Social Network Hi5 Gets Its Game On

Hi5 is getting in touch with its inner gamer. After a multiyear struggle to keep users from defecting to rivals, the social network is reinventing itself as a social gaming and entertainment site.

Founded in 2003, hi5 will keep letting users interact with friends and family. It will also place greater emphasis on such games as pool, bingo, and Demolition City, which involves blowing up buildings around the world. Many of the pastimes include purchasing so-called virtual goods, in-game products that help a player accomplish tasks and graduate to higher levels.