Social Game Fads: Enough with the cute lost animals already!

Social Game Fads is a new series where we take a look at some of the unoriginal game mechanics that are being reused over and over again in our favorite Facebook games. Are you getting bored of the same ole' thing? We are too, and we're exposing some of the copycats who are to blame.

Just about every game on Facebook does this, regardless if it's an animal game or not. "Oh no! This adorable little baby sad crying animal has been abandoned on your farm/zoo/island and needs your friend's help in order to rescue it!". Whether your play Facebook goes or not, you've seen this. The animals started out looking like regular animals, and over time the eyes have gotten bigger and bigger, the baby animals are getting cuter and cuter, and they're all looking sadder and sadder.

In this mechanic, the game will tell you that a lost/hurt/abandoned/wandering animal has appeared and you need to ask friends to rescue her. When friends click on the wall post that you make, they will get to claim the pet. Basically, the player gets nothing out of this except the gratification of 'saving' this poor adorable little critter and the feeling of helping their friends get a new animal. It seems like animals are constantly finding themselves lost and in trouble and in need of your help. Where do they come from?

In fact, Zoo World is built almost entirely on this concept. Animals are always appearing on your zoo and in need of rescue, and there is even a reward for having tons of people rescue your animal. Virtually every game is to blame for pulling on our heart strings and using the power of adorable sad animals to get us to post to our wall.


Do you post every sad animal you see to your wall? Do you like saving animals, or are you sick of this in Facebook games?

Shrink or grow your Happy Island decor with new Magic Gems

Happy Island magical gems
Crowdstar's Happy Island has released two special items today that aren't your typical decorations. These two gems can be used to either enlarge or shrink your decorative items on your island. This is great if you've been trying to get that specific design you've been trying to create but can't get the right sized items you want. These gems are not cheap though, at 8 Facebook Credits (or 80 cents) each.

Topaz of Tinyness - 8 Facebook Credits
Garnet of Giants - 8 Facebook Credits

We like when game developers give us the opportunity to further customize our decorations by changing their color or allow them to be rotated. Now, Happy Island players can shrink or grow their attractions or decorations.