Whilst some might argue that I am showing my age, it doesn’t seem that long ago that board games – physical games – were common and great fun. The personal interaction was the part that made it interesting, with a win or loss inspiring elation or disappointment with a lot of fun along the way.

The early game consoles were novel – and introduced a new facet – gaming and competition on demand through challenging the console. No longer did you have to play against another person – you could challenge the console. So, this new facet – on demand competition – was born to the detriment of the social aspect. A new game was played between siblings  – who could wrest control of the game controller.

Arcade games offered social sharing  – which consisted of standing around an arcade game when one of your friends was playing. Top score sharing was by memory – in other words, you have to ensure at least two or three people saw your score – and remembered it! The competition had great intensity and energy to it – however it was vastly dull without company.

As consoles have become more sophisticated, the quality of the gaming experience has improved significantly – however current and future games are very focussed on the social interaction and shared experience of playing games.

The minimum factors include:

• Play at your convenience and for a length of time of your choosing
• Compete against others and win accolades for success
• Identification of friends enabling connection – with appropriate safeguards to prevent cyber stalking
• Creates engagement and capacity to share success outside of game network via social media
• Delivery of experience across multiple devices  (computers, tablets and games consoles) and through social platforms such as Facebook
• Opportunity to build the database of users  – allowing for reactivation offers

These factors deliver:

• Revenue across multiple platforms
• New potential customers at a lower cost of sale
• Exponential sales growth through buzz generated

How the internet has revitalised Texas Holdem

I confess to not being a fan of the traditional addictive online games such as Call of Duty or World of Warcraft.

However I have become more interested in online games like Texas Holdem.

Some of the facets above are included but there are some unique features in Holdem that I particularly like:

• I can jump in and play fast – I can also exit when i feel like it
• Whilst I’m learning the game I wont be embarrassed if I don’t win
• The pace is faster than a face to face game (which can go for hours) – any party that wants to leave the table can

The internet is enabling new ways of multiplayer games being delivered. in the future we will see virtual reality and more – it will be exciting and a new way of meeting our social interaction needs.