Everyone has heard of gaming, in fact, the video gaming sector is one of the biggest and fastest growing in the world, but have you heard of social gaming?

Social gaming has actually been around for a while, although you may not know it by that name. In many ways, social gaming is exactly what the name suggests—a mixture of gaming and social media, combining the fun of your favorite game with the interaction of social media. The concept also includes things like sweepstakes sites, which we will take a look at later on in this article. 

Social Gaming Origins

Do you remember playing Farmville on Facebook? How about Words With Friends? These were some of the most popular pioneering social media games, and although they are no longer quite as popular, they still have devotees who enjoy the social element as much as the game. 

Since then, the concept of adding a social element to the gaming experience has become more popular, and many of the top games now feature multiplayer or social aspects. For instance, games like Call of Duty and Dota 2 are all about teamwork, with one team working together to beat another, all while interacting online. So, does this count as social gaming? In a sense, yes, but true social gaming has some important differences. 

Social Gaming is Casual Gaming

Unlike the ultra-competitive world of Call of Duty, Dota 2, or League of Legends, social gaming is a lot less stressful. A good way to think about it is that the social comes before the gaming, whereas the multiplayer games mentioned above are really just standard games with a social element. 

In social gaming, the games don’t require any particular skill, experience, or knowledge to play, nor do they require expensive gaming equipment to play. The typical social gaming title is easy to pick up and is best played in short sessions with friends. 

In this sense, social gaming probably has more in common with the casual mobile games that you might download to pass the time while you’re commuting to work or waiting for a flight. These are games that take no practice to adjust to—you can just open up the app or the page and play. 

The Sharing Element

Another key feature of the social gaming world is that there is a strong element of sharing. Although, like CS:GO, social games may technically be multiplayer, they are multiplayer in a very different way. They are generally based around much more laid-back and friendly interactions. Typically, they can involve swapping items, chatting with friends, or inviting new players to play. While the standard online multiplayer game can be incredibly stressful, social gaming is a relaxing way to pass the time.

Social Platforms 

So how do social games encourage and support social interaction? They usually do so by providing a range of platforms that enable you to engage with others. These include properly moderated chatrooms, where you can talk to other players, as well as friends lists to which you can add people, leaderboards for various competitions and activity feeds to keep you updated with what your friends are doing so you can congratulate them on a great win. 

What Games Can You Play?

Farmville and Words With Friends were two of the earliest and most popular social games around, but there are many others, each with their own dedicated players and communities. They include titles like

  • Clash Royale
  • Coin Match 
  • Bubble Shooter
  • Skribbl
  • Animal Crossing

There are many other games, and developers are always coming up with new ways to engage the social gaming community. Of course, many of these games can be played outside the world of social gaming and are popular in their own right. 

Sweepstakes Casinos

Another popular form of social gaming is the sweepstakes casino. You can find out more about social casinos through sites such as CasinoTopsOnline, where author Kevin Flynn best sums it up:

“Sweepstake casinos are unique online gaming platforms that operate within a distinctly legal framework, making their offerings quite unique in turn. Simply put, they offer casino-style games through a model that enables legal gaming in regions where traditional online gambling is restricted.”

At a sweepstakes casino, all the games are as you would expect in a standard casino. You can play slot games, roulette, blackjack, and so on, but with one important difference. Instead of playing with real money, you play with tokens. This means you can enjoy playing these casino games and interacting with other players without risking any money. 

Technically, there are some sweepstakes casinos that enable you to swap tokens for cash or prizes, but essentially, the sweepstakes casino experience is all about enjoying playing the games in a social environment, rather than trying your luck for a big win, with all the risks that involves. 

Conclusion

Social gaming is not a new concept, as we have seen, but in many ways, it represents the positive side of gaming, which can often be solitary and competitive. Playing social games is a great way to have fun while chatting with friends, and enables people to socialize online safely, which is increasingly important given the often-toxic nature of some social media.