Giveaway: Tail Towns

It's no question that social gaming is on the rise. The number of people who play social games is on the rise, and people are playing more often and for longer (according to a survey by Popcap Games Social Gaming Research in September 2011). And it's no surprise - social games can often be played for just a few minutes at a time, which makes it easy for people to be involved in them. The fact that they are social draws in many people who like to play them as a way to be connected to their friends. Social games are often free to start, so people don't have to pay any money to try them out, and even the paid features are often very inexpensive.

Women especially are involved in social gaming, making up 70% of social gamers according to data collected in July 2010 (a big switch from other video games that are traditionally male-dominated). Again, this doesn't surprise me, since women tend to be busy, without enough time to get involved in games that require a great deal of time to play at once, but can squeeze in five minutes here and there - and women tend to be much more social than men as well.

There's a new game on Facebook that is free to play, like many other social games. It's called Tail Towns Friends and the designers have focused on creating beautiful, photo-realistic graphics to add to the game's enjoyment. The game is full of drama, almost like a soap opera, so it's designed, of course, to draw players in to find out more. It also taps in to people's imaginations or longing for a "happy place," enabling them to create their ultimate country getaway. And there's a unique feature - you can register Tail Towns figurines in-game. Not only does this unlike game features, but it lets you open up the storylines that are unique to that character.

Tail Towns is designed to draw you in to the rich storylines and drama. In fact, this quote by the character Rene really intrigues me: “But then things got..complicated. Like a Rubik’s Cube wrapped in a Sudoku covered in Duct Tape.”

For more information, you can visit the Tail Towns blog.

There's also a giveaway. Enter by commenting on this post with your ideal getaway. For extra entries, Tweet about your dream country getaway with hashtag #TailTowns. You can get credit for that entry by leaving another comment with the link. The winner will receive a Tail Towns figurine. Deadline is August 4th.