Big Fish Games Launches Rewards Program

Casual game developer and distributor Big Fish Games has rolled out a new program that blends social networking with online gaming, in which users earn rewards through a referral program.

Under the My Big Fish Games program, gamers can create their own Web page or “Game Space” to write and share opinions and reviews about games with their friends. Players who visit BigFishGames.com can sign up for the program and customize their page. Users, in turn, can earn cash rewards by sustaining a network of friends who refer others to the site.

A player who refers a friend who buys something from the site will receive 25% of the sale. If a user’s friend joins My Big Fish Games and creates their own Web page, that player will receive a 25% commission of games on any Big Fish pages friends of friends created. Members will receive a check for their cash award. There is no limit to how much members can earn.

“It’s a network effect,” Big Fish Games CEO Paul Thelen said. “Each level it grows becomes more valuable.”

Big Fish Games wanted to boost its subscriber base by rewarding players for something they already do. The free program borrows from the notion of popular social networking sites like MySpace.com, but instead targets casual gamers. About 75% of causal gamers are older than 35 and more than 65% of the audience is women. My Big Fish Rewards is the first casual games rewards program of its kind, according to Thelen.

“This is a way to differentiate ourselves,” Thelen said of the program. “It will create loyalty.”

Since the program’s launch two weeks ago, more than 12,000 people have created Web pages, he said.

Next month, Big Fish Games will offer two additional redemption options—two-for-one game credit or make a charity donation. For example, if a member earns $10 in rewards, Big Fish will offer them a $20 credit for games. Players who don’t want cash or credit can donate their rewards to one of several charities, including the American Red Cross, Susan G. Komen Foundation, the American Heart Association, the National Domestic Violence Hotline and local charities in the Pacific Northwest.

Big Fish Games lets users sample a game via downloading a free, 60-minute trial. If players like the game, they can buy the complete version for $20. The Seattle-based company, which formed in 2002, offers about 400 games on its site, including puzzle, action and arcade, card and board and word games.

Online materials and e-mail blasts support.