Google+ Games Stream now real time, updates mimic Facebook

Google+ Games just got a little bit better ... or just more like Facebook games. (Zing!) Google+ Product Manager Satyajeet Salgar just announced that the Google+ Games Stream has gone real time. This means that, rather than having to refresh the Stream to see gaming updates from your friends, they'll appear before you as they happen. For speedier reading, keyboard shortcuts work when perusing the Games Stream, too.

Frankly, this sounds an awful lot like the recent Games Ticker addition to the Facebook games Canvas. The second update to Google+ Games is the brand new ability to add your own personalized comments to updates you share with friends. Again, this is something players could in Facebook games for awhile now.

Finally, game notifications will appear in the Google+ Bar lining the top of users' web pages just below the address bar. Bonus: If they're annoying, you can just mute them. (Double Bonus: Google added Kabam's Global Warfare to Google+ Games in addition to Zynga's CityVille earlier this week.)

Granted, these changes are likely welcome by Google+ gamers with open arms, but their Facebook counterparts either have existed for quite some time or were recently added. In defense of Google+, however, Facebook arguably made a lot of its recent changes to the games Canvas in response to its new arch nemesis. And something tell us this slap battle is far from over. Check out Salgar detail the changes below.


[Via The Next Web]

What do you think of the recent changes to Google+ Games? Where do you see the fight between Facebook and Google in the games space going? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment

Google+ opens its doors to all, but (hopefully) mostly social gamers

The proverbial veil has been lifted, everyone. Google+ is finally open to the public, meaning anyone can join Google's social network regardless of whether they've been invited through a friend. More importantly, this means the service, which soft-launched back in August to a controlled amount of users through invites, is open to even more social gamers than before.

Granted, there are only 16 games so far on Google+ Games. But surely the company hopes, that with an influx of potential players, that developers will become even more interested in Google as a social gaming destination. However, there are several arguably basic social features that aren't yet a part of the Google+ developer API, or application programming interface.

Namely, the posts that players can push through to the Games Stream from a Google+ game are not interactive. This means that the viral nature of social gaming is severely hindered on the network--players cannot directly help one another through the Games Stream like the can through the Facebook News Feed. This essentially thwarts what is popularly believed to give social games their name.

At the moment, players can only post general updates such as, "I scored 5 bajillion points in Bejeweled Blitz!" However, Rovio played somewhat of a smarter game with Angry Birds on Google+ Games, and introduced a friend gate to most of its content, meaning players have to add so many friends to access new levels. Luckily, Google has already stated that it's working to introduce more robust features over time.

Regardless, omissions like this serve as proof that Google+ Games, while impressive in its scope, ambition and support, is still a nascent gaming platform when put up against competitors like Facebook. With this news, perhaps the race Google+ is running has changed track to whether Google+ Games can keep up with the demands and needs of its players, rather than its competitors.

[Via Inside Social Games]

Have you tried out Google+ Games yet? Do you think, after what you experienced, that Google has a chance at competing in the social games world? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment

Google+ releases API to developers, more social games incoming

Google+ Games is cool with its no-nonsense interface and all, but the sad fact is that it only has 16 games. Compare that to the thousands of Facebook games out there, and it's clear that Google has to do something to compete with that selection. Enter the Google+ API, which was just recently released to developers, and could lead to a plethora of more Google+ Games.

The acronym API is short for Application Programming Interface, meaning it contains the tools for developers to create new applications within a given framework--in this case being Google+. Wired reports that Google will steadily release its developer API, meaning that it will be some time before it's feature-complete. And the features not yet included are, well, kinda vital.

For instance, at the moment developers can only create apps that publish read-only public posts. For instance, if a developer like Zynga released a new social game today on Google+ Games, your friends would not be able to interact with the News Feed posts you create. You all already likely know that this is essentially the bread and butter of Facebook games. It's how things get done in-game aside from directly requesting help from friends.

The reasoning for the omission? According to PC World, Google's Eric Chabot explains that this is because the company would rather improve Google+ over time, rather open up a "vacuum" with too many features at once. I'm not sure adding simple post-sharing interactivity would create a vacuum for the platform, but it's a first step nonetheless. What Google+ Games has to deal with more in its competition with Facebook's wide offering of games is scale. The bell rings on Round 2.

[Source: Google+ Platform Blog]

Do you think developers will flock to Google+ Games, even with a limited API at launch? Does Google+ Games have a chance against Facebook's Canvas platform for games? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment