Facebook Gaming Tournaments Let People Play Apart Together Competitively
Next to streaming, the gaming market has experienced a sudden surge of activity and sales thanks to people being cooped up at home. But contrary to stereotypes, many gamers have social inclinations, sometimes even a competitive bent. E-sports isn't the only way gamers can pit their skills against one another and Facebook is introducing one more to the mix with Facebook Gaming's early access Tournaments that Facebook hopes will encourage "friendly competition".
Yes, in case you have forgotten Facebook has its own social gaming platform. It's more Twitch than Steam, though, more for building social hubs around games, which includes live streaming games. Most social hubs grow and thrive in an atmosphere of peace and harmony but games often bond just as strongly over some competition.
That's the kind of social interaction that Facebook is now trying to push via Tournaments. In a nutshell, it's pretty much a way to hold and join virtual contests which can take many forms depending on the game. It can be a simple double-elimination format or going round-robin. There can be brackets and leaderboards and "everything in between".
What makes Facebook Gaming Tournaments unique is actually its breadth and integration with Facebook Gaming's core feature. It covers anything from simple casual tourneys to huge esports showdowns. Facebook Gaming creators can live stream tournaments and even raise money for charities at the same time.
📣Launch announcement...📣🎮🧵
1/ Social distancing means we have to be apart, but games can still bring us together. So today we're opening early access to Facebook Gaming tournaments, a feature to help people stay connected through games. pic.twitter.com/rYOIXBcIHS
— Facebook Gaming (@FacebookGaming) April 7, 2020
Facebook Gaming Tournaments is currently only available as early access and seems to be designed for a much bigger launch. The social media giant, however, might have stepped up the release schedule to take advantage of the downtime people now have and to keep them safely tucked inside their houses and inside virtual worlds.