**Note: I have several blogs and frequently repeat posts to maximize exposure. I have one at pixelpen.net and I have one at IGN under the same username as my Destructoid account. So please don't be surprised if you see me post my own post in different places.**



Social networks are the internet craze with sites such as MySpace and Facebook, the internets fastest growing network. They vie for users attention providing perhaps too much information on who is doing what, who is dating who and how Friday night went, all illustrated with available pictures . The amount of Facebook applications is growing quickly, some copycatting already available apps but the feature of apps provide another frontier for video games.

Video games started as a fledgling novelty that changed the TV from a passive entertainment utility to an interactive one. Soon video games were in our hands and now in our pockets featured on cell phones. The future of video games seems to be a marriage with multi-purpose utilities; ones that can play music, view photos, download rentable movies, make calls or voice chat or even post blog entries.

Already the novelty of games on phones has found a following making cell phone games a platform. Sites such as Modojo and IGN provide game reviews. A few years ago phones provided pong now they feature adaptations of hits like “Assassins Creed.” iPod as well used to provide only novelty games such as the “Turbo Break Out” knock off and now have full reviews on major gaming websites. It wouldn’t be unreasonable to see social networks app reviews in the next few years become a focus for readers.

Social networks started through stages of infancy and now they are viral powerhouses providing a slew of information across a vast network and everyone’s on goings are featured in a condensed box. So is it really so difficult to imagine Facebook as a platform for video games? Flash games are easy to find on the internet but with Facebook’s social connections multiplayer games are available. Still the feature of games on Facebook are a novelty since most games available are remakes of classics such as “Super Mario!” or have simple features such as “Attack!” which is similar to the board game “Risk.”

If Facebook can stand the test of time in popularity on the internet could we possibly see Facebook game reviews? Perhaps features in Electronic Gaming Monthly or a channel on IGN? It seems a little far fetched at this point but things change so fast on the internet. Within a few years Facebook itself has changed dramatically and the internet keeps growing with new technologies.

Home consoles started out with blotches of white on black hitting a square back and forth. Now Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 boast some of the most realistic graphics to date giving 3D models fluidity and the illusion of gravity. Some sites such as Game Tap offer a chance at what I’m getting at but majority of their base is around old games from generations past. Valve’s Steam program also provides a one stop shop for games including many AAA titles but it does not feature blogging and other unrelated applications that people could find valuable. Perhaps the true next frontier for games is social networks utilizing an “add app” feature. We may even see a pay for premium content feature in the next few years.

The Facebook frontier would look nice and bright for small upstart developers looking to showcase their ideas and spread the word about their work. Facebook could also adapt a system similar to Xbox’s credit system to purchase premium content although at this point everything on Facebook is free. But a credit system wouldn’t be out of the question.