Nearly every man, woman, and child in the world plays casual games in a social context. With worldwide Internet penetration rates steadily increasing, it’s no wonder that the online version of this market is soaring. Casual gaming industry projections estimate a billion players and $10 billion in revenue within the next five years – and that’s only the beginning. As the industry increasingly reflects the inherent social elements of this most natural and universally popular form of entertainment, online social casual gaming will become a dominant platform for online social networking.

Led by Mathieu Nouzareth, co-founder and president of worldwide casual gaming giant Boonty, this session will seek to explore just how quickly and powerfully social casual games will become the dominant Web 2.0 form of entertainment. The panel will review social and human nature aspects characteristic of casual games. We will discuss how our seemingly innate interest in this form of entertainment continues its rapid online migration courtesy of applications that include social and community features, personalization, user-generated content, and virtual worlds. Additionally, the panel will explore business implications of social casual gaming, including the multi-billion dollar advertising and micro-transaction potential of this emerging industry.