Forget the Games You Play Alone. This is the Golden Age of Social Games.

[ Rule the Sky ]

What are the best-selling games in Korean app stores? "Rule the Sky", "Every Farm", "Derby Days", "Tiny Farm" and "Pucca Restaurant". If the Android game market included the foreign games "Farm Story" and "Fashion Story", the same would apply. What are their common denominators? They are social games enjoyed through smartphones. Here's why they've won over global smartphone users.

[ Tiny Farm(Left) & Rule the Sky(Right) ]

If the fun of existing games is that skill level determines whether you win or lose, social games emphasize ties and levels of closeness with people, regardless of who wins. In other words, people can establish bonds of sympathy with others on the social networking service through the social medium of games.

Though they end up best-sellers, a unique factor is that most social games are free. Monthly sales for "Rule the Sky" reached 1.5 billion won. Other social games such as "Every Farm", "Pucca Restaurant" and "Tiny Farm" are poised to join the 1 billion won club soon. So how can free apps boast such high sales?

The answer is, In App Purchases (IAP). Users purchase items to better focus on the game – to manage farms, villages and stores, for example. And when people play social games together, they establish ties naturally with those who are registered. The desire to decorate quickly and beautifully leads people to purchase items through IAP.

Korea's fast and easy network environment has also contributed to the Golden Age of social games. Also, their longevity compared to other mobile games ensures they'll continue to see progress.

[ Pucca Restaurant(Left) & Every Farm(Right) ]

Why not play a social game today?

[Reference List]

Tiny Farm : http://www.com2us.com/kr/
Rule the Sky : http://www.facebook.com/rulethesky
Pucca's Restaurant : http://itunes.apple.com/us/app//id426005270?mt=8
Every Farm by hangame : http://www.hangame.com/