Despite gaming’s rise as a global subculture that nearly anyone in the developed world can relate to, certain stereotypes of gamers still linger:  Movies and media often portray gamers as dark and lonely creatures that spurn human interaction, instead preferring to isolate themselves in a dark room with their game experience of choice. 

The reality, however, couldn’t be further from the truth.  Online games based on social networks are the darlings of the gaming industry, and a cottage industry of social technologies have popped up to help gamers across platforms, including consoles, to reach out, connect and communicate with each other.  In many instances, these social technologies have been incredibly effective at boosting a game title’s popularity, at giving game developers valuable insight into how their customers interact or at illustrating previously unknown relationships between the games gamers play, when they play them and with whom they play them with.

From platform plays like Facebook down to instant messaging technologies made for gamers, this session, presented by Raptr VP of Business Development and Marketing, Ranah Edelin, will take a look at the most effective social technologies on the market today, discuss the impact on game publishers and predict the next wave of social technologies to take hold in the gaming space.