidemobileapps.com/2012/06/21/down-on-the-farm-again-with-hay-day/