Face Book Games what is this obsession?

I myself am guilty of playing several games on this social media and have met some pretty cool people to
talk to in the process, originially it was to communicate with my children over 1000 miles away but then i tried Farmville and the addiction grew i suddenly needed to coordinate my schedule to my virtual farm crops and animals and became extremely upset when the computer would not give me access; where had my sense of logic gone? At least i was not alone i had over 800 friends with a similiar problem and suddenly this became very real and a part of my daily life as we had to work together to advance in the game to get cooler stuff and new levels.
Having played nearly 2 years now i have logged some major hours as i found this to be a relaxation outlet for me and needed to breed my horses and keep up with the lastest advancements i was even purchasing cards for real money to make my virtual world more appealing. 
How long does the average play daily? weekly? yearly?
How much money is being spent on virtual goods?
Please share your opinions comments grievances whatever and help me understand what has happened to the real world and why we are submerged in this virtual culture.