Facebook has long been trying to segregate its instant messaging service, Facebook Messenger app, from its social networking app and website, Facebook. Facebook wants its messaging service to compete with other popular ones like WhatsApp. Messenger has over 600 million users and now the company tries to keep all those people on the app with launching games.
Although Facebook launched its first round of apps back in March but no games were included in the lineup. A new game has exclusively been launched to play within the messenger app for iOS and Android. Previously, Messenger’s apps were limited to gif apps, meme apps, photo and video apps where you can send memes, gifs and videos to friends.
But now the first game for Facebook Messenger has been included and it is called as Doodle Draw. It suggests a word, then you draw it on the screen and share it on Facebook or friends on Messenger. Your friends will try to fill in the blanks and guess what you have created. The app is more or less a copy of Draw Something, a game which was very popular in 2012. It itself is a copy of game called Pictionary where one person draws something and others has to guess.
Including games in the messaging app is an initiative to keep users engaged when they don’t really want to chat and this will offer another revenue stream for the company. Competing chat clients like Line and Kakao are generating good revenues by suggesting games to their users. Line is used to send text messages and make voice calls, but is incredibly popular as a game-distribution platform. Developers want to put their games out through Line as it is very popular in Japan.
Facebook, with its extensive reach and history with game developers, make a move into this part of the market. Now that Facebook has opened up the Messenger platform for all third-party developers, second and third games can soon be expected. Games could certainly make Messenger more fun to use but at the same time, get ready for more annoying invitations and notifications on your profile.
You can download the game from App Store or Google Play Store and then will find the game in Messenger’s overflow menu, alongside the popular utility apps.
Do you like the idea of Facebook including games in the Messenger app? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
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