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kelbear

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The future of social media gaming

By kelbear 4 Comments

I don't see the future in facebook games yet. I have to imagine that it's possible to develop games that bridge the gap between people killing time with a casual game vs. people actively wanting to play games. 


I don't think the current batch of social games has really struck upon the key design mechanics and levels of development needed to cross that gap. They've clearly got a huge amount of penetration, and there are some people who spend tons of time on it, but it needs follow-up to turn it into a long-standing and significant branch of entertainment media, rather than a disparate mishmash of forgettable "one-off" games. I don't see the players of Angry Birds thinking of it as one of their hobbies, just something they use to kill time. I don't really hear them hunting around for a new game after they tire of their current one. When I imagine people 10 years from now looking back at these games, I think they'll see a passing fad like beanie-babies, pogs, parachute pants, snap-on bracelets, furby, tamagotchi, etc.

These social game developers have got a good thing going, but I'm watching for them to make a move that will grant this fad some real long-term staying power. I'm watching to see someone change people from saying, "I like to play Angry Birds" to saying "I like to play social media games" or even "I like playing games". Right now, despite all the people who've thrown some time into it, it's still just that thing they do when they're waiting for something or can't think of anything better to be doing. I think very few people rush home from work because they can't wait to play another round of Angry Birds. 

I think this trend is still in its infancy, I don't know if it'll grow or die from here. What do you guys think?

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kelbear

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Edited By kelbear

I don't see the future in facebook games yet. I have to imagine that it's possible to develop games that bridge the gap between people killing time with a casual game vs. people actively wanting to play games. 


I don't think the current batch of social games has really struck upon the key design mechanics and levels of development needed to cross that gap. They've clearly got a huge amount of penetration, and there are some people who spend tons of time on it, but it needs follow-up to turn it into a long-standing and significant branch of entertainment media, rather than a disparate mishmash of forgettable "one-off" games. I don't see the players of Angry Birds thinking of it as one of their hobbies, just something they use to kill time. I don't really hear them hunting around for a new game after they tire of their current one. When I imagine people 10 years from now looking back at these games, I think they'll see a passing fad like beanie-babies, pogs, parachute pants, snap-on bracelets, furby, tamagotchi, etc.

These social game developers have got a good thing going, but I'm watching for them to make a move that will grant this fad some real long-term staying power. I'm watching to see someone change people from saying, "I like to play Angry Birds" to saying "I like to play social media games" or even "I like playing games". Right now, despite all the people who've thrown some time into it, it's still just that thing they do when they're waiting for something or can't think of anything better to be doing. I think very few people rush home from work because they can't wait to play another round of Angry Birds. 

I think this trend is still in its infancy, I don't know if it'll grow or die from here. What do you guys think?

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iam3green

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Edited By iam3green

i agree, i don't think people play them just for the game. they usually play the game to kill time and things. i don't like any of the games that are on facebook. i tried a couple of them out and nothing exciting there. the games don't seem to great either. when i play games i want to play something like a flash game that are fast. farmvill, and other games are slow.

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twuk001

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Edited By twuk001

There are actually really interesting and content-rich games spurring up slowly but surely in the Games section of Facebook. Among the few that I find interesting is "GodsWar", a 3D app-based MMO (think low-end Fiesta-style graphics). It offers many elements of play that are present in other MMOs, and I found it to be very enjoyable, especially for a browser game.

But, other than that, I agree with the OP. The majority of the games present on these app sites are nothing but "time-killers" and boredom snatchers. But I do not believe there is really a problem with this, as these kinds of games allow casual players to get a simple, fun, and rewarding experience that they would otherwise have trouble achieving in any commercial game.
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Grumbel

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Edited By Grumbel
@kelbear said:
These social game developers have got a good thing going, but I'm watching for them to make a move that will grant this fad some real long-term staying power.
I don't doubt the staying power of social games, in fact I fear it. The problem Facebook games have is that they are build on abusing player and its social contacts. The developers of those games don't care if you have a fun time, they care that you play alot, click their advertisment and buy their virtual tokens for real money, all while spaming your friends to also join the game. Essentially the only thing that is getting farmed in FarmVille is the player, as the actual game is close to non-existent, there is no virtual farm simulation, its all just clicking on stuff and clicking regularly. Its completely insane of much crap a Zynga game will throw at you in just five minutes of play (Click here to by more tokens, Click here to invite your friends, Random bonus gift if you visit often, etc.) and the crazy part is that it works, they are making a ton of money and millions of players.

The AngryBirds kind of games are a little different, as their are essentially just regular games, just simpler and consumable in 5min intervals. The problem of course is that I fear that all that nasty social crap will slowly sip into the casual game market and exploit players there as well. And the regular non-casual titles are of course not save either, developers are already trying around with Twitter and Facebook integration, its all still babysteps without much real harm, but I wouldn't be to surprised when we see things getting worse and worse there in the future as well.