Launched today, a new site devoted to social gaming Cafe.com is targeting the casual gamer demographic with a starting lineup of 50 titles, some that may be familiar, some which may be new to players.
The New York, NY-based site, purportedly under development for more than two years and the so-called brainchild of Boonty, "one of the largest causal game platforms in the world," allows users to network and compete with friends known and unknown, courtesy of an import tool that facilitates the invitation of social connections listed on Facebook, MySpace, Bebo and Hi-5, which makes getting started easy, whatever communications platform you might already prefer when communicating with personal associates. Address book and IM service imports are also made possible through Cafe.
The service emphasizes five points to market itself to prospective users, three of which are especially pertinent, given the competition in its burgeoning industry. (Read: SGN and Zynga.)
First, the company lays claim to a good number of social networking features, and the bridges it has so far established are pretty convenient. No need to go through the rigamarole of inviting friends entirely manually via that totally old, passe thing called email to spar against one another via a multiplayer title. Simply pull in your contacts from a myriad of outside sources, including several well-established social networking sites, and you’re pretty much set to offer up challenges to willing parties. Mind you, Cafe stresses security controls, so you don’t have to maintain an open profile. If you only want to play with people you know, no problem. You may do so.
Also, some titles on Cafe allow for two-player combat, while others provide space for as many as 6, making the website into a sort adaptable roundtable of casual gaming. Quite fun. Single-player is possible, of course, but…you know…who really wants that? Play together, we say.
Third, the games provided on Cafe are complex enough for gamers to attain "boosts," which can add levels for increased skills and strategy. Yes, many games today built for the Web-based industry deliver such intelligent environments, but Cafe may give you the right mix of casual atmosphere and gameplay progression that you’re looking for. It’s all about taste, and if Cafe serves you right, well, all the better.
A few other items worth mentioning. Cafe is employing a "micro-transactional" business model, based on Cafe Coins, which can grant gamers "boosts," among other things. The company, having observed the growing popularity of similar systems in Asia and Europe, considers it a strong possibility that online gamers in the US will latch onto the concept as well. To fuel interest in its proprietary currency, Cafe provides new registrees 10,000 coins and will soon offer other promotional "virtual gifts" as well as host online gaming tournaments.
It’s also important to note that Cafe is hoping to cater to an equally male/female userbase. According to data put forth by the company, some 60% of women interested in a casual gaming experience online are over the age of 26. Cafe is looking to grab a healthy percentage of that segment of the Web-connected population.
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