Google announced today a G+ integrated Google Play Games app for Android, which allows players to browse games, view achievements and find others to play in real time multiplayer.The announcement came as part of a flurry of other Android and Chrome product releases and upgrades including a refreshed Nexus 7 and low-cost television dongle dubbed the Chromecast. What we're really excited about though is the new Google Play Games app for Android. Why? Because Google+ is perfectly integrated into the app, and it makes for a stellar online gaming experience for players.
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| View what games the people in your circles are playing and more |
- Discover great games
- Play with your friends, and see what they're playing
- Join multiplayer games
- Track your achievements
- Compare scores with other players
Features included in the app which haven't been included in the official description include getting recommended games in the app, all based on what you've played recently and one or two other factors.
"Google Play Games app is the easiest way for you to discover new games, track achievements and scores, and play with friends around the world. It brings all your gaming on Google Play together in a unified Android experience." - GoogleObviously, the app is deeply tied into the Google Play ecosystem (hence the name branding), and all your achievements, history and played games are stored on your Google account. One less thing to worry about if you misplace or break your Android device.
The Plus Stuff
Because Google+ has been heavily integrated into Google Play Games Services, using the service will require you to create a Google+ account, which is no worry for most of you reading this.
To play a realtime multiplayer game with someone you know, you'll need to add them to your circles, which Google has made really easy as you can add suggested people to your circles from within the app itself. Nice!
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| Add suggested people to your circles right from the comfort of the Play Games app |
When you've installed/played some Play Games Services compatible games, you'll be able to see a list of recently played games and other information from "My Activity", which is accessible via the navigation menu.
To view a list of players which you've added to your circles, just tap on "Players". From there, you'll be able to check out the most recent players and what game they've played last, thanks to the game's icon displayed on the bottom right of their profile photo. You can also access people you may want to add to your circles from here.
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| Google+ is the social layer for Play Games |
Player profiles consist of the profile photo, an as-of-yet unconfigurable cover photo, recently played games and a big button to view their profile on Google+. Also displayed is the circle you have put the player in (if any), tapping on the circle will allow you to move or remove them from your circles. Player profiles also display how long it has been since they last played a game. Useful or creepy, we'll let you hash this one out in the comments...
With users waiting for Google's answer to Apple's Game Center ever since they announced the framework at Google I/O 2013 back in May, I can imagine that a lot of people are happy that they've now got what they've been waiting for.. It has got all the features a modern game ecosystem should have: Achievements, online multiplayer and leaderboards. It's a Google gamer's dream!
Google+ is the foundation of the service, and there's no doubt that we'll see further integration and added social features in the future (Hangouts support anyone?).
Download
If you have yet to download Play Games to your Android device, we've made it easy for you by providing a download link which will take you straight to the apps page on Google Play. You're welcome.
