You can now play “Pac-Man” with your Facebook Messenger buddies.
Facebook is adding the option to play games with your contacts on the messaging app beginning Tuesday. You can access the feature in the latest version of the app by tapping a game controller icon.
“We are launching Instant Games, a new HTML5 cross-platform gaming experience, on Messenger and Facebook News Feed for both mobile and web. This new games experience allows people to easily discover, share, and play games without having to install new apps,” Facebook explained in a blog post.
Games available include classics such as “Pac-Man,” ”Space Invaders” and “Galaga,” as well as newer titles like “Words With Friends.” It’s the latest effort by the world’s biggest social network to get people to spend even more time on its properties.
How it works
From Facebook:
“Instant Games on Messenger, which can be accessed through the new game controller icon just below where people type a message, offers a fun and social experience featuring score-based games, leaderboards, and group thread conversations to challenge and compete against anyone on Messenger. Instant Games can also be played on Facebook News Feed, enabling a seamless cross-platform experience where people can discover new games through recommendations, posts, challenges, and the Facebook Pages of individual games. A dedicated Instant Games bookmark is also available on Facebook where people can view and instantly replay all their favorite titles they previously enjoyed across both platforms. Players have complete control of their gameplay experience — sharing scores only with the people they’re playing with in Messenger. Instant Games is currently available in 30 countries for iOS v8 or later and Android v5 or later.”
Read more at:
https://developers.facebook.com/blog/post/2016/11/29/instant-games-closed-beta/
Game recommendations
Messenger has a billion users. The app will recommend games based on whether your friends play. Currently there is no way to play with people who are not your Messenger contacts, so if your friends don’t like to play games, you are out of luck.
Called “Instant Games,” the feature will begin in 30 countries, with 17 titles, though more will come. In addition to Messenger, users can also play solo games in their Facebook news feed.
Facebook tested the waters with two simple Messenger games earlier this year — soccer and basketball, both of which involved flicking balls on the screen with your finger. They proved popular.
Facebook has a long history with gaming, which began with “FarmVille” years ago when people logged in using desktop computers. But since then, Facebook gaming has sort of fallen by the wayside, even as mobile games from “Candy Crush” to “Pokemon Go” have remained popular. Facebook hopes to change that with its Instant Games.
The games themselves are simple to play, and like the earlier soccer and basketball games, load inside Messenger and don’t open in a separate app.
Video
Watch a demo video at:
