Lexology – In recent years, the increasing popularity of social media and social networks has led to the increased availability to Australians of a “new” genre of games that have become integrated into those networks. These games, commonly known as online social games, add a new social experience to gaming. In many respects, they are based on the same easy to learn and casual play model as many traditional games.
The growth of the online social games industry has led to some concern, due to their similarity with certain types of interactive gambling services which are illegal in Australia. However, there is a clear legal distinction between the two.
Social games are still a relatively new concept and, as such, there is not yet any universally-agreed definition. However, there are some features that characterise an online social game. One of the key features is that an online social game is offered and hosted on social networking platforms (such as Facebook) or on online social gaming platforms (such as Xbox Live).
