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A social network game is a type of online game that is distributed primarily through social networks, and typically features multiplayer and asynchronous gameplay mechanics.^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4] Social network games are most often implemented as browser games, but are not necessarily so. They are amongst the most popular games played in the world, with several products with tens of millions of players.^[5] Farm Town, YoVille and Mob Wars were three of the first successful games of this genre. Mafia Wars, FarmVille and FrontierVille are examples of very popular social network games.

While they share many aspects of traditional video games, social network games often employ additional ones that make them distinct.

Companies that make social network games include market leader Zynga, Playfish, Playdom, Kabam, Crowdstar, RockYou, Booyah, etc.

Technology

A social network video game can be created with any number of traditional video game technologies, however the majority are implemented in Adobe Flash, PHP or JavaScript. Some games may use a combination of these technologies.

A social network game is almost always played via a web browser, though they are distinct from browser based games in the way they leverage the social aspects of their hosting websites.

Distinct features

A social video game may employ any of the following features: ^[6]

Asynchronous gameplay which allows rules to be resolved without needing players to play at the same time.
Community: One of the most distinct features of social video games is in leveraging the player's social network. Quests or game goals may only be possible if a player "shares" his game with friends (connected via the social network hosting the game) or gets them to play as well as "neighbors" or "allies".
No victory conditions: Since most developers count on users playing their games often, there are generally no victory conditions. That is, the game never ends and no one is ever declared "winner". Instead, many casual games have "quests" or "missions" for players to complete. This is not true for board game-like social games, such as Scrabble.
Virtual currency: Social network games use "virtual currency", which players usually must purchase with real-world money. With the in-game currency players can buy upgrades that would otherwise take much longer to earn through in-game achievements. In many cases, some upgrades are only available via the virtual currency.

Social media optimization

Social network games often leverage or promote social media optimization through either:

The use of social networks to recruit game allies, or
Game design, linking social media activity and influence to game rewards.

Examples of the former approach include FarmVille, FrontierVille and Mafia Wars. In these games a player's social network is exploited to recruit additional players and allies.^[7]^[8]^[9]

Monetization

Social network games frequently monetize based on virtual good transactions, but other games are emerging that utilize newer economic models. An example of is Empire Avenue, a virtual stock exchange where players buy and sell shares of each other's social network worth. In Empire Avenue, a player's worth is linked to his or her social media influence and activity, as well as that of the other players he or she has invested virtual currency in. This game design promotes social media interaction as a means to attaining higher value in Empire Avenue market rankings.^[10]^[11]^[12]

References

^ The Social Network Game Boom by Sande Chen from Gamasutra (April 29, 2009)
^ History of Social Games by Jon Radoff (May 24, 2010)
^ The Odd Popularity of Mafia Wars by Lev Grossman from TIME (Nov. 16, 2009)
^ Workshop: Game Design for Social Networks, Proceedings of the 13th International MindTrek Conference: Everyday Life in the Ubiquitous Era by Aki Järvinen from TIME (2009)
^ "Social network games catch the eye of computer giants" by Zoe Kleinman from BBC News (Nov. 2009)
^ Radoff, Jon (2011). Game On: Energize Your Business with Social Media Games. Wiley. pp. 27–29, 39–40. ISBN 9780470936269.
^ "Why Social Media Gaming Is Big Business for Your Business". Retrieved 22 March 2011.
^ "Social Media Gaming Infographic". Retrieved 22 March 2011.
^ "How Big Is Social Media Gaming? How About 56 Million Strong". Retrieved 22 March 2011.
^ "Empire Avenue, the stockmarket where YOU'RE for sale". Retrieved 22 March 2011.
^ "Empire Avenue". Retrieved 22 March 2011.
^ "Empire Avenue creates a stock market to measure your social influence". Retrieved 22 March 2011.

External Links

FoldingStory | The Group Storytelling Game

This online game-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[1] The Social Network Game Boom by Sande Chen from Gamasutra (April 29, 2009)

[2] History of Social Games by Jon Radoff (May 24, 2010)

[3] The Odd Popularity of Mafia Wars by Lev Grossman from TIME (Nov. 16, 2009)

[4] Workshop: Game Design for Social Networks, Proceedings of the 13th International MindTrek Conference: Everyday Life in the Ubiquitous Era by Aki Järvinen from TIME (2009)

[5] "Social network games catch the eye of computer giants" by Zoe Kleinman from BBC News (Nov. 2009)

[gameon-6] Radoff, Jon (2011). Game On: Energize Your Business with Social Media Games. Wiley. pp. 27–29, 39–40. ISBN 9780470936269.

[7] "Why Social Media Gaming Is Big Business for Your Business". Retrieved 22 March 2011.

[8] "Social Media Gaming Infographic". Retrieved 22 March 2011.

[9] "How Big Is Social Media Gaming? How About 56 Million Strong". Retrieved 22 March 2011.

[currency-10] "Empire Avenue, the stockmarket where YOU'RE for sale". Retrieved 22 March 2011.

[social-11] "Empire Avenue". Retrieved 22 March 2011.

[venture-12] "Empire Avenue creates a stock market to measure your social influence". Retrieved 22 March 2011.

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Revision as of 08:31, 30 August 2011 edit 97.85.163.245 (talk) The first successful games were Farm Twon, YoVille and Mob Wars ← Previous edit		Revision as of 08:38, 30 August 2011 edit undo 97.85.163.245 (talk) punctuation Next edit →
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	A '''social network game''' is a type of [[online game]] that is distributed primarily through [[social networks]], and typically features [[multiplayer]] and [[asynchronous]] gameplay mechanics.<ref>[http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/4009/the_social_network_game_boom.php The Social Network Game Boom] by Sande Chen from ''[[Gamasutra]]'' (April 29, 2009)</ref><ref>[http://radoff.com/blog/2010/05/24/history-social-games/ History of Social Games] by Jon Radoff (May 24, 2010)</ref><ref>[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1935113,00.html The Odd Popularity of Mafia Wars] by Lev Grossman from ''[[Time (magazine)\|TIME]]'' (Nov. 16, 2009)</ref><ref>[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1935113,00.html Workshop: Game Design for Social Networks, Proceedings of the 13th International MindTrek Conference: Everyday Life in the Ubiquitous Era] by Aki Järvinen from ''[[Time (magazine)\|TIME]]'' (2009)</ref> Social network games are most often implemented as [[browser game]]s, but are not necessarily so. They are amongst the most popular games played in the world, with several products with tens of millions of players.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8376392.stm "Social network games catch the eye of computer giants"] by Zoe Kleinman from [[BBC News]] (Nov. 2009)</ref> ''[[Farm Town]], [[YoVille]] and [[Mob Wars]] were three of the first successful games of this genre. [[Mafia Wars]]'', ''[[FarmVille]]'' and ''[[FrontierVille]]'' are examples of very popular social network games.		A '''social network game''' is a type of [[online game]] that is distributed primarily through [[social networks]], and typically features [[multiplayer]] and [[asynchronous]] gameplay mechanics.<ref>[http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/4009/the_social_network_game_boom.php The Social Network Game Boom] by Sande Chen from ''[[Gamasutra]]'' (April 29, 2009)</ref><ref>[http://radoff.com/blog/2010/05/24/history-social-games/ History of Social Games] by Jon Radoff (May 24, 2010)</ref><ref>[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1935113,00.html The Odd Popularity of Mafia Wars] by Lev Grossman from ''[[Time (magazine)\|TIME]]'' (Nov. 16, 2009)</ref><ref>[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1935113,00.html Workshop: Game Design for Social Networks, Proceedings of the 13th International MindTrek Conference: Everyday Life in the Ubiquitous Era] by Aki Järvinen from ''[[Time (magazine)\|TIME]]'' (2009)</ref> Social network games are most often implemented as [[browser game]]s, but are not necessarily so. They are amongst the most popular games played in the world, with several products with tens of millions of players.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8376392.stm "Social network games catch the eye of computer giants"] by Zoe Kleinman from [[BBC News]] (Nov. 2009)</ref> ''[[Farm Town]]'', ''[[YoVille]]'' and ''[[Mob Wars]]'' were three of the first successful games of this genre. ''[[Mafia Wars]]'', ''[[FarmVille]]'' and ''[[FrontierVille]]'' are examples of very popular social network games.

	While they share many aspects of traditional [[video games]], social network games often employ additional ones that make them distinct.		While they share many aspects of traditional [[video games]], social network games often employ additional ones that make them distinct.