First it was Friendster. Then it was MySpace. Now it’s Facebook, Digg, LinkedIn, Twitter, and the list goes on and on. The backbone of the Web 2.0 movement has been all about social networking, and it’s pretty much professional suicide to exist on the Internet in this day and age without getting involved in it.

Videogames are no exception. Microsoft has been on the gaming forefront with its implementation of the Xbox Live Gamer Card, which has been aped unabashedly by Playstation – and largely ignored altogether by Nintendo. Ironically Microsoft succeeded on the console front but failed miserably with the implementation of Games for Windows Live on the PC; whereas Valve Software’s Steam service is considered the de facto standard for the PC gaming community. The problem here is these are three separate, closed communities.

Looks like J Allard was on to something, though. In a 2.0 world where individuals are aggregated and propagated through the tubes like yesterday’s dinner (yes, I did go there), social networking in videogames can only succeed if users are able to live well beyond the limitations of their consoles. That is where sites like gamerDNA and Rupture come in. Unlike Steam Community, which is exclusive to PC gaming, gamerDNA and Rupture pull together these separate gaming networks, such as XBL, Playstation Network and Steam, to create an overall gaming profile for a user; but more importantly provide additional social features to connect gamers across the Web.

Having used both services for a few weeks, the nod for the better service right now goes to gamerDNA for how it allows users to find others based on the games they enjoy, not just their current gaming activity. For example, I can browse all users who have Wipeout XL on their games list, and determine from their overall profile if I’m interested in adding them as a friend. I can take “quizzes”, which, like some crazy concoction of pipes, beakers and bunson burners one would find in a Mad Scientists laboratory, compiles the results to determine my player personality, as well as connect me with gamers who share similar personality traits. There’s the Twitter-like Shout Box, I can comment on any experiences aggregated from my external gaming networks, and all this can be broadcast back out through the web via Twitter, tumblr or RSS. Most important, gamerDNA has the biggest and most accessible community between the two services, which is imperative if you’re looking to connect with other gamers.

I’ve compiled a list of features between the two sites in the table below. If you’re at all interested, feel free to add me as a friend here and here.

[UPDATE] gamerDNA’s own Sam Houston dropped by with a couple of corrections regarding World of Warcraft and Warhammer Online integration in the form of dynamic signatures. I’ve added this information to the table below. Thanks Sam!