Happened to catch this piece in Time a few weeks back and part of me was elated to see such a successful use of the social networking environment, not to mention the boom of gaming that I always knew had the potential to explode in so many new ways - while at the same time all these flares went up both good and bad.
I'm excited to see this explosion as more and more people start getting the urge to explore the social networking use of games as Zynga has offered. From Farmville to Mafia Wars those who out there know what I'm talking about, the addictive rates appear to be staggering.
I'm not going to get into the revenue aspects of this world, in fact I applaud how they are using various resources the Time article touches upon. Caution on the part of us who dabble is always rule number one, or like this unsuspecting parent found out an extra $170 was tacked on to the cell phone bill. But still consider how easy it was for these guys to harness that integration of technology and revenue? As a technologist looking for that simple means to help raise money and awareness for good is always on the top of my task list.
On a pod cast I recently heard from The Chronicle of Philanthropy Social Good they spoke about the amazing growth of the business and how widely accepted it was becoming. Games for Change is creating interactive game systems that raise awareness and revenue for causes which for me is a really exciting opportunity. No longer is online gaming just geared towards teenage boys, in fact over 68% of all American homes are engaged with some sort of digital gaming and half of them according to the pod cast are women.
With the demographics quickly changing and people spending between 30 min to hours per day "playing" the opportunity to be harnessing this fast growing market is tempting. Which is great news as I see my oldest who has such a creative streak, tremendous programming skills and an uncanny ability to understand games will one day make his mark on the industry.
Mobility like the iPhone apps and easier access to game development are just the start. Interactions with others "playing" via Twitter and Facebook as Zynga demonstrated is only a natural expansion of this genre. Just keep an eye on your phone bill.
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