Google+ takes a swipe at Facebook with Angry Birds joining its lineup
The social network wars ratcheted up another notch this week with the decision by Google+ to go head to head with Facebook on one of its strongest features , games like FarmVille and Mafia Wars
Rob Enderle, an analyst with the Enderle Group said games could be "incredibly powerful" in the social networking wars.
"Google is creating a full-on competitor to Facebook, which means they will move to match what Facebook does, like making Google+ a platform," he said. Ray Valdes, an analyst with Gartner, applauded the Google+ move. Games were an important aspect of the social experience on the web, especially favorites like Zynga's FarmVille, YoVille and Mafia Wars on Facebook. Valdes pointed out that one-fourth of Facebook's 750 million users play a social game on the site. "People go there to connect with friends, and, as part of that, to engage in social play ... Casual social games, such as Farmville, are not for everyone's taste, but are important to a significant portion of the user population." Dan Olds, an analyst with the Gabriel Consulting Group said Google needed to harness this 'fun factor', " if they want to make a serious play for Facebook users." . Facebook isn't sitting still. Right after the Google+ announcement, it revealed a bigger gaming screen. Also, people who play games on the site will have a separate stream that will show their high scores, as well as friends' gaming activity.