Social networking is a huge thing on the internet. It seems like people have grown obsessed with letting other people know what they are doing every second of every day. Social networking has worked its way into many different platforms in the world, and video games are no exception.
Gamers game for different reasons: to waste time, to be entertained, and to have something to share with someone else whether it be an experience or a score. Social networking is a great medium to share those scores and experiences with other people. Sites like Facebook and Twitter allow gamers to share their latest high scores and tell people what they are doing.
The last Xbox 360 spring update added Facebook and Twitter functionality to the dashboard. It allows gamers to contact these social networking sites and tell their friends and family what games they are playing, what achievements they are getting and how good they are at a game.
Sony has its place in the social networking game as well. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves has Twitter integrated in it. Gamers have the option to allow the game to auto-tweet their milestones within the game. There has been some controversy about the game tweeting when gamers complete a mission. That has since been removed in an update.
There is one problem that the Uncharted issue addresses with social networking and gaming: spoilers. Gamers who follow other gamers can have their experience spoiled when they see that their friends are tweeting about a major plot point. That may not be an issue for some gamers and that is fine, but for some that could be a major issue. It can cause people to lose followers or be blocked or hidden because they are minimizing a person's excitement for a game because they are telling him or her the story without realizing it. Some people really want an experience to be as fresh as possible.
Gamers like to share what they do. The experience of a game is something that should be shared with others. Social networking sites are the bridge that gamers can use as another way to share fun times, every small character at a time.
