Gaming is becoming more and more popular, especially during the last few years. Not sure what social gaming is? Let’s take a look at what makes a game social, and why these games are becoming so popular right now.
What Makes A Game a ‘Social Game’?
The first thing we need to understand is what a social game actually is. At its core, any game is social if it involves interacting with other people. Essentially, social gaming has existed since the dawn of video games. Before the internet changed what gaming looked like, social gaming required players to be in the same room together, playing on the same game system.
Of course, today social gaming looks a lot different. With internet gaming allowing people to play together no matter where they are in the world, you may never even meet the people you enjoy your favorite games with. The invention of crossplay ensures that people can play together even if they are playing on different consoles too.
Are All Games Social Games?
If you are involved in gaming in any form right now, you would feel like all games have social gaming elements in them. For example, if you are playing any kind of MMORPG, then that is social gaming at its core. Even ostensibly single-player games have options to share updates to your social media feeds. For example, the massive gaming franchise The Sims has allowed gamers to share achievements on their social media feeds since the third installment of the game.
It makes sense that social aspects are being implemented in so many games, because honestly gaming is a social medium. Gamers have always been looking to share their experiences with others, whether that is playing multiplayer games with friends, or creating content online about their favorite titles.
How Social Games Make Record Profits?
What is it about social gaming that generates such huge amounts of profit? A lot of it is based in how the games are monetized, when compared to more traditional games from even 30 years ago.
For example, in the past, the game would simply be sold once, and you could play that game with all of your friends as long as you were together around the same console. Now though, many developers have avenues for earning more profits from the same titles.
The most obvious way of making a profit on a game is by charging subscriptions to play. This is what you will most likely see on MMORPG titles, as they will charge a monthly fee for access to the game.
There is also the option for adding extra content throughout the life of the game. This can be more levels, more quests, or even cosmetic content that players can use to differentiate their characters from others. Cosmetic content will often generate large profits, so you will see popular social games implementing this a lot. Again, consider Fortnite which offers players new character skins, emotes, and more in the in-game store.
Monetization will differ depending on the game style as well. For example, there is a real rise in sports betting apps like Scs and sports fantasy betting games. These have a unique social aspect, and when members use these apps they will be making regular deposits and bets. With the online sports betting market being valued at $54.56 billion in 2023, you can see that the sports betting social scene is highly profitable.
Financial Success Of Social Games
How can you tell that social games are becoming more popular? It comes down to the profits that game developers are making on their social gaming products. Currently, developers are seeing record profits thanks to social games being created.
For example, take mobile app games that use social gaming aspects. Many of them are making huge profits. The biggest game online right now is Honor of Kings, which made a profit of $1479.19 million in 2023 alone.
One of the biggest online multiplayer games currently is Fortnite, and this game is estimated to be worth around $6 billion. With the most popular games in the medium earning so much, it is clear that social gaming is popular and here to stay.
Why Gamers Love Social Gaming?
So we can see that social gaming is more popular, and more profitable than ever before. What is it that makes the social gaming scene so popular with gamers right now?
With the advent of internet gaming, has made social gaming much more accessible for every gaming fan out there. If you have a PC or gaming console with an internet connection, you can play games with anyone all over the world.
This was especially important for gamers during the pandemic, when they weren’t able to get together with friends in person. Thanks to online social gaming, they could still get together and enjoy their favorite games in their own homes.
Something that’s important to consider is the average age of someone who takes part in social gaming. While there are people of all ages who enjoy these games, the average age of players is typically around 40 or below. That means there are people of the Millennial, Gen Z, and Gen Alpha generations who love these games. This is especially true for Millennials, with 9 out of 10 enjoying social gaming.
These gamers are often happier spending time on social gaming platforms, rather than on social media platforms that their parents and grandparents may be using. While of course a game and a social media platform are not completely the same, they share a lot of parallels. Younger generations tend to socialise with each other through these games, rather than the social media platforms their parents are using.
There are lots of reasons why social gaming has become so popular in recent years. With it becoming more accessible than ever before, and of course, companies making such profits on it, you can see why more and more games are offering social elements right now.
