The Problem
After dinging 1,000 “friends” on THE Social Network (“Who’s that guy again?”; “No idea, I think I’ve seen him on my Wall, though…”);
After liking and liking and liking, for simple lack of options (“Deadly accident kills 10.” Ehm, Like?);
After processing hundreds of tweets a week (@anybody #whocares);
After ruthlessly spamming our location to an uncaring audience (“John Doe just checked in at Local Grocery Store”. Yawn.);
After relentlessly grinding virtual coins on Whateverville (“I’m trying to build a new Slum, help me!”);
We asked ourselves:
Is this all that social media has to offer?
We looked around and, well, the answer seems to be: “
Yes, Sir!”
What a depressing realization. We sat back, pondering a new, exciting career in banking… but, suddenly, the Gods of Nerddom had mercy on us and, like lightning, an epiphany struck us:
Wait a minute, that’s boring! The tech is there, ideas are missing. How about changing Social Networking and make it as fun and playful as a Game?
Well, we found other like-minded people, and here we are: a Social Web R&D Team embedded within a larger company, exploring the Alchemy of Fun and trying to find the sweet spot between Social and Gaming. We have given ourselves one year – top – to find that spot.
The Solution
This is our declaration of intent, our Manifesto:
- Fun is an absolutely primary category of Life… and a truly serious business.
- Fun is the pillar of any Entertainment industry, and we believe the Internet is such an industry.
- Social Media should be Fun.
- Social Media should be Playful and Playing should be Social: for that to happen, we need to change the way the social web and social gaming worlds work.
- The current state of Social Media is one of Establishment: boundaries are set and features are cloned from service to service.
- The Big Boys have defined their comfort zone and consolidated: we need to carve out a new, breathing space.
- Fun tools and services are more efficient than boring ones.
- We want to build a fun Social Service that plays like a game, and we want to build it now.
- We are people, and we want to create, design and develop for people.
- When you’re creating for people, you ask people for help.
In the next months, we’re going to act on each of these 10 points, and blog about the whole process. We’re also going to ask for help, ideas, opinions and advice.
So
- If you’ve ever found yourself thinking: “Man, I’d like to do more than reading posts and tweets and check-ins”.
- If you like to play social games, but would rather do it in real time and with friends, as part of the social experience.
- If you like crazy ideas and have a positive attitude towards the New.
- If you like to Play, in the most extensive meaning of this beautiful word.
- If you like nothing of the above, but you’re just curious about what “them crazies” are gonna do.
Then follow this blog. Join our mailing list, and maybe
help us.
If nothing else, it’s going to be a Fun ride.
- The
Gface Team
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