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(Online-Artikel.de) - The social game industry is generating revenues of over a billion dollars annually.,

And this growth is even more amazing when you consider this industry is still in its infancy.

The social game industry is generating revenues of over a billion dollars annually. And this growth is even more amazing when you consider this industry is still in its infancy. The prospects are that it will continue this rapid growth of even more significant revenues with the increase of the mobile web.

And it is interesting to know who is playing social games. A recent survey found that 55% of social gamers are female and 45% are male. Females are more avid gamers, too; 38% of females said they play multiple times a day, but just 29% males said the same. Women are more likely to play with people they know (68% vs. 56% for males), and men are more likely to play with strangers (41% vs. 33%) than women are.

But what are social games? Why are they growing so rapidly?

Nick O'Neill, in an article in socialtimes.com, looks at social games in general. He thinks that social games may be the next big thing on social networks. And his reasoning for this is that social games different from other games. He identifies what factors he believes differentiate social games from the others:

• "Turn-based – A social game is not social unless you are playing with another person. As such, social games enable users to take turns. Turn-based games are nothing new but in the current environment, turn-based takes on a new meaning. Keep in mind that turn-based is not a requirement, just a frequent feature found in "social games".
• Awareness of others' actions in games – I honestly believe this was the catalyst for "social gaming." When you could see in your news feed that your friend just bit another one of your friends to turn them into a vampire, suddenly there was social context, making you more likely to interact with the game.
• Casual gaming – "Social gaming" is not really for so called "hardcore gamers". As it is currently referred to, social gaming is for the average user and not for someone who plans on playing 24 hours a day. Then again, that may be an unexpected side effect.
• Multiplayer – This is a no brainer. You can't be social without there being other people so whether it's two or two hundred users, the game has to be multiplayer for it to be social.
• Based on Social Platforms – The final component that I believe typifies "social games" is that they are based around social platforms. In the context of social gaming, social platforms provide users with an identity and also can provide the backbone for simple forms of communication (such as notifications, etc)."

Based on this the above factors O'Neill then proposes to define what social games are. He says: " Social games are a structured activity which has contextual rules through which users can engage with one another. Social games must be multiplayer and have one or more of the following features: turn-based, are based on social platforms for providing users with an identity and are casual."

Whatever you think social games are, they are definitely here to stay and will grow at an explosive pace. Check out Spacelocker, we have a link to some of the most popular social games on the internet.