Gaming was once ripe with solitude and individualism. Sure, there were multiplayer games, but that required people to be playing on the same console or computer with joysticks attached to the same device. They either took turns or played with each other, depending on the game. In the last decade and a half, network connections, the internet, and social media have changed the face of gaming forever.

Social media in particular has drawn a lot of interest in recent years because of the way that it is attracting a larger demographic. Nearly 60% of gamers play with friends. One-third play with siblings, and one-fourth play with spouses or parents.

MMOs are massive (as the name says) with World of Warcraft holding 11.1 million subscribers as of June, 2011. With Star Wars: The Old Republic bringing the Jedi to the MMO world, the social gaming world is about to get bigger. Here’s an interview with SWTOR Lead Designer Emanuel Lusinchi:

The infographic below by our friends at Rounds breaks down how the evolution of social gaming has taken place. Click to enlarge.