Social gaming really took off on Facebook just a few years ago. Remember Farmville? Words With Friends? That was the golden age of social gaming — but many of you might still be playing these games. The constant invites to join these kinds of games have slowed down but there are still all kinds of social gaming titles with large audiences today.

But wait, what is social gaming? What constitutes a social game and what makes it different from other games? Easy, you might say, a social game is a game on Facebook. But it’s not that easy. Not all the games on Facebook are the same and what about games on other social media platforms? Call of Duty has a robust and professional multiplayer community — could that be considered a social game?

As we can see, defining social gaming isn’t that straightforward. But it’s an important concept to understand within the framework of a rapidly growing, changing industry. So, let’s familiarize ourselves with some other gaming concepts that might help us piece together a better definition of social games.

Casual games

Most games you’ll find on social media can easily be considered casual games. They don’t require much knowledge or any exceptional skill to be good at. They usually have a free version if they aren’t free altogether. They aren’t technically heavy either and tend to be played often but in short sessions.

While mobile devices have proved to be more diverse than social media in their selection of games, many of these can be considered casual as well. Think of whatever game you play to pass the time during a 5-minute bus ride or during business meetings. Casual is definitely a key feature of most social games.

Sharing

The other most important element of social gaming is the social part. It’s both similar to and different from multiplayer in games like Call of Duty. Social games are multiplayer of course in the strict sense of the word, but they come at multiplayer with a different approach. Social games are generally structured around more intimate interactions between players. Sharing items, trading compliments rating your friends and inviting new players to join are integral parts of most social games.

In-game purchases

While not a feature of all social games, this has proven to be an effective way for this genre of games to monetize their efforts. That makes them the perfect platform for BUFF. Since BUFF rewards you with BUFF tokens as you play, you don’t really need to spend your hard-earned cash on in-game purchases anymore, you can just use BUFF coins. That way, your gaming pays for itself and you don’t need to be locked out of special levels or kept away from the best in-game items anymore. Just keep playing and enjoying. Forget about the rest.