Google gets its game on

Google has announced its entry into the games market via a job posting on its web site. The role of “Product Manager, Games”, will be based at Google’s Mountain View HQ and comes with a fairly broadly defined job description suggesting that the company’s strategy is very much in its infancy.

Describing the position as a “rare opportunity to grow a brand-new business – Games at Google!” the advert says the company is looking for someone capable of designing strategies for game distribution and discovery, suggesting that a mobile play will form a significant component of the strategy. It’s not clear whether any initial launched will be Android or Chrome based.

Social gaming, privacy and virality are also mentioned, as are the ubiquitous content deals – none of which are likely to evoke a surprised response to industry watchers, who have long anticipated a social gaming venture coming out of Mountain View.

Google’s approach to expanding its social reach is an increasingly layered one. The search company has rolled out personalisation features, including its recent +1 recommendation tool that allows Google to use social connections to disseminate personalised, shared recommendations among a users friends, Gmail or GoogleTalk lists. Earlier this month, the company announced the open sourcing of its WebRTC framework for real-time browser-based video and audio communications. At the time, Google said its intention was to “make the browser the hone for innovation in real time communications.”

When CEO Larry Page resumed his position at the helm of the company in April, a memo was issued to all Google employees stating that the company viewed social applications as key to its future success and strategy. The company is reported to have gone to the lengths of linking employee bonuses to Google’s success in the social media space.