Add Me as a Friend: The Inexorable Rise Of Social Gaming

Once upon a time, computer games were the preserve of the young. Adults’ attempts to join in were usually viewed by younger players as almost comical. As they deftly steered their spaceships around a debris-strewn universe, adults would clumsily crash their craft within seconds of taking over. Games, it seemed, were the pastime of the new generation of nimble-fingered.

Fast-forward a few years and the rise of the social gaming has changed that view completely.

Admittedly, the change had begun well before. Games consoles are now enjoying far broader appeal than the mere teen market. Wireless consoles were particularly popular and slowly the demographic of the average game user changed.

But then came social gaming and in one fell swoop, that demographic was shredded forever.

Nowadays, you are as likely to have a 30 or 60-year-old sending you requests on a social networking game as you are a teenager. The demographic of who is a gamer is no longer narrowly defined; anyone seeking to play free games as part of their online experience can play.

Social gaming is precisely what the name suggests, gaming for society, not just a portion of it.

The reason why these games enjoy such popularity is, paradoxically, often levelled as a criticism of them by long-standing gamers and developers. These games are too simplistic, crude and perhaps childish in their outlook, they claim.

Yet it is precisely these qualities which has fuelled their popularity. Simplicity means accessibility and the very nature that friends can play together, even if they are scattered across the globe, has added a new appeal to games. The fact that people can play for 10 seconds, 10 minutes or 10 hours at a time is also endearing.

Finally, there is the very real factor that once people start to play these games, they become hooked, whether it is growing crops, playing card or word games, developing your own mafia empire, or collecting football stars.

The truth is, as much as social media is about keeping in contact with friends, it is equally becoming about sharing an online experience and there is no better way to do that, than within the context of an enjoyable free game.