Quote of the Moment: Thank Zelda for Zynga's big success

"[C]ompanies like Zynga, Playdom, and Playfish .... are tapping into the historic user experiences gamers obtained from systems like the Odyssey, Atari, and NES. Their look and feel is reminiscent of the 8-bit, low-fidelity standard of that earlier time, and their simple, but addictive style of gameplay recycles the interaction design models of original favorites like Asteroids and Zelda. [G]ames like Mafia Wars combine the nostalgic feeling of historic games like Dragon Warrior (1986) with the new frontier of social connectivity. This creates a very powerful psychological connection between users and, ultimately, a very large fan base."

Vador News' Bryan McClain says FarmVille-maker Zynga and its peers are harnessing the addictive power of classic game mechanics to fuel the social gaming revolution.

Do you think Zynga games like Mafia Wars and FarmVille are popular due to their simple game mechanics -- or does having a built-in social experience make all the difference? Sound off in the comments. Add comment.