MySpace has announced a partnership with casual gaming giant Oberon Media to create a dedciated gaming channel. Due for launch in January, the brilliantly named MySpace Games service will allow users to place free casual titles on their profile pages and then play them against friends. Naturally, the games will include a chat element, allowing competitors to instant message each other while playing. No specific titles have been mentioned yet, but MySpace is also inviting developers to submit ideas for the service.
Does this sound familiar? It should do to users of the rival Facebook site, which already features a growing range of gaming applications including the omnipresent (at least in my office) Scrabulous. Until recently, these apps were being produced by small studios and bedroom coders (or interactive marketing companies like Terralever looking to round up customers and data for larger corporations) but of course, some mainstream gaming bigwigs are now getting involved. Mobile publisher, Digital Chocolate has just launched a Facebook version of its excellent Java title, Tower Bloxx - more are bound to follow.
This represents a reversal of the model employed by the big casual gaming sites like RealArcade and Pogo where a community builds around the games service - now a games services is being tacked on to a community. It also hints at a near-future where social networking and casual gaming converge. Don't be surprised to see more deals along the lines of the MySpace/Oberon partnership, and be even less surprised when mobile services are drawn into the equation.
One day, the contacts in your phone will be your gaming buddy list, your Facebook friends list and your email contacts list. You'll play Popcap games on MySpace and meet MySpace friends on Popcap. You'll get text messages from Xbox Live players inviting you to play Tetris on Facebook. You'll be really confused. But your kids will love it.
