With the news that Sony has just launched a new social networking site in Japan called ‘Play Community’, it is the only confirmation we need that the future of gaming is social.
So much so that Sony has been in charge of completely bypassing the Japanese social network Mixi, with its own independent version.
Based more or less on the Mixi look, ‘Play Community’ has replaced the official PlayStation community sites in Japan and comes with some additional gameplay features and a new social echelon, which will revolutionize the way they are played and games unfold.
Play Community allows you to integrate and merge your existing PSN friends list and there is a special section to recruit friends for multiplayer partners. This opens the door to more social gaming activity around the world.
The evidence that massively multiplayer online gaming is the new trend in gaming can no longer be ignored.
You just have to look at Pro Evolution Soccer 2012, which has its own social network integration built into the game. Your achievements and milestones are automatically posted on Facebook.
The new Snowboarding Supercross game SSX lets you share unknown routes with your PSN friends. This makes the whole solo experience, which is the nature of this game, a bit more social.
In fact, it’s clear to some game developers that the single-player versions are becoming a second-rate gaming experience.
In AC Revelations, for example, you must play the multiplayer version to unlock rankings and reveal some of the games’ darkest secrets and mythology. It is impossible to progress in this game unless you cooperate with your friends online.
Perhaps the strangest form of this social interaction can be found in ‘Travel’. The whole basis of the game is to force you to befriend nameless online strangers who will help you solve puzzles together. You can’t figure out these people’s PSN names or chat, but you have to trust and trust each other to stand out.
On the other hand, in Dark Souls, the unique game is not really a unique game. During the game, you have to align yourself with various factions and depending on your choices, these factions will send other real players online to help you or to kill you.
The future of gaming is definitely social and it won’t be long before this social media phenomenon merges with game rental and cloud services like Love Film and Steam.