Invite to continue: Social Mechanisms in Games

Let's imagine for a moment that you are at a concert. You're there with your best friend and the two of you have just finished rocking out to the opening act. You are super excited about the next band and are having a ton of fun. While the first band starts clearing the stage to set up for the main event, you get pulled aside by security.

“I'm sorry, but if you want to watch the main event, you have to invite three more of your friends.”

You think for a moment about who might want to see the main event. You don't know anyone else who can come, so you must leave the show with only a taste of the entire concert.

This is the current state of social in games.

Too many publishers are forcing you to invite friends just to continue playing the game.This is a terrible experience for a player and breaks the flow of playing, requiring you to invite others just to continue. Not only am I annoyed by having to ‘ask friends for help’, but I then have to wait for them to accept, unable to play until then. I am all for spreading the word, but the social aspect needs to be a natural extension of our behaviour.

In a moment of happiness, I’m willing to share my high score to compete with friends. I will “Like” a Facebook page or send a tweet if it means I unlock something special in-game. When done correctly, social mechanisms should enhance the gaming experience and further engage the user as opposed to impose restrictions until completing a social transaction. These interactions should be seen as transactions, where the user gets something of value in return; not a hostage situation as it stands now.

Let's go back to our concert example from the start. What if instead of the previous situation, the security guard says:

"Hey! If you invite three friends to come join you, I'll get you all VIP seats and you can meet the band afterwards."

How would you feel about that?