Facebook games grew into a worldwide phenomenon for something, right (and not just the dollars)? "The Future of Gaming," a study by media research consultancy Latitude, says that 56 percent of gamers today play to socialize and meet new people. The most common reason, of course, was "enjoyment" at 95 percent. Latitude surveyed 290 smartphone owners who identified themselves at least as casual gamers.
The survey goes on to find that, of these 290 folks, 84 percent use social media several times a week--you do the math. (But remember kids, correlation does not equal causation.) Of course, however, the majority of people surveyed listed smartphones as their preferred gaming platform at 81 percent, with home consoles tailing closely at 80 percent.
Even more interesting is what Latitude found regarding what players want from their social games. (In this case, we're broadly speaking to not just Facebook games, but all games that feature social interaction.) More than half of gamers want to see games better connect people in new ways. Perhaps some of these participants were referring to the supposed lack of social interaction in Facebook and other social games.
Finally, a whopping 96 percent of gamers told Latitude that they'd like to see more games that help players make a positive change in the world, if executed correctly. So far, Facebook game developers are still working on that execution part.
The bottom line here is that, regardless of whether they're played on social networks or at social gatherings, gamers want their games to be more social. Games like The Sims Social by EA are already working to finally earn that moniker, and there can only be more where that came from.
Do you, too, look for social interactions in your games more than other things? How do you think social games will improve these connections in the future?
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