The unprecedented success of recently released Pokémon Go took much of the games industry by surprise, but the huge social aspect of this new mobile-based gaming universe seems to have captivated millions of players. Within just three weeks of its initial launch, Pokémon Go was drawing in more daily users than Twitter and clocking more user hours than Facebook, making it one of the most popular social apps in the world.
The Secret to Success
The premise of the game is to walk around the real world catching the Pokémon you find. The more you travel and explore, the more likely you are to ‘catch them all’. However, Pokémon Go also urges significant social interaction between players, encouraging them to discuss tips and visit local businesses in order to increase their success.
And it’s this social aspect that seems to captivated players, creating a friendly network of likeminded players who enjoy the successful combination of popular characters, augmented reality and socialising. However, the social aspect of the game isn’t a new concept, and it seems Pokémon Go creators have simply built upon the already widespread success of social gaming.
Social Mobile Gaming
There are many other mobile games designed to draw people together through social gaming. Some of the more obvious examples include Words With Friends and Draw Something, both of which have been designed to bring friends together for a fun and light-hearted game no matter where they are in the world.
Mobile gaming has also latched onto the social success of casino games, and mobile apps such as Party Casino and Red Flush push strangers together to interact in a fun and exciting gaming environment. Players start out with a great casino bonus at Red Flush, and the premise of offering welcome cash has become a popular industry tool for enticing players to come together on new casino app.
Alternative Online Social Gaming
Before Pokémon Go there was Minecraft, a pixelated building blocks game that has captivated gamers around the world. In fact, Minecraft has built up such a huge fan base that it is now the second best-selling video game of all time, falling just behind Tetris with more than 107 million sales so far. Once again it’s the social aspect of the game that has seen so many players to pick up their block axes, encouraging players to join servers and test their mining skills against others.
The same focus on encouraging socialising has also been utilised by online casino sites, which invite thousands of users to take advantage of a welcome bonus and join in with multiplayer games. Red Flush casino is one of the websites providing such an offer, and players can use it in any game they choose. Whether they fancy playing table games or video poker, the social interaction combines with fun and enjoyable gaming to create a provide more than just a score.