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Social Games and Gamification: What’s the Difference?

Neil Vidyarthi — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:37:16 +0000

This is a guest post by Keith Smith, CEO and Co-Founder of BigDoor

Often the terms “social games” and “gamification” are used interchangeably, but in actuality they’re very different animals. While it’s true that gamification borrows its game mechanics from social gaming, there are many real-world situations where it makes more sense to apply gamification instead of building an entire game. First, let’s take a look at a definition of each concept:

Social games are built on a social media platform like Facebook or Google+. Casual in nature, they can be picked up or dropped at a moment’s notice and are designed to engage the player’s social network of friends. Games like CityVille, Hidden Chronicles, and Words with Friends are popular examples.

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The Facebook Platform Roadmap in 2012

Devon Glenn — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 09:17:30 +0000

For Facebook, 2012 will be the year of the third party app. News, videos, and songs streaming down your newsfeed are just a “small taste of overall vision,” said Carl Sjogreen, director of product management for Facebook at the Inside Social Apps Conference. The focus for the coming year will be on enhancements to Open Graph, mobile and games.

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What Makes Social Gaming So Popular on Facebook and Google+? [Infographic]

Devon Glenn — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:19:50 +0000

Games and social media a natural match. With the exception of solitaire, most games involve at least two players. This infographic explores some of the ways that games have found an audience on social platforms like Facebook and Google+.

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Electronic Arts Beats Analyst Expectations With Help from Star Wars

Neil Vidyarthi — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:01:29 +0000

Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:EA) has an illustrious past. A great metaphor, considering EA’s own NBA series of games, is someone like Michael Jordan, who after taking some time off from being a champion with the Chicago Bulls, returned back to the game after an absence. But the game had changed. He played for the Washington Wizards, a new franchise team, had a rocky start, but once he’d got his footing, he surprised critics and naysayers by eventually leading the team in points. Is EA on the same path with their digital revolution?

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Will Facebook Gamers Want to Play World of Warcraft Instead of FarmVille? Gaikai Hopes So

Neil Vidyarthi — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 11:51:32 +0000

David Perry revealed today at the Cloud Gaming Europe conference that his streaming games company, Gaikai, has already finished a deal with Facebook and they’re ready to launch. To add some spice to the announcement, he displayed a demo of World of Warcraft running on Facebook within the Gaikai app, and pointed out that it only took a few clicks to get into the game. Will Gaikai win the attention of Facebook gamers?

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The Average Social Gamers Are 43-Year-Old Women [Infographic]

Megan O'Neill — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 13:11:14 +0000

Have you ever wondered who plays the most social games? A new infographic from Flowtown breaks it down. ‘Who Are Social Gamers?’ takes a look at everything from the gender, age, family situation, education, income, employment and more to find out who, exactly, social gamers are.
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Have You Tried the New RISK Facebook Game?

Neil Vidyarthi — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 13:30:58 +0000

I just got the news last night that EA had launched their newest social game, and it’s based on one of the most beloved strategy board games of all time: Risk. The game, entitled RISK: Factions, takes from a recent version of RISK launched on XBox and PSN and adds a few cool social features that make the game speedy and competitive. Our sister blog Inside Social Games had a great interview with the Producer of the game, and he talks about the sanctity of keeping a strong multiplayer element in the game.

Check out the interview here and let us know what you think of the game. Do you like the player-versus-player aspect or would your rather stick to co-opetition titles like The Sims Social?

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Is the PS Vita Really a Social Gaming Revolution?

Neil Vidyarthi — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 11:30:22 +0000

Have you been keeping up with the portable gaming wars? What once used to be the exclusive domain of Nintendo is now a rife battleground featuring the likes of Apple, Sony and even Google, and Sony’s latest offering, the PS Vita, is hoping to win some new fans in the space. In a recent trailer for the device, they hail the PS Vita as a social gaming revolution — but is it?

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Tagged Acquires Hi5 Social Games Network

Neil Vidyarthi — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 09:46:42 +0000

Tagged, a social discovery site focused on meeting new people has acquired Hi5, the social gaming network led by the boisterous Alex St. John. Hi5′s goal over the last few years, after a major redesign, was to be a destination site for gamers and a place that gave game developers better tools and deals than were available on other social networks. We interviewed CEO Alex St. John at last year’s Casual Connect, and were impressed by his vision.

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Rounds For Facebook To Launch 9 New Social Games By 2012

Megan O'Neill — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 15:27:14 +0000

Rounds, the Facebook “communitainment” platform that lets users video chat, play games, watch videos, listen to music, look at pictures, take snapshots and engage in other activities together with friends (old and new) announced Wednesday that they will be launching nine new activities.
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Tapjoy and PapayaMobile Team To Deliver Social Game Discovery on Android

Azam Khan — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 17:00:58 +0000

Tapjoy and PapayaMobile today announced that they are partnering to launch Social Marketplace that provides users with recommendations on which apps to download. Both companies have released a flurry of announcements recently and this particular news could be great for developers and users alike. More after the jump. continued…

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Q&A with Q-Games on PixelJunk Monsters Online for Facebook

Azam Khan — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 16:15:21 +0000

As console developers continue to expand to social and mobile platforms, I had a chance to get with Bear Trickey, Jesse Venbrux and Zach Aikman of Q-Games who recently launched PixelJunk Monsters Online on Facebook in an interview where they shared their approach to developing for Facebook. More after the jump. continued…

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This Week on the Mediabistro Job Board: Sephora, Newsday, Travel Impressions

Nadine Cheung — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 13:00:17 +0000

This week, Sephora is on the hunt for a social media writer, while Newsday is looking for a social media coordinator. Travel Impressions is hiring a director of social media and consumer engagement, and the National Center for Learning Disabilities is in need of a communities manager. Get all the details on these jobs and more below, and find additional social media gigs on mediabistro.com.

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Cross-Platform Flexibility Gives PlayPhone’s PXP an Edge

Azam Khan — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 13:55:58 +0000

Revenues from virtual goods sales in social games is growing exponentially each year and has the potential to reach $4 billion globally by 2016. Nonetheless, successfully monetizing social games is no walk in the park, especially for those developers who may not have all the necessary resources. Luckily for them, the PlayPhone social gaming network just released PlayPhone PXP, a complete tool set of advanced virtual goods management tools supporting Android, iOS, and HTML5. More after the jump. continued…

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Game Personalization Platform Lets Developers A/B Test Virtual Items

Azam Khan — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 15:40:12 +0000

Personalization in games is less talked about compared to various other topics such as distribution and monetization. That’s because it is difficult to discuss as actionable insights get lost among the heaps of data developers collect. Making breakthroughs in this space is a company called Swrve that I had a pleasure to sit down with and discuss their emerging platform. More after the jump.

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