10 top performing online social games from 2011

The year 2011 has come and gone. Social games ruled the roost and with billions of dollars being made in exchange for virtual goods, the wave of casual gaming may never die down. Here are ten of the top performing social games of 2011.

1. Sims Social
Combine social networks with The Sims and you get Sims Social. Every friend you meet in Sims Social is a Facebook friend. In a thrilling twist of social awkwardness, becoming a lover or enemy with your friend requires permission from said friend. Collect gifts, upgrade skills, flirt or marry your Facebook friends and enjoy interacting with humans in a “meaningful” way.

2. Words With Friends
Alec Baldwin would agree that Words With Friends is the premier Scrabble-like experience. This cross-platform title is a hop-in, hop-out Scrabble clone with the emphasis on drawn-out games with Facebook friends, Twitter followers and random users. It’s the ultimate time waster and a title with a very low barrier of entry, and has therefore become a premier “casual” game.

3. Zynga Poker
The most polished game of online poker on this planet is available from Zynga. And no, it won’t drain your credit card of money, unless you need to buy extra poker chips (you cannot win real money though). Live players, team challenges and an unhurried experience are all part of the magic. From the PC to your smartphone, Zyanga Poker can be played at anytime.

4. Minecraft
Minecraft is now officially out of Beta, proudly sporting a “1.0” after its name. This “build anything” title is what Grand Theft Auto wanted to be when it called itself a “Sandbox” game. This is the epitome of sandbox, with each grain being custom built by the gamer. Create your own world or hop into the infinitely more fun online arena and host a game, allowing players to create the Starship Enterprise, Pikachu or the freaking world.

5. CityVille
From Facebook, to Google+, CityVille is a quasi-sequel to FarmVille, the addictive-as-crack social simulator which swapped real cash (if you so desired) for virtual root vegetables. CityVille takes the concept created by Farmville and runs with it. You build a city, collect rent and create a heaving metropolis. The Google+ version of the game expands the experience with enhanced graphics.

6. Empires & Allies
Also from Zynga, maker of almost every successful social online game ever, comes Empires & Allies, a real time strategy (RTS) game. Since its launch in June 2011, Empires & Allies has signed up over 18-million users. The user owns a series of islands where military units can be created and commanded. What makes Empires & Allies so enticing is the concept of PVP or player versus player, whereby online opponents can battle it out for supremacy.

7. Gardens of time
If you are still pottering around Facebook looking for decent hide and go seek titles, you can enjoy Gardens of Time, developed by Playdom. The game only works if the users play along, leaving hints and tips for other players who stumble onto the devilish puzzles.

8. Bejewelled Blitz
“But it’s a single player game!” you moan. Not quite. While the actual game may be a singuler experience, the concept is defined by a leaderboard which constantly challenges you to “one-up” your facebook friends. Blitz players can even share power-ups which encourages community members to enjoy those one-minute gem-swapping play sessions even more.

9. Bubble Island
Remember Bust-a-Move? What about Bubble Bobble? Well Bubble Island takes the concept of popping multi-coloured bubbles in an upside down Tetris-like environment to a whole new social level. It’s the exact same game as you have been enjoying for a decade or so, but made infinitely better with actual human interaction.

10. The Smurfs & Co
Think FarmVille but with Smurfs. The plot is forgettable and propels you into a world of candy-coloured mushrooms and city-planning. It’s fairly addictive stuff and thanks to online connectivity, you can gather as many of your friends villages into your city as you like. Again, and with many of these online social games, real money can we exchanged for items which usually take an age to earn.