14 DAY TRIAL // Google's brand new social network service, Google+, has just received a new feature in the form of games you can play, adding lots of popular experiences like the ubiquitous Angry Birds or Bejeweled, but also more immersive experiences like Dragon Age Legends or Zynga Poker.
Google+ is quickly shaping up to be a formidable opponent to the likes of Facebook, and, while we've seen a lot of people flock to the social network, things are bound to get even more interesting, as Google has now added a 'Games' section to its service.
Facebook is quite popular but what really made it the preferred pastime of office workers and people from all around the world was the large number of games. Now, Google+ can boast the same thing but, as usual, done in a slightly improved way, in order to not make playing games or seeing friends playing that annoying.
"Today we’re adding games to Google+," said Google's senior VP of engineering, Vic Gundotra. "With the Google+ project, we want to bring the nuance and richness of real-life sharing to the web. But sharing is about more than just conversations. The experiences we have together are just as important to our relationships. We want to make playing games online just as fun, and just as meaningful, as playing in real life."
"That means giving you control over when you see games, how you play them and with whom you share your experiences. Games in Google+ are there when you want them and gone when you don’t."
The Games section in Google+ is being rolled out right now, but it will take some time before every user can engage in the experiences featured within. Gundotra described just how users of the social network will be able to interact with the games inside the service.
"When you’re ready to play, the Games page is waiting—click the games button at the top of your stream. You can see the latest game updates from your circles, browse the invites you’ve received and check out games that people you know have played recently. The Games page is also where your game accomplishments will appear. So you can comfortably share your latest high score—your circles will only see the updates when they’re interested in playing games too. If you’re not interested in games, it’s easy to ignore them. Your stream will remain focused on conversations with the people you care about."
The titles that are included in the first wave of Google+ games include: Angry Birds, Bejeweled Blitz, Bubble Island, City of Wonder, Collapse! Blast, Crime City, Diamond Dash, Dragon Age Legends, Dragon of Atlantis, Edge World, Flood-It!, Monster World, Sudoku, Wild Ones, Zombie Lane, Zynga Poker.
Has the addition of games made Google+ an interesting alternative to Facebook or are you still unconvinced of Google's social network? Share your thoughts below.