Facebook Announces Top Games Of 2011

Not by number of players, but by player-voted quality

Dec 22 2011, 3:22pm CST | by Mark Raby

In case you haven't had enough of the year-end lists of what was big in technology for 2011, here's another one.

Facebook has revealed what it claims are the top Facebook games of the year, but they aren't based on the numbers you would expect.

If you thought games like Farmville or Words With Friends made the top of the list, believe it or not you'd be wrong. Although those are the kinds of titles that get all the media attention, Facebook users are happier spending their time on other titles.

Case in point - the #1 game, as rated by users, is Gardens of Time. From publisher Playdonm, Gardens of Time is the epitome of casual games - it's a "hidden object game" with an interesting background storyline. It is perhaps more fitting for a #1 spot because of its highly casual nature. Games like those from Zynga are a bit more complex and may intimidate some Facebook users.

However, at #2 is a much more involved game - The Sims Social. Drawing on its massive license appeal, the Facebook version of EA's life simulation game has made great inroads on Facebook over the last year.

Zynga finally comes into the list at #3, with Cityville. The company then manages to take three of the next five, with Indiana Jones Adventure World at #5, Words with Friends at #6, and Empires & Allies at #8.

It should be noted these numbers are not based on number of players; instead, they're actually meant to represent the "best" games.

Scores are calculated by looking at games "with more than 100,000 monthly active users and giving priority to those games with the highest user satisfaction scores. The result is a list of the games that received the most user recommendations in 2011," said Facebook.

Here's the complete top 10:

1. Gardens of Time (Playdom)
2. The Sims Social (EA)
3. Cityville (Zynga)
4. DoubleDown Casino (DoubleDown Interactive)
5. Indiana Jones Adventure World (Zynga)
6. Words With Friends (Zynga)
7. Bingo Blitz (Buffalo Studios)
8. Empires & Allies (Zynga)
9. Slotomania-Slot Machines (Playtika)
10. Diamond Dash (wooga)

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Mark Raby
Based in New York City, Mark follows the consumer electronics industry like a hawk. A published book author, he has a particular affinity for 3D technology and video games, and as such will surely be in the market for a new pair of glasses soon. Mark can be contacted directly at mark@i4u.com.