The Numbers are Staggering: Social Media Games

More than 200 million people worldwide play casual games via the Internet and “they are changing the games industry: So far only ca. 10%-20% of the population regularly play digital games (called “gamers”). Social games are for the other 80%” claims Jens Negemann CEO of Wooga (4).

The Casual Games Association came out with its 2012 Casual Games Sector Report earlier this month. With an estimated US audience of 77.9 million casual gamers, clearly casual and social gaming is a trend that is not going away.

So what is a social game? 

Think: Casino games such as the multiplayer casino game Texas HoldEm poker. Think: Garden of Time, Sims, Cityville. These are the sorts of games that are on a rampant rise. Easily accessible from mobile platforms and within browsers, easy to turn on or off on a impulse, and basically great time wasters, casual games provide a simple, technologically uncomplicated and widely accessible way for youth and adults alike to game.

So, with those almost 80 million people in the US alone to be using social gaming this year, who are the major players in the casual game world, what are people spending, and how much does this industry stand to gain?

Almost all social network games are built on a “freemium” model - the game is offered for free while charging a premium for more advanced features, functionality or related products or services.        

·       Average console game player (i.e. PS3, XBox 360) is a 37 year old male, the average social network game player is a 40 year old female (US stats).

·       Emerging markets are a key component of revenue growth in the global social networks games market. Brazil and Russia are prime examples of current emerging markets for social network gaming. Use the following attributes to evaluate if a market is ready for social network games:

·      High speed internet and smartphone penetration

·      Attractive social network audience

·      Existing payment systems for processing online purchases

Who are the Whales?

·       Social network games rely heavily on their big spenders, or ‘whales’. Whales spend more than $25 per month, on average. While whales represent less than 15% of a game’s paying users, they account more than 50% of a typical game’s revenue.

·        Most payers spend only $1 - $5 a month

Revenues:

·      The top ten content providers reach more than half of the total gaming audience on Facebook, Zynga leading the pack with over 46 million daily active users (DAU) seriously losing market share from previous years. Electronic Arts (EA) comes in 2nd place with just over 12 million users, 3^rd Wooga with 7 million DAU.

        

·       Estimated worldwide revenues in social network games for 2012 is $6.20 billion (yes, billion). For 2014? $8.64 billion.

  

According to application traffic tracking site AppData.com’s leaderboard the Facebook games with the most active users for December are: CityVille, CastleVille, FarmVille, Texas HoldEm Poker and The Sims Social.

 

 Facebook’s rating was based on games that had the most active users and received the highest user recommendations in 2011.

Facebook's Most Popular Games in 2011:

1.  Gardens of Time (By Playdom)

2.  The Sims Social (By EA)   

3.  Cityville  (By Zynga)

4.  DoubleDown Casino (by DoubleDown Interactive)

5.  Indiana Jones Adventure World  (By Zynga)

6.  Words With Friends (By Zynga)

7.  Bingo Blitz (By Buffalo Studios)

8.  Empires & Allies (By Zynga)

9.  Slotomania-Slot Machines (By Playtika)

10. Diamond Dash (By wooga)

  

(1)  http://casualgamesassociation.org/news.php

(2)  http://www.superdataresearch.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/CasualConnectSocialGames2012.pdf

(3)  http://www.hindustantimes.com/technology/SocialMedia-Updates/Facebook-s-most-popular-social-games-for-2011/SP-Article1-786027.aspx

  

(4)  http://www.gamesbrief.com/2011/01/what-is-a-social-game/

Role Playing Games (RPG) Lead in Performance for 2011

In the video gaming arena this year quality has been outstanding for both Shooter Games and Role Playing Games but hands down RPGs have come out the big winners. RPGs offer huge canvases with highly detailed and complex worlds that you will travel through and in the process you create the hero that is your character. Players take responsibility for acting out and developing these characters through a process of structured decision-making. Real dialogue by actors behind the mythic characters heightens the reality of the experience. It may mean a longer journey (hundreds of hours) in comparison to the Shooter Games but the journey is enhanced with unexpected discoveries and strange new worlds.

Best In Class: Skyrim, It has just been awarded the ‘Game of the Year ‘at the Spike VGA Video Game Awards on Dec 10^th.  Over 10 million copies have been shipped out and that means a hell of a lot of dragons. Another top of the RPG class is Witcher 2, the graphics are amazing and the story a complete adventure. If this RPG is not hard enough for you, play Dark Souls. Get ready to be thoroughly challenged. Dark Souls is probably one of the hardest games out there. Put in some effort and you will feel fully satisfied when you succeed in your journey. In a different game genre (action/adventure) Uncharted 3 and Assassin’s Creed: Revelations are just as deep, not as long but just as much fun. This story would not be complete without mentioning two other classic and continually enjoyable RPGs The Legend of Zelda and Dragon Age II.

I find RPGs provide a greater personal investment in the play experience than any other video game experience. RPGs rely on character progression and I love it. There are some amazing AAA Shooters (First-person and third-person) games out there including Battlefield 3, MW3, Ghost Recon, Gears of war3, Rage, Halo, Prey2, Resident Evil, F.E.A.R 3, Payday. They play across large canvases as well but ultimately they can become repetitive and boring losing the edge that RPGs have now gained.