We are at a crossroads. Internet users are asking for more ways to connect with each other online, and they’re seeking out new experiences on the Web. I believe that gaming is the best answer to their pleas.
What other medium makes such engagement and connectivity possible? In the last few years, our industry has taken great steps to embrace the most recent trends in Web development. From game applications on social networks to free-to-play games that are downloadable or browser-based, these games are evolving – much like the web – to incorporate more and more user interaction.
I think it’s fair to say that videogames, at some level, have social elements in their DNA. From traditional games like Monopoly, to Dungeons & Dragons, on to early interactive entertainment like MUDs, games have always provided a social experience. And with modern online games like World of Warcraft as well as casual multiplayer gaming portals like Yahoo! Games bringing people together to play, the social aspect of games is undeniable. But there is still plenty of room to grow. The future will, I hope, bring user engagement and interactivity together with quality gameplay.
Articles have already been written about how the Web today is connecting people unlike ever before. We’ve been hearing about social networking, folksonomy and blogs for years now. I’d like to examine how the videogame industry is taking lessons from the Web and creating new gaming experiences that integrate elements of social networking through widgets, applications and browser-based games.
Widgets and applications
The game is changing. All it takes is one glance at the list of applications on Facebook to realize how positive it was when the network opened up its platform. Games are taking over. You can throw sheep and turn your friends into vampires. Is this just one big waste of time, or is it a great way to keep people engaged on profile sites that used to be utterly static? Data and trends shows that it is not a waste of time, but one of the leading ways users spend time online.
According to Adonomics, a site that provides analytics and developer services for Facebook applications and widgets, the top three applications in terms of most active users were developed by Slide and RockYou.
Slide, a company that offers what they describe as “social entertainment applications,” was created in 2005. It reaches an average of 170 million people a month and has a presence in over 200 countries. Comparatively RockYou, founded in 2006, has over 35 million users and a comparable international reach. Both are found on Facebook, Myspace, Bebo, Hi5, Friendster and Orkut – and the list goes on.
Two of the most popular widgets are Super Poke from Slide, and Slideshow from RockYou. While these aren’t traditional gaming experiences, they provide a level of user engagement and interactivity that the online gaming industry should take note of.
Other widgets are purely gaming in nature. Look at the popularity of roll-up sites like the Social Gaming Network (SGN), which offers games and social gaming platforms that help people connect through gameplay. And another major roll-up site, Zynga, is a network of gaming applications built off of casual classic games. These gaming applications are still new, both SGN and Zynga were founded in 2007, but show that social networkers like to play games.
What do “poking” and photos have to do with the videogame industry? The legions of social network users have made it clear that people want to share things, and they want to have fun doing it. While poking and throwing sheep may be very basic, I argue that they are GAMES. This certainly opens the door for deeper penetration of more sophisticated games into the social networking space.
What people wantSites are springing up that take accessible gameplay, and combine it with social networking to form outlets for “quick break” gaming. These sites offer gameplay options for as little as five minutes a session. These sites are usually flash and browser-based – a great way to wait for your World of Warcraft or Conan patch update to finish, or to take a mental break from the office.
A great example of this kind of site is Kongregate. Founded in 2006, Kongregate enables its users to communicate with each other, forming a community, and also offers them an achievement system – badges – to build a network. Unlike the gaming widgets I’ve discussed before that layer games onto social networks, Kongregate layers social elements onto a gaming site, incorporating identity, communications and rewards. What Kongregate understands is that people enjoy playing games and socializing – it gives people a place to make friends around accessible gameplay.
A new wave of gameplay is emerging that is more focused on social functionality. Recently, Phil Harrison, president of Infogames, parent company to Atari, announced a change in strategy: leading his company away from big budget single-player games and into social gaming. The industry is already well aware of a change in consumer attitude. Glancing towards the current market at sites like Kongregate, Zynga, Playfirst, Mytopia, Nexon, and Gaia Online - something is to be said about social gaming.
People want more out of their experiences online. We at Gaia Online know this because we’ve listened to our users, and that’s why we’re building an MMO. Our players wanted more ways to connect with each other, in addition to the forums and minigame experiences already available within the Gaia Online virtual world. We saw value in their opinions and decided to build a world for them to live in online. While we are incorporating all the gameplay elements of an MMO, our users will also be able to just socialize and explore. This is only the beginning and we look forward to growing and evolving with our community.
So, where are we? We’ve poked, thrown sheep, made photo albums, played a round of poker and shared our Kongregate badges with our friends. What’s next? Giving gamers and social networkers a virtual environment in which to play, socialize and customize their world.
So what does the future hold?
The future of gaming is going to be more socially integrated, and data portability plays a big role in this. Look at recent examples from Web companies Google and Facebook; both rolled out applications that enable users to control how they share their profile data.
You might ask, “Who cares about data portability.” It matters because philosophies of the web are changing. Formerly the web was like a deadbolt, but now with open source, APIs, widgets and data portability; users are in control of their information. Users are moving across sites and want to take their online identities and activities with them. Games included.
Allowing people to control their gameplay information can only help us grow. Imagine reading your RSS feed with the gratification of knowing that your mom received the Spotless Desk Badge from Desktop Tower Defense? Think beyond that. Think of the immersive gameplay options that will come from a larger and more socially engaged audience.
The future belongs to those companies who will bring social connections and interactive entertainment together, offering endless opportunities for users to be social and engage with one another in a new virtual experience.