AS the world’s largest social media website/company, Facebook is an inextricable part of the gaming world.
Whether it’s discussing strategies, looking for a clan to game with, reading/watching reviews (say, the ones from us at GOA), or just sharing funny memes, it’s a pretty safe bet large numbers of people are indeed using the Meta-owned platform as part of the regular gaming experience.
That numbers appear to back that up too – According to the latest figures from Facebook, more than 700 million people globally engage with gaming content on the platform; and Australians make up a significant part of that.
Facebook Gaming is an Android/iOS app from the social media giant specialising in – wait for it – gaming, and launched last year, partly in response to the fact so many people are on Facebook to talk about all things gaming and connect with content creators and streamers.
Facebook Gaming themselves describe the app thus:
The Facebook Gaming app designed to offer a deeper experience around Facebook Gaming content and new features specifically made for gamers. The Gaming tab will continue to exist, and we view both the tab and app as complementary experiences.
The app’s Go Live feature allows people to stream mobile games on their phones directly to Facebook in a matter of seconds. For Gaming creators streaming from their desktop, content from their gaming video creator Pages and Groups are available for fans to find in the app.
So, no additional steps are needed to stream if creators currently have a following built up on Facebook.
More and more gaming creators are sharing their content on Facebook Gaming. Now, mobile games can be streamed directly to Facebook Page through the app’s Go Live feature, allowing gaming creators to share content in the app directly from their Pages and Groups.
The Top 5 most streamed games from Facebook Gaming creators in Australia in October 2021, in order of popularity, were Call of Duty: Warzone, PUBG Mobile, Fortnite, Minecraft, and Call of Duty: Mobile.
Across the Tasman, the top five were Fortnite, PUBG Mobile, Call of Duty: Warzone, Call of Duty: Mobile, and New World.
According to Facebook Gaming, there were more than 780,000 interactions on gaming video content in Australia during October, while our friends in NZ interacted with gaming content more than 280,000 times in the same period.
Meta Australia-Pacific head of gaming video Michael Rose said the app had been incredibly successful in the region and the company was committed in its support to the platform.
“Asia Pacific has grown into one of the most popular regions for Facebook Gaming, driven in large part by the popularity of gaming videos and creators,” he said.
At Meta, we are committed to support Australian and New Zealander creators in building a strong community and create meaningful interaction with their fans, while at the same time, providing multiple ways for these creators to build a business that best suits their content and audience.”
As part of the continuing development of Facebook Gaming, the platform has also announced the launch of Pac-Man Community.
They are at pains to point out that “This isn’t your parents’ Pac-Man” (though the complete classic version of that is playable as an Easter egg), going on to say it “connects players, gaming video creators, viewers, and world builders together in fun new ways”.
Per the official announcement:
“Play solo or through real-time co-op multiplayer in groups up to four, working together to complete each maze while still competing against each other for the highest point total.
In addition to Pac-Man Community’s built-in mazes, players can create their own levels and challenges through the Maze Creator tool for endless replayability.
The game also includes a Watch tab, powered by Facebook Interactives, which will feature Facebook Gaming creators streaming the game live.
Watch mode turns mazes into 3D streams powered by Unreal Engine, where viewers can interact directly with the video player to pick a side and power up the AI Pac-Man or Ghosts in competition with each other. Think of it as a perpetual interactive Pac-Man watch party.”
Coming later in the beta, by interacting with a streamer’s session, viewers can work collectively
toward global unlocks for the Maze Creator tool. When a streamer isn’t live, the watch tab will feature AI characters, just like an arcade machine that isn’t being played.
Through the new Play with Streamer feature, Facebook Gaming creators can invite their communities directly from their livestream to join them in-game to play or spectate. Player-created mazes will be featured inside the game daily, and community-oriented challenges plus mazes curated and cultivated by streamers’ communities are coming in the near future.”
It certainly sounds like an interesting take on a classic game and one that’s well suited to a mobile audience too – you can watch the video here: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=614718729839529
