Emeryville-based social games start-up Gravity Bear recently announced a partnership with SQLstream to bring real-time analytic technologies to social games.

According to their press release, SQLstream will allow for "real-time monitoring of virtual ecosystems and economies, placing Gravity Bear at the forefront of an all-new market opportunity that delivers game content to social networks faster and more efficiently than previously possible."

“Our strategic partnership with SQLstream will enable Gravity Bear to measure and understand how players are interacting with our games in real-time and respond faster than ever, delivering the online experience that players really want from social gaming," said Phil Shenk, co-founder and CEO of Gravity Bear.

It's great to see analytics used in this way, and I hope Gravity Bear will dedicate some time to following fan forums and blogs, in addition. Zynga and Playfish, for example, run very active forums, where players can ask, praise and vent about the games' features. Playfish's Pet Society forum has seen over 2.5 million posts, and even smaller forums begun by fans, such as Petsocietychatandtrade.com has over 2000 active members.

And the blogs... well, I may be a tad biased, but a new wave of fan bloggers really have the pulse on the games and the way people are using them in unexpected ways that surprise even the designers.

So fellas, if you really want to know what the players are thinking—yes, some gamers do think—go to where they're talking.