14 DAY TRIAL // MySpace, the popular social network that aims to focus its platform around social games, has recently launched Games Lab, a program that will invite game developers to the company's headquarters in Seattle and Los Angeles to work together with MySpace personnel for several weeks.
The person in charge of the games division, Manu Rekhi, has revealed that the new program is the outcome of the collaboration between the social network Playdom and some other social gaming companies. “The typical relationship involves an evangelist, but we’re trying to get developers behind closed walls and make sure we have the right level of communication, rather than playing a game of whack-a-mole,” Rekhi added. “We’ll have developers come in in waves, and plan it out so that we have a strong ongoing relationship.”
It seems that MySpace team has been devoting a lot of effort for determining social gaming companies to get involved in their platform rather than focus on Facebook. In order to explain this position, Rekhi underlined the fact that MySpace could be considered as a network for discovering and learning new things, whereas Facebook could help you get a hold of your old buddies and keep touch with them.
Since the goal is to make users see the difference between two social networks, MySpace will obviously need to adjust its service accordingly. The newly launched program is meant to help them achieve this, especially since Rekhi said that the Games Lab developers were already working on various methods to customize the platform so as to satisfy the gamers' requirements even more. In addition, a social scientist was hired to make sure the new layout and design will appeal to the targeted users.
All the developers willing to participate in this program will have the possibility to stay in the MySpace offices for four to six weeks, devoting up to 80 percent of their day to their projects and the rest of the time will be spent collaborating with the company's experts. Games Lab is currently open and Rekhi said that there were numerous positions available.