What comes to mind when you think of the term “social gaming”? Sure, social gaming is huge on Facebook and other social networks, but just because something is an application on Facebook doesn’t make it a social game. Also, some social games don’t necessarily support social interaction. So what makes a social game a social game? The best definition is that social games are simply games that are played on social networks like Facebook. If that’s all there is to it, then why has social gaming been so immensely popular? What is it that makes social gaming so special? The key element in any social game has little to do with it being a game, but rather has to do with it being a part of a social network. Games in general are popular because they offer users virtual rewards based on the users level of accomplishment within the game. Games are also known for helping players relieve stress and unwind. But if you shift the paradigm and play games on a social network (lets use Facebook as an example) rather than a traditional platform, users are able to more actively and effectively share the game with their friends on Facebook than they would have ever been able to on a console or PC game. What this translates to is a significantly lower marketing cost. Advertising is not as necessary when friends share the game amongst themselves.
With that said, we all understand that social gaming is a great platform for getting a game shared quickly and easily. Nobody understands this better than Zynga, the company behind FarmVille and many other popular social games. Although FarmVille is now only the second most popular Facebook app (it had been in the number one position for a long while), the three next most popular Facebook apps (Texas HoldEm Poker, FrontierVille, and Mafia Wars, respectively) are all social games that Zynga created. The number one Facebook app this month, Phrases, is a trivia and quiz application, and isn’t even a social game in the same sense as FarmVille, because it lacks the qualities that would make it a true game. Add to that Zynga is working on CityVille, which is likely going to be as popular as their other endeavors. Zynga is by far the leader of social gaming on Facebook, and it shows. Reports from earlier this year claimed Zynga is worth over $3 billion, and that number has surely only gone up since then.
Written by Brennan Mack