social gaming

Commonly refers to playing games as a way of social interaction, as opposed to playing games in solitude, like some card games (solitaire) and the single-player mode of many video games.

Social gaming may also refer to:

• Social network game, games that have social network integration or elements.
• Board games, in which counters or pieces are placed, removed, or moved on a premarked surface according to a set of rules.
• Multiplayer video games, where more than one person can play in the same game environment at the same time.
• MMO (as well as MMORPG and MMORTS)
• LAN party, a temporary gathering of people establishing a LAN, primarily for the purpose of playing multiplayer computer games.
• Role-playing games, a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting.
• Live action role-playing games, a form of role-playing game where the participants physically act out their characters' actions.
• Miniature wargaming, a form of wargaming that incorporates miniature figures, miniature armor and modeled terrain.
• Alternate reality games, an interactive narrative that uses the real world as a platform to tell a story that may be affected by participants' ideas or actions.

Historical perspective: Social gaming reached 61.9 million U.S. Internet users by the end of 2011.