Last week, European social network Netlog announced a new design intended to appeal to a younger audience. However, this online community site of well over 56 million total members felt there was more to be done than simply sporting a new look. To this end, the company also said it plans to launch a gaming sub-site by the name of Gatcha!, which, officially, is “dedicated to bringing social gaming to a massive audience, across languages, social networks, and devices.”

Since many are likely to be unfamiliar with Netlog, it is best described, by co-founder and CEO, Lorenze Bogaert, as an “open, profile-centric community.” Emphasis is also placed on the fact that Netlog is not a “standard ‘friends network.’” Truth be told, the site, especially after its redesign (which is currently in closed beta), feels a lot like MySpace. The audience is young, mostly between the ages of 13 and 24.

Despite the emulated feel, the new redesign puts great stress on the appearance of relevant content within the site’s new Homepage. This includes movies, pictures, games, and so on; all of which are localized for the user. Furthermore, the network’s chat system has also been revamped, allowing users to chat with not only those from within their friend’s list, but also those with the same age, location, or interests.

The new profile pages now offer analytics, of sorts, to their owners, allowing them to see to see just how many people visit them and how they arrived. Furthermore, all the tools for profile customization and its management are now located directly on the profile itself.

What about games?

“By socializing games, we find a new way for our members to communicate.” Says Toon Coppens, co-founder and CTO of Netlog. “Introducing new games, and encouraging users to start challenging each other in the community offers a common ground for a new dialogue.”

Beyond the visible success of networks like Facebook, Netlog itself discovered this potential first-hand as it boasts an average of 2 million game plays per day. Frankly, it is one of their fastest growing application types.

Gatcha! is actually a distribution platform that is a game in and of itself.  Described by the company as a “large MMO” (massively multiplayer online), it’s made up of smaller, 3rd party titles (hence the distribution concept). In Gatcha!, players will both earn levels and compete through global rankings by winning in the various apps peppered throughout the platform/MMO. This core feature is further enhanced  by the fact that Gatcha! can and will be integrated into other social networks such as Facebook, MySpace, and hi5.

Currently, the new Netlog is in closed beta, but can be accessed here.