Of the Moment

Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.

I'm at GDC Online in Austin, TX. The conference has a strong focus on social gaming, and I can't help but feel we're a little over the hump in this arena now. I imagine Casual Connect in Seattle a year and a half ago. 18 months ago was the grand debut of social gaming as a widespread phenomenon. I had back to back meetings with casual game developers, introducing them to the Facebook gaming concept. They were intrigued. Six months after that, it had hit the mainstream (FarmVille). And now, two of the three keynotes at the most respected gaming conference in the US are from social gaming companies. Bravo Zynga and Playdom. Oh yeah, and everyone and their mother has tried to build a social game.

So, I can't wait to hear what they have to say tomorrow. Particularly about what's next. Personally, I'm banking on a return to the board game and walks in the woods.

Are the Salad Days Over for Social Gaming ... and Facebook?

Let's face it, the days of tinkering with virtual worlds on Facebook for bored office workers or young mothers connecting to the outside world between kids' naps has peaked. It's just not as fun anymore. Every new game that comes out is just a copy of the last game, and as people care less about what their friends' "Farms" or "Zoos" or "Sororities" look like... the less they're going to tend to their own.

I'm not saying there's no innovation any longer, because there is. The problem really is, Facebook is losing its edge as a personal platform. People may still be using it as a place to passively stay in touch with others, or to publicize their witty thoughts and silly photos. But, as the platform opens up to integrations such as Twitter, YouTube, millions of Fan Pages and Groups, annoying updates from applications like Farmville, Zoo World, Restaurant City, and online ads galore begging for users attention to turn to the right hand pain of the screen, it just doesn't feel personal anymore.

Facebook is turning into an online platform that ENABLES users to socially browse the web - think Facebook Connect for news, ecommerce, blogs, etc.

And Social Gaming isn't dead ... it's just being resurrected in more convenient places like the iPad, the iPhone, the Android.