Sharing Content with Social Relevance
With the advent of social network games, game developers have been searching for the Holy Grail - elements of their games that will compel a player's friends to become players as well. We find ourselves asking, "Is my game social? Should I give incentives, or will people want to share content on their own? Will my players' friends even care?" What we're ultimately looking for is social relevance both for the player (who is already playing and wants to share) and for the player's friends (whom we'd like to acquire as players). While sometimes it can feel like chasing a white whale, asking the right questions can make designing with social relevance in mind much easier.