Inside Social Games

Welcome to Inside Social Games, the world’s first blog dedicated to tracking social games.

First, a bit of history. Two years ago this week, I started Inside Facebook, the first blog dedicated to tracking Facebook (and one year later, the Facebook Platform). It was still considered pretty geeky to blog in 2006 - especially to start a blog entirely devoted to Facebook. But I had a hunch something big was changing, so I decided that the best way to challenge myself to learn was to force myself to publish. (That’s the idea behind PhD programs, right? But I never was one much for grad school…) Since then, it’s been a lot of fun staying on top of all the innovation, opportunities, and questions that have arisen surrounding Facebook, the Facebook Platform, and the social platformization of the web in general. It’s certainly been an exciting two years - hundreds of posts, lots of interviews, conference and speaking engagements, a small publication, and, of course, a startup.

So what are social games anyway - and why Inside Social Games now? Well, basically for the same reason. Just as I kept being surprised two years ago by the way my “non-geeky” friends were using Facebook, I’m finding myself repeatedly being surprised by the way those same people are playing new kinds of “social games” inside Facebook (and MySpace, Bebo, Friendster, Hi5, and Orkut) now. Games that, despite their apparent simplicity or complexity, are being adopted in large numbers by people outside traditional console, PC, and online gaming demographics. Games on social networks are bringing together family and friends like games never before have - and we think that’s pretty darn cool.

Like Inside Facebook, I’m starting Inside Social Games as an experiment. An experiment into what “social gaming” really means and how social games may or may not be changing the way large numbers of people play and communicate. What the results will be, I’m not yet sure, but I’m excited to see what conversations emerge over the coming weeks and months, especially between the game design and SNAP crowds.

I’m proud to announce that I’ve been able to land Chris Holt (also of PC Gamer) to review current and new releases. Chris is a passionate writer (and all around great guy) and would love to receive tips on new games, so feel free to contact him at submit AT insidesocialgames DOT com to let him know what you’re up to.

We’re looking forward to tracking not only the games but also the people and companies behind them that are leading the charge into this new and exciting space. We believe some interesting new companies will be created as the worlds of gaming and social networks collide. It should be a fun ride. Please drop us a line any time!

Justin Smith

Editor, Inside Social Games

justin AT insidesocialgames DOT com