Microsoft Exploring Viral Gaming For Xbox 360

What is "viral gaming," you ask? Think Mafia Wars, a social game where inviting others to join is one of the goals. Microsoft is investing in this strategy as a way to tell friends about a game and as a gameplay mechanic.

A patent filed by Gary Hall, the Director of Platform Development at Microsoft's Xbox division, and Joshua Howard, previously the studio head at Microsoft's casual outpost Carbonated games, details their viral gaming strategy.

[Saaking]

MS is involved? It'll probably fail. Anyways, I don't like any of this viral crap.

[D4RkNIKON]

Yeh, Like any one plays mafia wars.. What are we, teenage girls on myspace?

[jack who]

i play mafia wars and so does Four million other ppl

http://www.gamesindustry.bi...

[Blaster_Master]

Only reason why anyone plays those games is because they are on a social network. Its not like anyone would actually pay for them.

[Xi]

With the inclusion of social gaming, twitter/facebook to the 360 this will likely work as an xbla game or waypoint like feature that allows facebook 360 users to play games with other facebook users and by doing so attempt to invite friends to the 360.

If it works it works, if it doesn't it's an interesting experiment at best.

[OnionKnight]

Microsoft is going to have millions using this. Mafia Wars and Mob Wars are proof.

[ViciousBoston]

Those games are stale and the way it functions is nothing short of ANNOYING. I get about 5 invites a day to join someones "mob" or play on Farmville. I delete them and ask never to be invited again. Honestly those games compared to the ones gamers play is night and day in terms of features and grafix. Why would anyone bother playing Social Network games on 360? I think Facebook is a good idea don't get me wrong but Consoles are primarily first and foremost for GAMING and not social networking. Gaming companys are just trying to pack as many fads into their consoles, Sony included but less so than Microsoft. Microsoft is trying to imbed itself right now in gaming and pop culture. They're going the way of Nintendo by watering down the gaming experience as awhole in favor of social aspects.

Atleast we still have PC and PS3.

[Anon1974]

Facebook is irritating enough as is. It's still useful, but it's got to the point where every second item is some Spammed message about "Someone took this quiz," or "someone found a duck"

I access Facebook on my PC. The last place I need to see it is on my consoles. Microsoft might have it right and Farmville could draw millions to the 360. Who knows. I just know I won't be one of them.