Mobile Game uses Micro-transactions to Harness Virtual Economy

“Parallel Kingdom – Age of Emergence” is the third game in the Parallel Kingdom series available for iPhone/iPod Touch and Google Android phones. Every version of Parallel Kingdom has been free to download and free to play. The game has classic, Legend of Zelda style graphics, but the real time multiplayer and GPS integration make it a technologically advanced mobile game. In its short history, the Parallel Kingdom franchise has pioneered several firsts: first real-time MMORPG for iPhone and Android, and the first location-based MMORPG on iPhone and Android. Now the developer, PerBlue, is continuing to take the game into new territory – a micro-transaction based mobile economy.

In the MMO genre, virtual economies are common and almost inevitable in some cases. In Parallel Kingdom, a de facto in-game economy naturally evolved when the developers first gave players the ability to drop items on the ground and transfer gold directly from player to player. This style of trading was unregulated and led to scamming in which players would drop items on the ground for trade only to be picked up by the other player who sometimes never sent any gold. Even with these limitations, a very active economy flourished in the game.

In the new version, a consummable resource called “Food” is required for some features. Every new player starts with some for free, and they can get more by purchasing it in the game or trading with other players. This allows players to acquire more of this resource without having to pay money if they don’t want to.

In addition, trade posts and cities have been introduced. These allow players to trade with each other safely and securely. Players put items up for sale and other players visiting the city can browse and buy anything they come across. This has led to many players making careers in the game solely as traders, visiting trade posts, scouting out good deals and selling in another city.

The most remarkable aspect of this virtual economy is that it exists entirely in a mobile game. According to a TechCrunch article, only 20% of free iPhone apps downloaded are used after the first day, and only 5% of users continue to use an app 30 days after download (see citation). These numbers do not seem to be very friendly to developers looking to cash in on longer term users through micro-transactions.

However, Parallel Kingdom developer CEO, Justin Beck, says, “Parallel Kingdom is looking to tap a different audience. Right now casual gamers are all the hype, and many developers are sacrificing good, in-depth game play to try to attract them. In the end, the committed long term players is where most of our recurring revenue comes from.

When looking at our statistics, we see committed players playing every day for months. Parallel Kingdom is not about touting a large number of downloads, but taking the slower route to building an amazing game, community, and entertainment service that players love.”

Citation:

http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/02/19/pinch-media-data-shows-the-average-shelf-life-of-an-iphone-app-is-less-than-30-days/

Dragon Age: Origins

Dragon Age: Origins is a role playing game from BioWare, the makers of Baldur’s Gate. It’s a highly complex game, with rich and complex gameplay.

Unlike some video games that are out there it’s available on multiple platforms; Xbox, Playstation, and on the computer, so that everyone that wants to play the game can without having to have the right console.

The game’s main character is one of the user’s choosing, and there is a different introductory origin story for each choice that forms the basis that the rest of the game is built on.

This isn’t to say that the story line is different depending on what choices you make, because over all you go through the same storylines no matter how you interact.

The difference is how you get the tasks done; you may be able to diplomatically diffuse a situation, or you may talk your way into a fight you didn’t have to have. The right discussions with the right characters can lead to rewarding side quests.

Some courses of action will annoy your group, because each character has their own set of morals, and may disapprove of your decision to help, or not help, a certain NPC.

You can affect how the characters feel about you to the point of forming a romantic relationship with them on one extreme, to having them abandon the party on the other. Each character that can join your party has their own unique traits, and the more they like you the more likely they are to impart that knowledge to you.

The plot is the typical one for most RPGs; the world is in grave danger and only you can help save it. Each character has a rich history and a full set of character traits and personality. Morrigan is a mage that lived in the backcountry with her mother learning the art of magic in a way not taught by the Mage Circle of Ferelden. Alistair is a Templar turned Gray Warden who had an interesting childhood.

These two are particularly interesting, because Templars are sworn to hunt down Mages that don’t conform to the Mage Circle standards, but they’re both in your party for a higher purpose. This is another area that the depth of the game comes in, because as you’re walking around town, these two will sometimes start bickering with each other.

There is witty banter, non sequiturs, and comic relief all interspersed in a long and intricately developed game. If you like RPGs even a little bit, this one is a can’t miss.

The actual gameplay is good too. The combat is of a real-time style, but does allow you to pause and control your party’s actions. You can set up tactics so that your teammates will heal when they need to, or pick off a weak enemy, or use a debuff on a strong one. Movement is easy, switching between characters is a snap, and the camera control is excellent.

The best part of the game is that you can pretty much set your own pace. You can speed through things, minimize boring storyline and get to the action. You can also delve into the deep storylines, plots, and history laid out at every turn. You can interact with your party to learn more about them, unlock different abilities, or blow them off and learn nothing about them except how they can help you annihilate the enemy. The game is a long one, but when it’s over you wish there was more. Luckily all signs point to a sequel.

Specialized Social Media Part 2: Networks for Music Lovers and Musicians

Who Should Used Specialized Media for Music Communities:

If you have a product or service that is of special interest to either music fans or to musicians and bands then networking on these specialized social media networks can be a great form of advertising. This can include businesses that sell music equipment, venues that are looking for new talent, or businesses that meet specialized needs such as creating custom web sites for a band or designing promotional t-shirts, or other service can also greatly benefit from getting their name and products or services in front of the right people.

Of course, anyone involved in the music industry will also want to explore social media dedicated to music fans as a simple and cheap way to promote there own music, find new fans and venues, and sell their own CD’s and other music related items. Additionally, music fans who want to stay up to date on what is happening with their favorite bands or discover great new music that they might not otherwise be exposed to will likely find something worth there time at one of the many music related social media networks.

So whether you are looking to sell your own business or service, promote your own music, or simply spend your online time finding the best new music then checking out music themed social networks may be a great choice. Here are a few great suggestions to get you started:

MusoCity- A great little community for music lovers, fans, bands, and music professionals of various musical genres and a great place to discover new musical artists. Get your free account and start mingling with other music fans and discovering new talent right away.

Last FM- This is a great site for music lovers with videos and profiles for just about every type of music you could be looking for including indie, rock, pop, metal, and even jazz and classical music. Musicians can even find ways to sell their music and build a fan base with Last FM.

ilike.com- iLike is designed for music lovers and utilizes a spectrum of other social networking sites to let users share play lists, discover new music, and get personalized concert alerts.

Diletante- This is a wonderful community for lovers of classical music and new artists and composers looking to gain an audience for their musical talents.

In additional to social networks devoted to the broad spectrum of music, certain artists have also started their own unique versions which is not  only a great way for the bands to connect with their fans but it also presents an excellent opportunity for you to network with others who share your common interest or who might loosely fit a particular type of demographic. One great example of this is the network designed by H.I.M. on their web site at heartagram.com.

Regardless of the type of music that you are looking for or the audience that you wish to capture, odds are there is a perfect social network or two out there that can help you achieve your social networking goals while meeting some interesting people and finding great new talent in an easy and affordable way.

Specialized Social Networking: Networks for Artists & Writers

Social networking giants like MySpace and Facebook have proved useful for a variety of general purposes for both professional and social networking as well as business promotion. However, that generalization can only go so far and for people with more specialized areas of interest or business focus. For this reason, a number of social networks have emerged catering to special niches that allow users to make more useful connections. After all, what is the point of networking with a million people on a large, generalized social network if none of those connections are interested in your particular product, service, or area of interest?

In this multi-part series on specialized social networking, I will scour the digital world and take a look at some great social media sites that are addressing the needs of the niche market in social networking including everything from sites for writers and artists to off the wall social network sites for vampires and the gothic scene. To start the series off, here is a great list of social networking sites for Writers and Artists.

One of the biggest groups that social networking specialty sites are catering to include writers, painters, and other artists. These sites are a great way to showcase your talents, network with potential clients or collectors as well as other artists that can help you discuss your art, and to find great information for improving and expanding your natural talents.

Ten great sites dedicated to this genre include the following:

Art Slant:

A great network site for contemporary artists, Art Slant is where you can show off your latest creations, write a review, announce a showing, or contribute to their array of general content while networking with other contemporary artists.

Art Break:

This is one of my favorite artist’s communities. Not only do you get the benefits of networking with members of the art community but you can also showcase your work and even make arrangements to sell it to potential buyers at Art Break with no commission charges of any kind from Art Break. You can get an account with them for free, or if you prefer an ad free experience they do have a premium option available.

My Own Verse:

For those that feel like waxing poetic, My Own Verse, which describes itself as a poet’s playground, is a great choice. Set up your profile and connect with other poets to share and critique one another’s work which can help you to grow your own talents or simply satisfy your love of the written word by discovering fresh new voices in poetry.

My Art Info:

My Art Info is a social network for artists, art students, and collectors. The site allows artists to show off their talents while giving collectors an opportunity to find new artists or discover a great piece to add to their collection.

Artition:

This is a new but interesting community for the creative types. At Artition you can upload a gallery of your art work, music, videos, or even written works so it offers a little something for everyone in the art world.

The Outpost:

If you are looking for a young and hip creative community, then check out The Outpost, a fairly active community for music, arts, fashion, and culture.

Writer Face:

Next we have a social network designed specifically for writers. With all of the standard trimmings of a traditional social networking site, Writer Face is a great way to connect with other writers.

The Art Review:

A great place for finding the latest artists and art related news and blogs now offers a network feature to allow you to post your own profile, network with other artists, and show case your talent to Art Review visitors.

Peer Scribe:

Another choice in social networking geared towards writers. Post your profile and upload a portfolio or attend online workshops to help you fine tune your writing skills at Peer Scribe.

Art Log:

Art Log provides a great way for artists to announce their events while networking with other artists and commenting on various pieces of work highlighted on the site. They also have a regular newsletter and tons of great info on art events around New York.

The Writer’s Network (Frome OnceWritten):

The folks over at OnceWritten.com now have a social networking service to help you find and connect with fellow writers. Hosted on the Ning network it has all of the standard social networking features such as blogs, customizable profiles, and a friends list.

My Art Space:

My Art Space is another great choice for artists who are looking to show off their current work and get inspired by networking with other like minded and creative souls.

Writer’s Digest:

Of course, no list of writer’s social networks would be complete without the long standing authority in the world of writing, the Writer’s Digest. This magazine which is devoted to the craft and business of writing now has its own social networking community which provides an excellent community for networking with other writers.

 

 

Finland Mandates Broadband Internet for All Citizens

This week the Internet is abuzz with news from Finland about how they’ve decided that the right to broadband Internet is a something every citizen should have. They feel that it would improve quality of life in their most remote areas, and boost business and Internet banking. This is a huge step, and as the world relies on the Internet more and more, something other countries should look into.

Finland is small compared to the United States, but that’s no reason to avoid the issue. Providing access to the Internet, and at reasonable speeds, would go a long way towards boosting the quality of life in less connected parts of the nation. While many would still not be able to afford it on their own, there would be Internet cafes, and friends, and libraries that might not otherwise be able to supply it. Rather than these communities be cut off from the rest of the nation as we move on technologically, they’d be right there with us.

Finland compared the right to broadband Internet to the right to have water and electricity. I’m not sure quite as important yet, but it gets closer and closer every day. The information it provides empowers people. It helps people keep in touch, educates people about things beyond their location, and provides a place for local information such as garbage pickup, school closings, and traffic. Especially in smaller areas, the Internet provides the ability to shop and purchase products for your home and business that aren’t available locally.

It would be quite expensive for the United States to undertake something like this, and it’s true that healthcare is at least as important, but we shouldn’t let money get in the way of progress. Whether it’s in promoting the Internet, other technologies, science and research, or anything else, what makes a country a superpower is the quality of life for it’s poorest citizens, not money, or weapons. Finland may be the first to mandate speed, but other countries have deemed Internet access to be a human right. The United Nations agrees. The United States may be one of the only industrialized nations that doesn’t, and that’s something that’s unacceptable.

The world is a changing place, with the Internet one of the contributing factors to a more inter-connected world. Providing access to the Internet, and at high speeds, is just the start of what will likely be a long process as the Internet’s role is redefined in society. It’s already one of the most useful tools available to us, and that alone is enough to justify it as a basic right.

Social Media…For Gorillas?

We all know how social media has exploded to become an essential part of both our personal and professional lives with everything from Facebook profiles to constant feeds of information on Twitter. Well, busy moms on the go and up and coming authors are not the only ones getting in on the media buzz of social marketing, now you can use your social media addictions to follow and befriend a tweetering gorilla in Uganda (and yes I do mean the big hairy primate type, not the rebel fighters in the jungle sort). Latest efforts to save the endangered mountain gorillas of Uganda are employing the great tools of social media to let you connect to your very own gorilla friend with this unique idea.

A recent web site is taking social media to a whole new level by using it to protect endangered mountain gorillas living in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park where nearly half of the total population of mountain gorilla’s are living. The hopes of the web site, FriendAGorilla.org, is to raise funds and awareness to save these amazing but endangered animals from becoming the last of their kind.

On the Friend A Gorilla web site you will be able to choose a gorilla to befriend for one dollar. In turn, you can follow your newly chosen gorilla friend via satellite tracking and watch their lives unfold before you through the modern marvels of technology. The basic idea is that not everyone who is concerned about protecting the gorillas can afford to give large donations of money to help protect them; however, with just a simple dollar at a time, everyone can pool those funds and resources that are needed and together they can have a big impact. It is hoped that the site will be able to raise at least $350,000 in its first year of operation.

The mountain gorillas of Uganda, like so many different species of wildlife, have come under threat by hunters and illegal poachers as well as habitat destruction from those who are destroying the areas for illegal logging and agricultural businesses. The funds that the Friend A Gorilla site hopes to raise with this new twist on social media will be used to promote conservation efforts to save the Gorillas and to help local residents find alternative ways of subsistence that will help the community thrive while at the same time protecting the lives of the endangered mountain gorillas. So contributing to this project is a win win situation for both the local wildlife and those in the human community of Uganda. Nothing like helping to save the world and only for a dollar, what could be easier?

While other not for profit groups and campaigns have made use of social media in some ways to get their name out, promote a particular cause, and communicate with their efforts and events to others, this is a very new take on the utilization of social media in the cause of preserving biodiversity and saving an endangered species and it will be quite interesting to see how successful this project will be. It will also be worth watching to see if other not for profit organizations or special interest campaigns will pick up on this idea in the future; if so, it could start to change the way in which we use and think about social media. Such creative ingenuity could breathe new life into social media as we know it.

So can a plan to have people pay for gorilla tweets and the privilege of listing a hefty gorilla, or adorable little infant gorilla, on your facebook as a friend really work? According to their web site they have already had over 11,000 gorillas who have been befriended as of today so it looks like they are getting off to a great start and we will have to watch this project over the coming months to see if they meet their goals of getting $350,000 within their first year or to see if other groups pick up on new twists for using social media to make a real difference in the world whether it be for animal rights, conservation, or social issues.

GeoCities Shuts It Doors and Thousands of Sites Could be Lost,But There Are Other Options

GeoCities has long been one of the big names in the world of free web host providers, but as of October 26, 2009 the free service provider shall be no more. Yahoo!, who fully took over the company in May of 1999 made the decision back in April of this year to discontinue the free service in favor of only offering their paid hosting plans.

Since its conception in 1995, GeoCities has offered free hosting for thousands of people who needed to get online in a quick and easy way. From fan sites to hobbyist and school projects to small business owners who needed a simple way to put their business online for the world to see; they all found their way to GeoCities. This service provider was also a gateway for many when they were first getting into the world of web building and while many of those self proclaimed geeks have since moved on to bigger and better ways of building an internet presence, the closing of GeoCities will still result in the loss of thousands of sites.

When it was originally launched, GeoCities had a very unique community directory format where each site was listed by a city name, for example, sites about entertainment would have been listed in Hollywood, etc. But when the company was taken over by Yahoo! it lost a lot of that edge and community feel. This combined with the rather large and annoying amount of space that yahoo took up for ads made it a bit unpopular with many users. All the same, there are thousands of users who will now have to relocate their web sites or watch them go the way of the dodo.

So, if you happen to be one of those webmasters being affected by the closing of GeoCities, not to worry, there are still a few good web site providers left out there that will not end up costing you an arm and leg to get started. Here is a quick list of some great alternative free web host providers:

Webs: This has perhaps become the new standard in free web host providers and was certainly one of GeoCities big competitors. They offer a quick and simple web editor with tons of features including blogs, counters, and easy to use web forms. It is advertiser supported of course, but the ads tend be tastefully placed as a single banner ad along the top or a boxed ad on the side depending on which template you are using. They do offer affordable paid hosting plans that remove the ads and can even include your own domain should you prefer to go that way.

Weebly: Weebly is another easy to use free web host provider for creating quick and professional looking sites without any technical knowledge. There are not a ton of ads spread all over your page and they have some nice features to offer. You can also edit the html code directly for more advanced users.

UCOZ- For more advanced users looking for a complete CMS (content management system) on a free host, uCoz might be a good choice. They offer several top quality templates and an interesting user interface.

There are also domain providers that are offering free web site hosting with purchase of a domain, such as dot easy. It seems that some of the current free providers, both in standard web hosting and the world of blogs, are not going away any time soon. As the economy is making its slow recovery, and advertisers are realizing the power of the internet, it does not appear that users will be left without at least some options for the time being.

Ten best free applications that you probably didn’t know about.

I’m a big fan of FREE STUFF, so it should be no surprise that I gravitate towards free software. Sure much of it is junkie, but there are some realy diamonds out there that haven’t hit the mainstream yet. Here’s my favorite 10.

1. Logmein (https://secure.logmein.com)

Ever find yourself away from home and wishing you could e-mail yourself something? Or maybe you have a mother-in-law who lives 4 states away and is always having computer problems, and instead of loading up the kids in the family trickster for a marriage-trying trip, you could just log in to her computer remotely¦.without her needing to do anything? This is where Logmein comes in. There are lots of products out there that will do this, but very few will do all these things as well as Logmein ds for free.

2. Mesh (http://www.mesh.com)

Microsoft has a knack of not promoting some of the apps that they offer. Mesh is one of those apps. Another computer sharing application, but Mesh displays all the computers in a 3-D rotating ring and also offers a Web Desktop that syncs with all the computers on your Mesh. There is a promise of making Mesh work on Macs, but I haven’t yet seen it work. Mesh is super responsive and I really like how it feels while using it! The interface is clean and intuitive and I think the reason Microsoft ds not promote it is too many people would use it!

3. PhotoStory 3 (http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/digitalphotography/PhotoStory/default.mspx)

Yet another non-marketed gem from Microsoft. Photostory 3 is one of the easiest ways to create a very professional photo slideshow complete with background music (MP3 or you can create your own with the built-in music generator) and narration. The application is super easy to use and the results are far superior that some softwares that I’ve paid to use. The only downfall is that it dsn’t have a built-in burning application to burn the slideshow to CD or DVD.

4. Orb (http://www.orb.com)

Like many people, I don’t get to stay at home with my vault of audio and video goodness at my disposal. This is where Orb steps in. Orb allows a simple way to put your audio, photos and video online and accessible to your little antsy fingertips. One of my favorite features is the ability to stream webcams live on the internet, so if I miss my dog, I can log in and see and hear him. Very slick and very easy to set up!

5. Dropbox (http://www.getdropbox.com/)

Wouldn’t it be nice to have a storage cloud of your own to store items and further more wouldn’t it be nice if it synced with your other computers? That’s Dropbox. I use it to store keepers or documents and small apps that I want in multiple places or to ensure I don’t lose it. Dropbox installs easily and creates a folder on your computer. Drag the files you want to sync into the Dropbox and dropbox takes care of the rest. All the other computers you log into the dropbox with can now access and upload their own files. A great solution for simple collaboration or small off site back ups.

6. MWSnap (http://www.mirekw.com/winfreeware/mwsnap.html)
If you need to do lots of screenshots for websites or manuals, this is a great tool. It has a nice zoom tool to enlarging parts of the screen to draw focus to it, a ruler for measuring the size of items in the shot, and can export in BMP, JPG, TIFF, PNG and GIF.

7. Camstudio (http://sourceforge.net/projects/camstudio/files/)
If you need to create a screencast, this a a great free tool. Comparable to Camtasia or Adobe’s Captivate, it’s not as feature-rich as those, but it will get the job done. It will record whatever you do on your screen and produce and AVI or SWF output. Plus you can narrate as you go through a microphone. This is the easiest way to convey complex techniques or just a way of communicating step by step instructions.

8. DimDim (http://www.dimdim.com)
A tool similar to WebEx, DimDim allows you to create free webinar-style sessions where you can share screens, whiteboards, presentation, web pages and even voice and video. I have been super impressed with DimDim in that it supports up to 20 people, it dsn’t require any installation and it handles the voice and video, unlike some other pay-for softwares. Sure, it isn’t as ubiquitious as WebEx (I’m certainly not going to tell someone to DimDim me, but for free, this is a wonderful offering.

9. Ning (http://www.ning.com)

If you’ve ever wanted a web site for your church group, scouting group, or maybe even class reunion, then Ning is the place to go. It’s a DYI social networking site that allows you to roll your own blog/forum/event feed/calendar/whatever. I’ve used Ning for several side projects to collaborate with large and small groups of people. I also use Ning for a special interest web site-BisManPhoto.com, which is a site devoted to camera lovers in the Bismarck/Mandan North Dakota area. The sites scale wonderfully and gives me the freedom to worry about content rather than functionality.

10. Qik (http://qik.com)

Everyone carries their cellphones with them all the time. Ever wanted to stream live video from your phone? That’s what Qik ds and it ds it beautifully. Great for budding independent journalists wanting to stream live to the web (and post an alert on twitter simultaneously) and it’s equally great to share part of your vacation with people at home. The stream is recorded from your phone and saved for posterity so people who couldn’t see the live stream can watch it archived on the Qik site.

Google Wave: First Impressions

Two days ago, Google released its highly anticipated project dubbed Google Wave. Initially, Google only sent 100,000 invitations, and those folks that were invited could only recruit 8 more people, much like the Gmail launch 5 years ago.

Luckily, I become one of 100,000 users who received an invite to try, test and use Wave. My first impression of Google Wave was that of a kid who has a browser open in front of him but no clue which website he should open.

This is the first screen that I was presented with after I logged into Google wave:

After watching a few videos from the Google Wave team, working with Wave became piece of cake.

Here is a video tutorial from Google wave team:

Navigation panel is easy to understand and work on. Left sidebar is similar to Gmail with Labels and Navigation bar like Inbox, Sent , Trash… Below the Navigation bar, there is a panel for Contacts, which you can drag and drop to create a new wave.

Creating a new wave is like starting a new conversation. One thing worth mentioning here, when we start a new wave, we can add as many contacts as we want. Simply drag and drop contacts from contact list to new wave. Here is a screenshot with multiple contacts in my wave :

Google Wave works in real time; what ever you are typing can be seen by current users in your wave.

Wave is a mash-up of Google chat and Gmail. For example: if you are ‘waving’ another user, and he/she is not online, they will receive the message upon logging in. If they are online, you can start a real time conversation.

Understanding Google Wave Interface :

The Google Wave interface is divided into 3 columns :

1. Navigation
2. Inbox
3. Wave

Navigation Panel :

The Navigation Panel is where you will see the Gmail style inbox, sent items, settings, trash, search and folder options. Followed by your contacts. (See image below)

The search option is interesting: it will let you save a search, and with one click you can search for your previously saved search term.

Inbox Panel :

The interface of the Inbox Panel in Google Wave is somewhat similar to Gmail, but a new button which you will see here is the Mute Button.

Mute Button: can be used to mark any Wave, which you do not want to appear in the Inbox. Though you can search for a Muted wave, by search or if you tagged it while waving.

I find this feature important and useful; at least my girlfriend can’t disturb me unless I want her to.

Wave Panel :

The Wave Panel is where all of the magic happens. This panel can be used to start a new wave and see the Playback. Playback is another useful feature, which allows you to see all of the messages along the timeline. If you tend to have very long conversations, this feature will come in handy. Another great feature of Wave: you can drag and drop pictures into a conversation, but only if you have Google gears installed.

Generally speaking, the flexibility of Wave is pretty exciting. You can add lots of useful extensions from the Google wave extension library. You can also integrate Twitter within Google wave.

The end result? The full effect of Google Wave is not very impressive at the moment, as it relies on a broad user base that is currently hindered by the limited invites. This will most likely change based on the substantial buzz that Google Wave is generating around the web. Look for Google Wave to become next best thing.

Have you used Google Wave? If yes, feel free to share your first impressions.

———————————————————————————————–

Editor Note : This is a guest post by Harsh Agrawal, who write about technology and wordpress at shoutmeloud and Themepremium respectively.

Addicting Facebook Applications

Five of the most addicting Facebook applications your friends want you to play.

1. Bejeweled Blitz

Bejeweled Blitz may be the most addictive game on Facebook. It’s a common internet game that you’ve probably played before. You get one minute to match up three of the same kind of jewel in a row to clear them for points, getting bonuses for speed and for four or five gems in a row. As is standard for Facebook apps, it keeps a high score list of all your friends and sends you notifications when someone tops your score. The most addicting part of this is that it’s only a minute to play. It takes almost no time, until you repeat to yourself It’s just one more minute 30 times and before you know it you’ve been playing for an hour. The high scores reset every Tuesday morning so even if you’ve set a comfortable score and have stopped playing, as soon as you see your friends setting new scores, you’ll be right back at it.

2. Mafia Wars

Mafia Wars is a popular game, and it’s title basically tells you what it is. You create a mobster and have a long list of jobs you can do as well as fight other mobsters. As you gain levels you can do more complex jobs, put hits on people, or expand your empire to Cuba. Your mob is basically your Facebook friends that also play Mafia Wars, and like every other app, it publishes to your news feed to alert your friends you need help with a mission, or gain a level, or reach a new kill total. The game is less demanding than others because you have energy and strength meters that can really only be refilled over time. You likely won’t be able to sit there and play it non-stop for an hour, and can have fun just checking in occasionally and doing jobs with your refreshed energy. The game will continually exploit peer pressure to get you to return. It’ll send you notifications whenever one of your mob reaches a milestone that you haven’t, and will offer little rewards for you to claim when your character is used in a fight by one of your friends.

3. Farmville

Farmville by the makers of Mafia Wars is another addicting game. It’s a guilty pleasure type of game though, as many that play it feel ashamed that they do so. It’s also one of the more annoying games for your friends, because it publishes updates and requests to your wall more often than most. The game itself is very simple; you run a farm. You need to do nothing more complicated than click. You set up the ground, pick crops to grow, plant trees and buy animals. Then after a set amount of time you can sell your crops or harvest milk or apples to gain money which you can then use to turn around and buy more. Your friends become your neighbors, and after a while you can make your farm bigger. It almost becomes a decorating game of arranging your farm and trees and animals and fences to look nice. It’s one of the few applications with music playing. You’ll find the music becomes both irritating and catchy as you are playing.

4.  MindJolt Games

MindJolt Games is a collection of hundreds of different games. Most of them are quick and easy games, and some of them aren’t even very good. Most of them are simple, fun, and addicting. They are always adding more games as well, and they’re all simple enough to be intriguing without having to learn a lot of rules. Today I played Smiley Collapse, a game where you have a smiley that you have to navigate downwards past rising platforms. There are strategy games and card games and solitaire games and pretty much anything you can think of. It keeps track of all the high scores of your friends so you can follow them to their best games and try to beat them. There are reflex games like SplodeyMan where you simply have to hit the space as fast as possible upon command. While you are in the application, it’s always suggesting five or six different games for you to play on the sidebar, and it’s very easy to get drawn in to check out another game that sounds interesting.

5. Farkle

Farkle is a dice game. In each of 10 rounds you roll six dice and try to make combinations that score points. Three of the same number score points, as do one of each number and three pairs of numbers. A one or a five can score points on its own. After you pick up the dice to score, you have the option of holding your score for that round or rolling the remaining dice. If at any time there is no scoring opportunities, you get a Farkle and don’t score any points for that round. The game is mostly luck, but there is just enough decision in when to hold and when to roll that keeps you coming back to try to beat your, or your friend’s, high score.

Next Page »