For years, the words “ Facebook” and “gaming” were more likely to evoke memories of an aunt’s dusty Words With Friends invitation than anything else. And for years, Facebook has been on a journey to change, or at least broaden, its stodgy reputation among gamers young and old with its game-streaming platform, virtual reality technology, and push into cloud gaming.
As part of that many-pronged adventure into the $120 billion games industry, Facebook launched its Facebook Gaming app today, where users can both pick back up that old Words With Friends game and watch their fifth or sixth-favorite Call of Duty streamer click heads. It’s an ambitious app aimed at helping you produce and interact with gaming content just as much as you consume it, yet in its early stages, doesn’t do any one thing well enough to feel competitive.
Facebook Gaming arrives earlier than originally planned for Android, as the company tries to catch the waves of bored quarantined users flocking to both games and gaming entertainment content, The New York Times reports. (It will release on iOS once Apple approves it.) When you first open the app, it asks you to select some of your favorite games, and then suggests some streamers to follow. It has a news feed tab displaying clips, videos, and posts from gaming groups like regular Facebook; a tab for playing popular Facebook games like OMG and Nametests; a tab for watching or discovering livestreams; and a tab for messages. Camera buttons sit on both the bottom right and top left of the main page for livestreaming yourself playing mobile games installed on your phone.
Facebook Gaming’s offerings alternate uncomfortably between products pitched to people who might watch esports on Twitch and those tilted to the more casual Words With Friends crowd. Both ride on the heels of previous Facebook products: For over
