Facebook Calls BINGO!

Arkadium and PCHGames.com have launched a new online Bingo game that puts players more in the driver’s seat and changes the pace of this “church basement classic.” Bingo Charms features all the fun of Bingo with the help of Charms, that can bring additional points, currency, and luck to your game. This adds a little bit of strategy to an otherwise destiny-dependent game, making it more intriguing and appealing. To top it off, each day eligible players can win instantly up to $500 or in-game currency thanks to Publishers Clearing House. “We are moving aggressively in response to our customer feedback to provide more winning opportunities online and through social media,” said Josh Glantz, vice president and general manager of PCH Online. “Bingo Charms is a fun way for us to engage Facebook fans and introduce them to our sweepstakes and PCHGames.com.” Bingo Charms works much like any other Facebook

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Reflections on Casual Connect 2010

This year’s Casual Connect Seattle had a little bit of a different vibe for me. This is the first year I was able to attend Casual Connect on the opening day, so the energy was bound to be different from the start.It also snuck up on me a little, so there were a lot of last minute scheduling issues and preparations. But, I was geared up to see where everyone thought the industry was headed and hear about some great new games. When I got there and took a look around, however, I noticed that there were some things missing. Some of the bigger companies I was expecting to see weren’t there, and their presence was missed. It didn’t feel like there was a lot of news being released. I didn’t feel the excitement of new games and innovation that I had felt in the past. Some of the excitement

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One Click Play, Challenge, Enjoy – Bing!

Microsoft has Launched a whole new side of Bing dedicated to entertainment. Part of the new Bing Entertainment experience is the easiest way to play our favorite games, play them online, play them for free, and enjoy the social aspect of challenging our friends on Facebook with one click! This comes in the form of the Play Now option when simply searching for favorite games on Bing (or, of course looking through the catalog under the games tab in the Bing Entertainment section). Games on Bing offers nearly 100 of the most beloved word, puzzle, action, casino, match 3, time management, and arcade style games for online play. Online playing offers a host of benefits, including quick and easy access, saving space and loading time on your computer, cost effectiveness, and the ability to challenge friends through Facebook. I was introduced to Games on Bing at Casual Connect. I must

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Battle Your Facebook Friends for Supremacy

Nvinium Games Inc has released the first trailer for the latest chapter in the Strategy First’s Space Empires saga, Space Empires: Battle for Supremacy. Battle for Supremacy introduces a new audience to the popular series, sending social gamers forth on a journey for peace and discovery in the midst of interstellar war on Facebook beginning July 27th. “We’re all big fans of the Space Empires franchise, which has provided rich game play and beautiful visuals that we’ve fully utilized when creating this game,” said Matt Abrams, CEO, Nvinium Games. “This is the perfect project for us to begin delivering on our goal of integrating well-known IPs with our social game development experience and success in building online communities to create games that players will enjoy.” Space Empires: Battle for Supremacy Features: Unique real time combat system Large galaxies with over 100 solar systems and countless planets to explore Advanced technology

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Win a chance to meet Perez Hilton for new Facebook game, The Big Bluff

You know Facebook gaming is cool when Hollywood shows up to celebrate the launch of a new title. himojo is launching The Big Bluff, a new social, multiplayer trivia game for Facebook. Players will be testing their trivia knowledge against celebs like Perez Hilton, Kristin Cavallari, Ashley Roberts, Cheryl Burke, Brody Jenner, Mark Ballas, Lacey Schwimmer, and Dr. Hollywood, among others. On May 24, from 8pm to 11pm PT fans can log in to The Big Bluff on Facebook for a chance to play against Perez or any of the celebs. But why play from your couch at home when you can attend the red carpet event at a hot Hollywood night club? GamingAngels will be there covering the event, but you can win a chance to have fun with us and all the celebs. Los Angeles area residents can enter to win by following @TheBigBluff on Twitter and re-tweeting

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Facebook and Zynga Commit

Facebook and Zynga announced today their newly signed five year “strategic” partnership aimed at enhancing social gaming experiences for everyone. “Facebook was a pioneer in opening their platform in 2007 and in just three years tens of millions of Facebook users play our games every day, from FarmVille and Café World to Treasure Isle and Mafia Wars,” said Mark Pincus, founder and chief executive officer at Zynga. “We are excited about Facebook’s long-term commitment to social gaming and Zynga, and look forward to working with them and other platform providers to bring the best social gaming experience to users worldwide.” It seems as though the partnership centers around the use of the new Facebook Credits, a form of “currency” used in many Facebook games in order to boost game play or purchase bonus material. Zynga is currently testing Facebook Credits in “select games” and will be expanding the Facebook Credits

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Study Reveals Likelihood of Online Gaming Currency Purchases, Offer Completion

Have you played any online social games recently? If so, you may have noticed that they’re becoming tiny industry cash cows, even though you don’t really want to pay for currency. Game companies have noticed this, don’t worry. Offerpal, who runs quite a few of the promotions attached to game incentives, released the results of a survey at GDC that sheds light on some statistics related to social gaming currency incentives. First off, a little over half (53.3%) of people who play games are willing to complete marketing actions (like filling out a survey, buying from a specific online retailer, or watching a video) in exchange for in-game currency. Sure, that’s one way to do it. (Just a reminder that if you choose this route, be incredibly careful when completing these offers – especially the surveys! You don’t know who’s selling your information once they get it, and you have

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MySpace Still Trying to Be Relevant, Cleaning Up Games Experience

If you haven’t deleted your MySpace account yet, they’re making some big changes to their games section and making it easier for both users and developers to utilize. The MySpace Developers Platform will now offer analytics tools, as well. MySpace is attempting to replicate what made the music portion of the site so successful, since a third of users engage in games on the site daily and over 28 million users use the applications available on the site. MySpace also hosted a “Game Development on Social Platforms” workshop today at GDC. To speed up the process of getting more people to return to the site, they’re releasing a MySpace Games app for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Just to make it easier to get your daily fix. If you stopped using MySpace, will this get you to return? If you never stopped, will it become your number one social networking

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Study shows women are loyal in social gaming

A brand new study of more than 2,000 women show that they enjoy engaging with the brands while playing social games like Farmville and Causes. Women in the survey also show that they are passionate and competitive about (Lil) Green Patches and Happy Aquariums stocking up on virtual currency in the game. “As brands seek relevant and natural ways to shake hands with women via social media, the gaming and application marketplace holds tremendous potential to integrate in a consumer-friendly, meaningful way,” said Matt Wise, President, Q Interactive. “Women seek a partner to support their entertainment, which is exceptionally important given their busy lives.” Some of the stats show that 85% of the women surveyed use five or less games regularly. Most show a large indication to being loyal to a handful of favorites. More than half are earning/spending virtual currency. A very interesting stat shows that 57% feel that

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