One of the biggest problems with FarmVille, Pet Society and other social games is that the only place to play them is on a computer. Some games, like Mafia Wars, have migrated to iPhone, but it's a completely separate experience from the game you've most likely sunk hours into on Facebook already. For those of us who want to play whether we're at home or on the go -- the options are limited.
One company, the CA-based
Sibblingz, tells
Venture Beat it will make "universal social gaming" a reality sooner than later. The company's off-the-shelf platform will allow developers to create (and monetize) free social games across iPhone, Facebook and a separate Web site.

Other companies have created universal game platforms, but Sibblingz focuses solely on social games where people are playing the most. Right now, you can see this new cross-platform gaming in action on a game called
Little Monsters from CrowdStar (note: the iPhone version doesn't appear to be working yet), the company behind other chart-topping social games, such as
Happy Pets and
Happy Aquarium and
Restaurant Life.
In the meantime, we'll be waiting patiently until that glorious day when we'll finally be able to tend to our virtual farms, pets and mobsters whenever, wherever. Maybe it'll be here sooner than we think.