The Future of Social Gaming: The Next Online Craze

Social gaming is all anyone has been talking about over the past year in the tech industry with a number of major social gaming companies becoming public. This boom was not simply a result of the mobile phone revolution as social media outlets continue to gain massive amounts of users. As the industry-leading social media site, Facebook, has boomed, so has their promotion of social games. People who play social gaming apps through Facebook stay on the site longer and play the games more often. This translates to more ad revenue and possibly more indirect buys.

Real Online Gambling Meets Social Gaming

Games such as bingo, blackjack, poker and other online social gambling games have become very popular in gaming circles. The added element of being able to interact with real people while competing for money is a very attractive feature for a lot of online social gamers. Even casinos are jumping on the bandwagon.

In general, casinos have been looking to partner with the social gaming companies to create mutually beneficial relationships. According to the American Gaming Association, online gambling has generated nearly $30 billion per year worldwide from the hundreds of millions of people actively playing social games on a daily basis, making this is a match made in profitable-business heaven.

Multi-Platform Gaming Capabilities

The future of social gaming companies seems to be quite bright. Another trend occurring on the development front is the creation of games that can be played across platforms. This way, users can play using Facebook on their home computer, their mobile device or a laptop. This will make games like "Bubble Witch Saga" or "Gears of War" more enjoyable because you will not be limited to one platform or physical location. Adding to the convenience is the ability to download games rather than buying discs or cartridges.

Playing Games Via Facebook

Facebook has been positioning itself to be the largest gaming platform in the world with hundreds of millions of active members. While other gaming platforms such as Xbox Live and Playstation’s network will pit players against each other all over the world, Facebook’s social gaming platform encourages you to compete against people who are in your own personal social network. Normally with online games, users will play against each other and not know any details about one another — with the exception of screen names and voices over the microphone.

The phenomena has only gotten bigger as "Angry Birds" is available to play on Facebook. The Facebook version has all the familiar birds plus a few exclusive birds and levels and a few added power-ups and bonuses. The social aspect allows you to share scores and compete with friends while causing mass destruction.

As Facebook and other networks continue to shape the latest trends in the industry, social gaming is beginning to make its way on to the stage. This phenomenon is making waves for both consumers and developers in multiple industries.