( CNN ) -- These days , it 's impossible to overstate the popularity of games for social networks , with Facebook titles like `` Pet Society , '' `` Happy Aquarium '' and `` Zoo World '' all boasting massive followings . To cynics , popular games such as Zygna 's new `` FrontierVille , '' which recently racked up 20 million users in just 36 days , may seem like simple carbon copies of earlier hits -- most obviously `` FarmVille , '' which once touted four times as many players . Not so , argue industry insiders , who maintain that imitation is both the sincerest , and most sensible , form of flattery available to today 's game designers . `` Zynga certainly uses a formula for its games , '' says Libe Goad , editor-in-chief of Games.com . `` 'FrontierVille ' takes elements of 'FarmVille , ' including harvesting and helping neighbors , and then adds elements from more traditional strategy games to it . Since [ the company ] is notoriously metrics-driven , I predict that they will stick to this formula ... It seems to be working well for them . '' It 's a sentiment clearly echoed by Wade Tinney , CEO of Large Animal Games , makers of popular Facebook , MySpace and Bebo outings like `` Bumper Stars '' and `` Lucky Strike Lanes . '' `` Certainly there are some play mechanics that reappear in 'FrontierVille , ' but I 'd expect that from any game developer , '' he says . Arguing that `` FarmVille '' was `` basically a rip-off '' of earlier title `` myFarm '' anyway , Tinney counters that `` FrontierVille '' is `` a step in the right direction '' for the company because it offers a more original take on an existing formula . The idea of recycling core game mechanics is n't really a big deal -- witness the number of military-themed shooters on the market for PCs and consoles , Tinney said . `` If something works well , why not keep using it ? '' `` Games in general , including board games , sports , video games and more , tend to use successful mechanics over and over again , just like movies have formulaic plots , '' concurs Brenda Brathwaite , creative director at lolapps.com . `` It reduces risk and takes advantage of existing player knowledge . '' But Brathwaite believes the practice of recycling game concepts , while appealing to profit-minded companies , also has the potential to backfire . `` In casual games , players not only want , but need to have some kind of idea how to play a game when they first [ try ] them , and these common paradigms provide context , '' she says . `` The key , however , is to innovate on them or introduce a completely new mechanic . The potential downside is that players can get tired of the same old patterns over and over again . '' In FarmVille , players manage a virtual farm by planting and harvesting virtual crops and raising livestock . FrontierVille transplants this concept to the wilderness , where players fell trees , clear brush , find arrowheads and build a Western-themed homestead . Some outspoken critics say that enough is enough already . `` There will always be some players who want more of the same , '' says Joel Brodie , founder of casual game reviews site Gamezebo.com . `` I think the majority of game players online , however , have a short attention span and always want to be challenged . '' `` Some companies are releasing very innovative games , '' he says . `` Examples include 'Lucky Train ' ( create and send trains between friends ) , 'Office Wars ' ( create an army of office workers and fight away ) and 'Growing Diary ' ( a chance to relive your life as a 5- year-old ) . `` I think the bigger question is whether companies that take such risks are rewarded with success on Facebook . 'FrontierVille ' in one hour is making more money and driving more game traffic than all the innovative games combined . '' For those seeking the next big thing , experts agree that social games are just scratching the surface when it comes to pushing creative boundaries . `` Social game makers are just getting warmed up , '' says Games.com 's Goad , citing Playfish and its swashbuckling title `` Pirates Ahoy ! '' as a prime example . `` Nobody 's run out of ideas , '' agrees Brathwaite . `` In fact , I think we 're seeing more diversity of topics in social games than we 're seeing in the traditional game market . Because of [ social gaming 's ] nature and shorter development cycles , though , we 're also more able to see the 'me too ' clones way faster . ''
Games.com 's `` FrontierVille '' recently racked up four users in These days . Tinney : `` `` FrontierVille '' is `` a step in the right direction '' for the company . `` Social game makers are just getting warmed up , '' says Zygna 's Goad .