After hearing that Sid Meier is currently working on a Facebook version of his Civilization franchise I was shocked to say the least. Firstly who is this aimed at, will it be the experience that we all know from the PC or will it be heavily gimped to cater for all audiences? This got me wondering if Facebook games can really capture the "hardcore" audience by providing games with the depth and quality we are used to from other platforms. Civilization is a large IP, which clearly shows us that developers like Fireaxis and people like Sid Meier ,a true innovator within the industry, really believe in the potential of games on platforms such as Facebook. If this is truly a full game so to speak I don't think I would play it. I could never see myself playing games on Facebook for a prolonged period of time, its just not what I want from a social networking site. I don't want to log on and play games in my browser with any sort of intensity, but maybe I'm looking at this all wrong, maybe this is what people want? Fully featured games available on your web browser wherever whenever . What do you guys think, what is the future of these games, is there one? and would you like to see big developers put money and effort into this new platform?  

B. 
To clear up the "Gamer" reference I am referring to people who call themselves gamers.

no

Facebook games, are for the retarded.

I tend to agree, for me they add nothing to the service and detract from the time and effort available to the games on platforms I want to play.

While I don't care for facebook itself, the idea of having a game fully online in a browser is pretty cool. It'll allow for people to play from virtually anywhere and on any platform. 
With such accessibility however come security problems, lots of security problems.

If by gamer you mean a person that play games, Facebook games are for gamers.  
 
There are good games there, as puzzle bobble.  And it probably has a future as home for mini-games, not full fledge ones. 

" no "

There is a very simple way to answer this question.  
 
You must ask yourself, does playing  Outwar make you a gamer? It was the facebook game before facebook games existed, so the root of the issue surely lies there. 
 
Also the answer is no.

" @Jeust:  By gamer I mean a person who calls themselves a "gamer".  "

Facebook games are a simple, unengaging, unstimulating, procrastination-based area of 'gaming'. They are Peggle for the uninitiated.

no, they all seem to be boring games. all people do is click and on objects, wait on the timer. my mom plays farmvill all the time. the game is very interesting game. it seems like all of the games also have gifting so a person can have items that would have to work on to get but a friend can give gifts. maybe the games can get some interest if they got a 3D game like runescape. the graphics are great for just being an internet game.

The giving of gifts is a trend of these games that would annoy me. If I play a game I want to maybe have an option to play online but I should not have to beg for an item in order to progress through the game. I know you can earn the item, but the idea of advertising their game to progress is a step too far. 

Facebook games are for the retarded and the fat girls who have nothing else to do.  I for one can't stand facebook and think its just another way for teens to get kidnaped.

Facebook games are normally not intended for gamers, no. But there are some games that are worth playing as any other browser game incase you are bored.

Not right now I'd guess, but there is potential with the platform. I'd like to see a relationship between mainstream titles and Facebook. Like a Fable III minigame that gives you more gold or followers by getting people to pay tribute to you in facebook. Or how about being able to grind fishing in WoW via a facebook browser game? What about the fact that I can invite people to play a scrabble knock off in facebook, why not Quake Live? 
 
It's got a lot of potential. Shit, it's basically a text based MMO without quests.

Sid Meier, I was almost really disappointed in you, but this is a smart tactic. Basically, you're get all the Facebook addicts hooked on a super simplified version of your games, then they'll want to start playing the real deal. I'm cool with that.

" no "

I'll play a Facebook game and enjoy it. I find it to be a nice distraction. And I own hundreds of video games so I guess you could call me a gamer.
 
But apparently they're the worst thing to ever happen to games and will destroy us all.

No one considered flash users 'gamers', why should Facebook be an exception?

" Facebook games, are for the retarded. "

Just another way to milk money out of people really. That game devs see the "casual" market as a huge cow to get money from isn't surprising, all other industries does.

I personally don't have time to play facebook games AND real games.

They are for a different type of gamer. It's like asking if breakfast cereal is for dinner, or if romance fans like the horror genre, or whatever else. 
 
Neither better/worse/more/less viable/respectable than the other. They are simply different, but trying to pretend they are somehow 'not' games is ludicrous.  
 
As for the term 'gamer' who really cares? That's for yourself and yourself only to decide whether or not it applies to you, do you think a Model Railway Enthusiast really gives a damn if some kid buys a wooden train set and calls himself a "Model Railway Enthusiast"? No. So why should we care if some middle-aged woman wants to play Bejeweled on her lunch hour and somebody calls 
her a gamer? 
 
EDIT: Just to clarify 2 points that really piss me off. 
 
1. Facebook/etc games are not 'fake' there is nothing any more or less 'real' about them than any other type of game. 
2. 'casual' and 'hardcore' divide is bullshit. It's a state of mind imo, it has nothing to do with the type of game a person plays. MW2 is no more 'hardcore' than Bejeweled, and Bejeweled is no more 'casual' than MW2. It's the person playing it who is casual/hardcore. For example, the dude who FUCKING COMPLETED BEJEWELED (yeah, completed) is way more hardcore than any of you clan-tagging MW2 pussies.

" *Groan*... I wish the elitist douche bags would get over themselves. If you play something for entertainment, it's a game. At that moment you are a gamer. Voila! I tend to believe that Sid Meier has earned just a bit of credibility in the gaming industry so if he believes that the Facebook space is worthwhile then clearly all you snobs should STFU and move on. "

" @Dad_Is_A_Zombie: If you did read my first post, you don't get it. I'm not against games on Facebook  I think the some of the games like bubble shooter on it are really fun, I just don't think anybody wants to play a fully featured game through Facebook. "