With the iPhone and even Blackberry opening the floodgates of user-generated content, the entertainment market has been turned on its head. What was once a Friday night 4-ticket affair can become a $3.99 on-demand download for use on the Bus.

And looking at the open ecosystem of the iPhone or Facebook application platform, what do we see? Games/Messaging/Dating as the top categories (appdata.com) of applications. It's quite obvious that fast-paced casual entertainment is here to stay, and I wager that within that scope, social games will emerge to address a brand new demographic traditionally blind to gaming.

And we haven't even hit the tip of the iceburg with these light, social games. But the first light is clear. Check them out:

www.zynga.com

www.playfish.com