Social Gaming’s Growth Areas In 2012 | Electronic Theatre

Social Gaming’s Growth Areas In 2012 | Electronic Theatre

As mobile and social games are becoming commonplace on smartphones, tablets and other connected devices, new trends are starting to appear in 2012. According to Socialnomics, 81 million people play social games every day. As the number of gamers grows, developers and others continue bringing new ideas to the field.

According to the Global Online Gaming Report 2012, Great Britain and Germany are among the leading European markets for online gaming. In 2011, almost one-fifth of total time playing games in Great Britain was spent on social networks, followed by casual games; only console games had more time invested in them. Rocketing numbersworldwide makes the mobile industry segment a leading market for web hosting companies likeFind My Hosting, which reviews the best web hosting services for game developers and others in the mobile gaming community.

Here are a few of the trends being seen in social gaming circles.

Freemium Games Gaining Popularity

The model of ‘freemium’ games is on the rise. These are games that are offered free to the user through social media or handheld apps, allow the user to start playing the game through initial levels. When these levels are reached, users can opt to pay to access premium features. When The Guardian released its list of the 10 best mobile device apps in August, a full half of them were freemium games.

This model works quite well, because usually people who love mobile games are willing to try a new game. Once engaged with the game, users are then more willing to spend money to unlock premium features. This is good news to game developers, who are turning successful games into big money.

Real Life Multiple Gamers

A recent survey on US and UK social gamers found that nearly all social gamers play multiple times per week and more than 60% play at least once a day. This shows a growing familiarity and deeper use, the study suggests, of the social nature of the games, as well as the games themselves. More than half of the gamers polled cited “fun and excitement” as their main motivation for playing.

Expect to see more increased social gaming usage by regular gamers, using real money to fund their entertainment.

Partnering with Brands

More gaming companies are partnering with brands to use social games as an advertising channel. As more people spend their time with social games, marketers are exploring partnerships with popular games to try to reach this influential audience. In other instances, more particularly in the US, TV shows are being turned into social gaming apps, and bringing their TV audiences to a new format.

Social gaming is hot. Using freemium models, tapping into online gambling and blending TV and gaming are just a few of the ways that the future of social gaming is moving ahead.

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About the Author: Rae Rutan – Rae loves anything and everything Apple. She writes about the latest trends for several different blogs in the technology niche.

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