Social game maker Mind Candy named Top 10 British tech media company

The London-based firm behind 15-million-member strong social game Moshi Monsters has been named one of Great Britain's top tech media companies by The Guardian.

The newspaper's Tech Media Invest 100 recognized Mind Candy as one of the best of the 100 companies they "picked for their innovation and creativity over the past year."

Moshi Monsters presents a brightly colored virtual world where children can adopt and interact with cute pet monsters, as well as other players. While the Moshi Monsters network has been referred to as "Facebook for children," the game deserves note for finding a network of players outside of Facebook's seemingly all-encompassing grip on social gaming.

Separately, The Guardian also recognized Playfish as a "trailblazer" company that others in the market should emulate. "You have to be comfortable with failure and celebrate the initiative of trying new things," Playfish CEO Kristian Segerstrale said by way of advice for companies trying to make their mark. "The heroes are the folks who take risks that worked out, but we still celebrate the risks that don't. We're a richer company as a result."

Also on the list: nDreams, which is known for publishing social and alternate reality gaming experiences on alternative platforms such as PlayStation Home.

Dunkin' Donuts pushes its brand with a free Sims Social Lawn Chair

Dunkin' Donuts strikes again in The Sims Social. On top of all the free fan gifts from Playfish and EA rolling out daily on the game's official fan page, the American coffee-and-donuts chain has chipped in for the first Sims Social-branded virtual item in the form of an exclusive Dunkin' Donuts Lawn Chair.

To get the chair, you've got to 'like' the official Dunkin' Donuts Facebook page here and then head over to the section of the page titled "DD & The Sims Social".

Owning the lawn chair adds 250 points to your house value, which is a modest, but no small amount. It also sells for 15 Simoleons, which is chump change, but hey, free furniture! And lastly, the chair comes with a bit of extra animation.

Just click on the chair, and your Sim will get the option to "Sit" or "Drink Dunkin' Donuts Coffee". So kick back, and watch your Sim lie down on the chair to sip from a steamy cup.
Dunkin Donuts Sims Social Lawn Chair
Do you enjoy branded goods in games? Do you think it makes them more realistic

The Sims Social team is thankful, like really thankful, you're still here

Jeez, when do the boxes of tissues start going around? Either the folks at Playfish really love their The Sims Social fans, or they're really scared of the thought of them leaving. A few members of the game's design and community team have expressed what they love the most about fans of The Sims Social, the number of which has been dwindling for some time.

"Where would we be without your creativity, enthusiasm and general awesome? Nowhere good, that's for sure," The Sims Social designer Mark writes. "Probably wandering the streets aimlessly dreaming of what could have been. Thank you to all our fans, we appreciate it."

Other notables from the Playfish team touted The Sims Social players' feedback on the forums, strange stories that they share and the creations they've come up with. There's no doubt that the Playfish and EA teams working on The Sims Social are genuinely thankful for their players, but this level of ... mushiness is unprecedented in online games. Maybe it's just the teams' style?

The Sims Social has been in decline for some time, just recently losing its number two spot to the old runner-up king FarmVille. The game now hosts 30 million monthly and 5.9 million daily players, according to AppData, and the downward slope has only stemmed off over the weekend. We have some ideas for how the game can reclaim its former glory. But for now, the Playfish team wants you players to know how much they love you, so please, don't leave.

Are you still digging The Sims Social since its release this summer? What do you think the game needs to reclaim its number two spot back from FarmVille?