There is noticeably heightened interest being expressed in online gaming – particularly casual online gaming. Call it a World of Warcraft syndrome of some sort. Or call it the Wii Games-effect, if you like. What’s for certain, is that social gaming – and more and more often with Internet-based components – has been reborn, and is now bigger than ever. (Of course, one can argue that the market for multiplayer, whether networked or otherwise, never really diminished in appeal.)

Currently, there are three company names that come immediately to mind when conversation of online social gaming is at hand. First, there’s Facebook, which has essentially pioneered the integration of Web apps (a segment of which are designees of the gaming label) with social networking. And then there are two incredibly fast growing competitors: SGN (Social Gaming Network) and Zynga Game Network.

The goal of both SGN and Zynga is simple, but much work is undoubtedly involved in getting there. In short, it is to amass attractive catalogues of gaming titles for distribution to various location on the Net where social circles coalesce. As of late, both have even gone so far as to make acquisitions of still smaller production studios to aid their ascent to the top of the burgeoning industry of online games.

(There are a good share of independent portals that are working to join the fold, too. Doof is one example, which our own Kristen Nicole wrote a review about in early January.)

Even RealNetworks is purported to be interested in making its name known as a gaming brand of this “new age,” at least indirectly, through a possible acquisition of the massively popular Internet game Scrabulous; a title of Indian origins which has drawn the ire (we can smell hints of envy, as well) of Mattel and Hasbro. Both are big-name veterans of the classic board game genre.

All in all, there is no question that any and all of these high-profile stories, most of which have individually garnered many millions of dollars in investments at relatively youthful stages in their collective development, are proving that the interest in social gaming on the Web is strong and will only increase with time as cloud technologies targeted at the consumer space further invade the mainstream with each passing week, month, and season.

Therefore, it is likely time that we (and I include myself in that lineup) hang up any talk of the seemingly ephemeral nature of today’s premier class of social networks. No more talk about the demise of Facebook, alright? Or the chaotic downfall of MySpace. Or just about other big social brand of the moment. Because, if there’s one thing that helps platforms – and the brands behind those platforms – stick around for the long term, its entertainment. And in modern terms, that means games. Games, games, and more games. (more…)

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