Social networking and video games have become more synonymous in recent years with the rise of X Box Live, World of Warcraft, and all the other online gaming experiences out there. Now the creators of the Sims have launch their newest game after four years in the making. Spore is an interactive "evolution" type game in which users evolve cells to become full grown organisms. As players grow and improve their organism, they will encounter other user-generated content online which they can interacted with. For example, as you grow big enough, there are different land masses where things can be built, different planets to be inhabited, and differnet objectives liketaking over a colony; in essence, users "play god" in an ever-changing environment.
Although the game has launched, makers of the game feel like the project has just began. The players of the game will largely determine the direction of Spore and which features to improve, drop, or totally reinvent. This model of video gaming isn't totally new, but really brings the power of the product to the people using it. Much like Twitter, a platform like this can be used in many different ways, creating a different experience for each person. As users find new needs within the platform, together they simply create what they want to see. The genious of evolving social networks is that ideally weak ideas die, strong ideas are created, and everyone wins.