I was at a speech yesterday by Hugh MacLeod, author of Ignore Everybody (gapingvoid.com), at the Purina Digital Marketing Summit. The topic was social objects, primarily that the true value of most objects/things is the ability to share it with people. These objects include everything from iPhones to sea shells. I found it particularly interesting because of its relevance to the social gaming world. A lot of arguments have been made for the success of these games but Hugh’s argument suggests that the reason people play this games is to share their experiences with their friends. Thus, the gifting and wall posts are the central element of the game, not the actual gameplay experience. The ability to share what is inside the game, the virtual items, the photo galleries, etc., all build on the social experience.
What it also suggests is that the vocal proponents of the I Don’t Care About Your Farm, Fish, Mafia, etc., groups really don’t get why their friends are playing and posting. It’s not about the farm or the cafe or the mafia, it’s an object for your friend to interact. What these people are saying is either I don’t understand social media/Facebook or I don’t care to interact with you: how rude.
Lloyd Melnick
Chief Customer Officer
Tags: casual gaming, charities, downloadable games, facebook, Game review, gameplay, Gamer, games, gaming community, iphone, itouch, Mersom, MMOs, myspace, scamville, social gaming, social media, The Crazies Tower Defense, video game marketing, video games