Scoreloop brings social gaming to Samsung TVs, where it all began

Samsung brings social gaming to TV
It's funny how things come full circle, isn't it? Scoreloop, a social gaming platform for mobile devices, is coming to bada, Samsung's mobile phone operating system, according to Venture Beat. The platform created by the Munich, Germany-based company allows developers to infuse social gaming elements like sharing, gifting and virtual goods to mobile games. Alright, you've heard this all before, so here's the real news: Scoreloop is coming to Samsung's internet-capable TVs.

Social gaming on your TV? Sure, you could probably do it with a standard video-out cable and a PC, but that's too much work. This will allow games that can be bought through Samsung's web-enabled TVs to use the same Scoreloop social network featured on Samsung phones.

If this idea catches on, what's to stop other developers from finding their way into your web-ready TV? Quite honestly, FrontierVille on a 42-inch LCD screen sounds pretty alluring to me, but unfortunately we're a ways away from that. But with TVs becoming as connected as our computers and phones are, it may be only a matter of time before the one genre that's shook the foundations of the industry makes it way to the screens that started it all.

FarmVille Sneak Peek: Ski Shop, Alaskan Totem Pole, Resort Firepit

    Alaskan Totem Pole     Resort Firepit
Soon, players could be taking the farm to the North, if FarmVille Freak's most recent findings are any indication. The FarmVille fan blog recently found two unreleased decorations and one building that may or may not make their way into the game. But if they do, it appears that FarmVille is headed to Alaska for its next theme update. All three items have a decidedly northern look, but it's the word "Alaskan" in the title for the Alaskan Totem Pole item that's a dead giveaway.

Also included in what FarmVille Freak dug up is a Ski Shop and Resort Fire Pit. We can only hope that the Ski Shop becomes a functional building, if only a place to find new decorations much like the recent Holiday Tree. We'll see what comes of these items soon enough, but for now let's revel in the possibilities.

An Angry Birds 'social' game (and three others) is in the works for 2012

So, we're just going to assume that by "social", Rovio game designer Jaako Iisalo means "Facebook". During the Social Games and Virtual Goods World conference in London, England, the Angry Birds designer told Pocket Gamer that four new Angry Birds games will launch next year. More specifically, one of them will be a "social" game.

And, will you look at that, Angry Birds is already on Google+. Granted, there are versions of the iconic everywhere mobile game on Facebook, but none of which seem legitimate. (One even seems to stream the Google Chrome version of Angry Birds through to Facebook.) While this could just as easily mean an Angry Birds game on a mobile platform with heavier social features, the developer has said in the past that the franchise will hit Facebook.

Honestly, how Angry Birds is available on the Intel AppUp store and in retail stores across Europe before officially on Facebook is beyond us. At any rate, we can likely expect these other three Angry Birds games to tap into new genres, since Rovio has expressed interest in exploring new types of games for its irate avian creatures. And just when you started to grow bored of it.