There’s an argument that the cultural value of a game can be defined not by the units it sells or the money it makes, but on the impact it has on the way we do things. In this case, on the way we play.

And that’s certainly what’s happened with the first raft of Facebook Messenger games. It’s not that they’ve given us any revolutionary gaming experiences, it’s that they’ve shifted the concept of play into a completely different sphere.

Essentially they’ve grasped two of the most important mobile gaming trends of the past couple of years - asynchronicity and social - and then wrapped them up inside the entrails of an app most of us use on a daily basis.

And that’s fundamentally changed the number of steps in the process of playing. It’s removed barriers that, while not exactly annoying, stood between anyone wanting to challenge their friends and seeing that dream come to fruition.

I’ve probably put considerable more time into the likes of Everwing and Words With Friends simply because they’re so easy to jump into. And you’re regularly notified when a friend beats you, while being pushed straight back into the app to try and rise to their challenge.

It’s an app that you’ve already got installed as well, and the games are easily reachable from any conversation. There’s no double tier recommendation here - because whenever anyone challenges you the notification is there waiting for you. A couple of taps and you’re playing.

There are clever twists in the games themselves as well. They remember your progress, letting you get tougher and more capable the deeper you get into them. So there’s always a reason to keep going, to try and make sure your character is more powerful than the people you’re playing against.

There are shades of what Game Center should be in all of this, as well as the Chinese social networks where much of Asian gaming happens, but this is the first time the concept has really bitten in the West.

And it’s shocking to think that it’s taken so long for us to get here. All the pieces have been in place for a while, but it’s taken the might of Facebook to actually squish them together into an experience that works.

Which is why, for me, the biggest mobile gaming revolution in 2016 had nothing to do with Apple, Google, or any app store. It had to do with a simple idea that brings people together in a brand new way. And I’m excited to see what new concepts come to the platform in 2017.