Video games: Google+ isn't playing around

It's easy to knock social games such as "FarmVille" as a nuisance or a mindless waste of time. But these games have built a massive and engaged army of users, many of whom drop real money into the programs.

More than 200 million people play games on Facebook each month, the social network says. The developers behind these games have made millions.

Google+ (plus.google.com), the search giant's new social network, made a significant play for a chunk of Facebook's empire recently with the introduction of a platform for gaming. Google+ is hoping to leverage the interest in social gaming to prop up its burgeoning social network, which launched this summer and is still in a closed field trial.

Sixteen games are rolling out slowly to Google+ users, including popular titles "Angry Birds," "Bejeweled Blitz," "Sudoku" and "Zynga Poker."

The incredibly popular "FarmVille" isn't available on Google+, reportedly due to an exclusivity agreement with Facebook.

The appeal of social gaming is that users can compete against friends in an environment layered with online social connections. While playing a simple arcade game such as "Bejeweled," users can compete against friends and try to beat their recent high scores.

These games have also created a new genre of casual gaming -- games that can be played when time is available and a brief distraction is needed. When more pressing needs arise, games can be quickly left, frozen in place to be picked up again later. Most of these social games are played on a "freemium" basis. They're free to play, but users can buy in-game features to further their success.

Facebook quickly shot back after the Google+ games announcement, with a new layer of features for its gaming platform, including a new way to see which friends are playing which games. Facebook also made it easier to hop directly into a game from its homepage.

For many of those who aren't social gamers, the constant remnants of them on Facebook have become a nuisance: "No, Aunt Carol, I will not help you get more logs for your cabin. And I can't help you secure a wheelbarrow to move that pile of dirt, either. Good luck, though!"

Google+ hopes to differentiate itself by keeping the gaming function separate from the other discussions and interactions on the social network.

Users of Google+ won't see game updates in their news feed unless they say they're interested in gaming, said Vic Gundotra, Google's senior vice president of engineering.

Google+ amassed more than 25 million members in its first few weeks, but its growth has stalled. Full of early adopters and Web enthusiasts, the social network now faces an important test: Can it become a mainstream destination for social interactions online?