Social games are multiplayer games on social network platforms. They are generally free to play and use a business model based on purchasing of items within the game for small amounts. Their distilled repetitive gameplay and integrated viral advertising make these games extremely popular and profitable.

* Social Cause Mechanic * Gifting Mechanic * Notification of New Features Mechanic * Notification of Reward Mechanic * Newsfeed Update Mechanic * Help My Friend’s Space Mechanic * Lotto Mechanic * Buy/Sell Mechanic * Battle Mechanic * Comments Mechanic * Show off on Profile Mechanic * Trading Mechanic * Tournament Mechanic * Passive Play Mechanic * Exploration Mechanic * Build My Team Mechanic * Quiz Mechanic * Meme Quiz Mechanic * Leaderboard Mechanic * Gambling Mechanic * Auction Mechanic * Collection Mechanic * Rating Mechanic * Donate Virtual Coins Mechanic * Social Tycoon Mechanic * Hire-A-Friend Mechanic * Mastery Mechanic * Griefing/Prank Mechanic * Story Mechanic * Game Photo Album Mechanic * Harvest Mechanic * Mini-Game Mechanic * Friend Data Mechanic * Internationalization

* Claim an Item Mechanic * Interact With An Item Mechanic * Viral Collection Mechanic * Funny Content Mechanic * Tagging Mechanic * Gifting Mechanic * Rating Mechanic * Scratch Off Mechanic * Help a Friend Mechanic * Friend is Playing Right Now Mechanic * Help a Cause Mechanic * Trivia Question Mechanic * Quiz Mechanic * Take a Job Mechanic * Social Curiosity Mechanic

* Dual Currency Mechanic * Limited-Time/Quantity Item Mechanic * Blue Light Special Mechanic * Donation to a Good Cause Mechanic * Need a Refill Mechanic * Gift to a Friend Mechanic * Achievement Accelerator Mechanic * First-Time Buyer Bonus Mechanic * Repeat Buyer Bonus Mechanic

• Jesse Schell, essential viewing http://fury.com/2010/02/jesse-shells-mindblowing-talk-on-the-future-of-games-dice-2010/
• http://mediacommons.futureofthebook.org/content/cultivated-play-farmville
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihUt-163gZI

• http://developers.facebook.com/
• Principles and policies: http://developers.facebook.com/policy/

• red leaf