The Google of the Game World

The Google of the Game World

Spending your extra money to buy pink tractors and virtual chickens? You’re not alone.

Zynga, the social games giant that created FarmVille and Mafia Wars, has over 200 million players a month, giving it a broader audience than its rival Electronic Arts. Zynga’s expansion has been largely due to the growth of social games and micro-purchases on Facebook. In fact, 20-30% of Facebook traffic is now driven by games.

So before you scoff at virtual harvesting, take a minute to think about what makes such games so popular and why Zynga might become the Google of the game world.