Social gaming is used for short periods of relaxation and distraction. Social games should provide: simple and repetitive tasks; tutorials; social interaction; support for interrupted gameplay; visibility of other players’ activity.
Social gaming is becoming an ever more popular online pastime. It has been estimated that the value of the social gaming market will grow from $2.1bn in 2010 to $4.8bn in 2016. A large driver in this increase is predicted to be social gaming’s popularity on mobile devices, with social games becoming the most popular type of mobile gaming download. As such, it is little wonder that usability professionals are becoming increasingly interested in understanding social gaming’s dynamics.
Social gaming is still a relatively new concept within the online world and we do not yet have any universally-agreed definition. There are, however, some general factors which most sources agree can be taken to characterize ‘social gaming’:
Multi-player: Social games are played by multiple players at the same time. These players can either co-operate with, or compete against, each other.
Social platforms: Social games are based on a platform that facilitates social interactions. Social games can ‘piggy back’ on existing social platforms (thereby allowing players to leverage existing social relationships) or be based on new, bespoke platforms.
Awareness & interaction: Within a social game, an individual player is aware of other players’ presence, actions and accomplishments. Social game players are also able to interact with each other.
As social gaming matures, its definition will no doubt become more rigorous. At the moment, however, the above-mentioned factors are a good guide in helping us to understand the general nature of social gaming.
As Africa continues to build its esports and gaming industry, a social platform is undoubtedly an area of opportunity for the growth of the community.
PlayArenaGG, in west Africa is an online esports social platform for African gamers to connect, network, Chat, share and participate in tournaments with rewards. The entire platform is gamification, where gamers can get XP points for simple site actions, such as like, share, comment, daily visit. Gamers can also use XP Points to participate in tournaments.
PlayArenaGG facilitates tournaments in game titles such as FIFA20, 8BallPool, Soccer Stars, Call of Duty Mobile, Mortal Kombat 11, BrawlStar, Clash of Clans and PUBG Mobile
With esports on the continent being more of offline, PlayArenaGG aims to encourage online plays and interaction while creating content among gamers.
References
Spotless UK
