Inside Social Games

So how well do you know your friends? What do you think of them? What do they think of you? Perhaps such questions are a bit obtuse, but people are naturally curious and want to know (though some with more subtlety than others). However, Compare People on Facebook does just this.

Though the application calls itself a “game,” for all intents and purposes, it really isn’t one. It’s a web quiz. A good one, but a quiz all the same. Users are presented with yes or no questions about randomly selected friends on your Facebook account such as “Do you think X-Person has ever used a fake ID?” As you answer your responses are sent to the person in question and you deal with the repercussions as need be.

Once you have coaxed other friends into playing, you are also able to take a look at responses others have placed for you, thus granting a reflection towards yourself through the eyes of another. As such, the key element to Compare People is the human experience. It isn’t the app that’s interesting, it’s answers of the players themselves.

The biggest issue with Compare People, however, is that it notifies people with every answer, so unless it is turned off by them, it feels a bit “spammy” (apologies to all spammed during the review of this application). For some, this might not be a bother, but those are individuals that find themselves enveloped completely in social experiences and such gossip (for lack of a better term).

Nevertheless, if you can get other friends to play as well, the experience is actually quite enticing. To be able to view even a little insight into one’s self through another’s perspective is more than enough to warrant some play. So long as you don’t have a mob the size of a small country, and your friends will forgive a little spam.