Players make friends at Winster gaming site
Author:
Jackie DiMarzo
Date:
May 6, 2011
Section: LIFE
It used to be family members and dear friends lived close by, on the same block, in the same apartment building or
right next door in a duplex house. A simple ring on the telephone would have the whole gang over for a game of
cards or monopoly on a Friday or Saturday night.
It seems like those days are long gone. It's hard for people to schedule time to get together for a game of poker or
even just a cup of coffee. People are retiring later in life, trying to pay off mortgages, help their grown children with
bills or babysitting, or dealing with health problems.
While the younger generations are flocking to Facebook, the baby boomers have been slower to do so. Enter
Winster, a social networking website that combines traditional, well-loved games such as bingo, poker, Sudoku and
even slot machines, with an opportunity to play alongside other people, who over time, just might become friends.
"It seems to me most online games are better suited for young men that like to slay monsters or make touchdowns,"
Winster co-founder Michelle Kaplan said. "But I'm just not like that. I socialize with my friends by helping them, not
competing with them."
In 2004, Kaplan, who is in her mid-40s, got the idea to build a different kind of game -- one where people cooperate,
rather than compete, to help each other win. Working with her husband, Winster CEO and co-founder Jerry Kaplan,
59, a computer engineer, she came up with a new type of game where people win prizes faster if they work together.
The result was Winster.com.
Carol Daly of Poughkeepsie started playing Winster in February 2010. "I've been playing on and off since then, but
(have played) every night in the last three months," she said. Daly, who opts for the free membership offered by
Winster, gets 200 spins per day on her favorite game, "Slot Social," which looks and feels like a traditional slot
machine. As for the social aspect, "I've developed friendships with a few people and meet one in particular every
night online to play," she said.
"Winster is more like a coffee klatch than a game site," Kaplan explained. "People make new friends quickly and
easily because they aren't trying to beat each other. Helping out other people is much more fun than you might think."
"Our community consists of stay-at-home-moms, caregivers, retirees, widowers, military wives, and people who are
homebound due to illness," said Kim Hong, manager of community and communications for Winster.
"The community does tend to skew on the slightly older side," said Hong and "approximately 80 percent are women,
although more men have started to join lately," she said.
"Social media sites can be a powerful ally for an older adult," said Lawrence T. Force, professor of psychology and
director of the Center on Aging and Policy at Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh. "The value of connections
(although virtual with a social media site) can add a sense of belonging and connecting across the lifespan," he said.
"Sites like Winster.com provide increased opportunities for socialization. Virtual or face-to-face interactions, although
different in nature, have the ability to create 'the power of presence,' " he explained.
Laura Hall of Poughkeepsie is a stay-at-home mother of a 5-year-old boy with special needs. She found Winster by
chance about a year and a half ago.
"I was looking online for games to play, and I stumbled upon it. I played it, and I was hooked," she explained. She has
friends she's met on Winster who now cyber-meet each morning at 8 a.m. with coffee to play Slot Social together.
"We play jackpot with it. We take turns getting jackpots, and we talk while we play. We're pretty fast, so we can type
and talk," she explained.
"There's one person in particular, from Pennsylvania, that I've been playing with for a year, and we've grown really
close," Hall said, adding, "I consider her to be one of my best friends, and I want to meet her someday. Other people
seem to like playing with the two of us, and they find our banter back and forth very funny," she explained. "So other
people keep coming into our little group after playing with us once or twice," she said.
Hall agreed that the site does seem to attract the baby boom generation.
"For the most part, yes, there are lot of older people that I play with," she said.
One thing about Winster that might appeal to the older generation is the combination of online social interaction while
still keeping your personal details private.
"Unlike younger generations, who are more accustomed to sharing personal information about their identity and their
whereabouts, the older generation doesn't want to provide real information online," Hong said. "(They) are more
comfortable in an environment that provides anonymity and privacy," she explained, adding, "Also, since older users
may not have hundreds and thousands of friends on Facebook, they want the opportunity to develop new friendships
with like-minded people in a fun, safe and friendly environment, like Winster."
"Social media sites, for individuals of any age, can provide opportunities for increased interest and the development
of new relationships," Force said. "With a specific focus on older adults, social media sites provide these
opportunities at your fingertips. Participation on social media sites 'bring the connections to the person,' therefore, the
issues of ambulation, transportation and any other variables that are required for membership to a community are
eliminated," he added.
Does it cost anything to play?
"Although we do offer paid memberships on our game site, many of our longtime players have been non-paying
players for years," Hong said. "However, for those who want more daily spins, more points faster to win prizes, no
commercial interruptions, and the opportunity to create private rooms, they can purchase a monthly membership for
$4.99," she explained.
Currently, Winster offers gift cards for Amazon.com and Walmart, movie tickets, gift certificates for popular
restaurants, subscriptions to top magazines, and credits for virtual goods from the Winster Gift Shop.
"Social media sites are not an item of the future -- but rather a commodity of the present. However, as with joining
any group, neighborhood or community good judgment and discretion should be incorporated into your decision,"
Force said. "And finally, with our interest and our ability to develop new technological platforms, the future for these
applications is unlimited. Today, it is the social media sites ... tomorrow it is the interaction with holograms. Stay
tuned ..." he quipped.
Jackie DiMarzo is a freelance writer. Reach her at [email protected].
Abstract: Enter Winster, a social networking website that combines traditional, well-loved games such as bingo,
poker, Sudoku and even slot machines, with an opportunity to play alongside other people, who over time, just might
become friends. "Social media sites can be a powerful ally for an older adult," said Lawrence T. Force, professor of
psychology and director of the Center on Aging and Policy at Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh.