Farming! For many, it's not just a job or a hobby, it's a lifestyle. It gets in your blood and is the reason you jump out of bed early in the morning to breath in the fresh air and work the land. It's a passion. Yet, during those long, cold winter days and nights when the land is dormant and the tractor's stored in the barn for the season, withdrawal sets in. Much like a rabid football fan after the last championship game is played, you find yourself aimlessly gazing out the window at the colorless, almost lifeless landscape--just waiting for the first sign of the next season to break through.  

Well, gaze no more. We may have found just what you need to lift your spirit and get you through! It's called Farming Simulator 2015 and it's, you guessed it right, a video game. Unlike the annoying Farmville played on Facebook, you won't receive hundreds upon hundreds of requests to help your friends' farms become successful. (Translation: it eliminates the need to click the "unfriend" button more times than you can count!) Farming Simulator is a color-filled virtual farming game, complete with crops, animals, equipment and can be played alone or online with others. It's the gaming world's prescription for the bored and downcast farmer.  

FARMING SIMULATOR 2015: A DAY ON THE FARM

Farming Simulator 2015 is one of a series of realistic Farming Simulators developed by Giants Software. Amid the gaming world's violent battlegrounds and competitive sports video games, Farming Simulator is a slower paced game that has surprisingly become somewhat of an overnight sensation since the first game was produced in 2007.Players can farm, breed livestock, grow crops and sell all assets created from farming.  

Video game producer Giants Software is based in Switzerland, so the earlier farms are based on European environments and equipment. The 2015 version is more "Americanized" in location and even contains some familiar equipment brands. This newer version also introduces forestry, logging and vehicle wash capability. One online review stated "it's great for wannabe farmers, but you smell like tractor fuel after a couple hours of play." Another states: "It's got farming. It's got tractors. What more can you ask for?"  

Look for Farming Simulator 2015 online and in stores for PC by October 30. It will be available on other video game consoles in early 2015.

(Disclaimer: Just so you know, Cahaba Tractor and its employees do not receive any form of profit from the sale of the Farming Simulator series or any other video games. It just looked like an interesting way to pass the time when you're stuck inside. Plus, nothing beats virtual grass mowing!)