The world's largest social network is one of the main communication channels on the Web, but it is also an entertainment platform for millions of users. Its casual games range from addictive to irritating, especially when the barrage of requests begins. After a few months in beta, Facebook gave the green light and released Gameroom, a sort of pseudo-Steam whose goal is to bring some of its games to desktop systems.
The Steam Challenge
Steam is in a position that is currently basically impossible to assault. I admit it still has many sharp edges, among them the poor performance of the official client and the calamity of Early Access, but anyone wanting to buy a game quickly and simply, Steam is the first option. How do you compete with that? Well, maybe the word is not "compete", but nothing prevents adopting a similar model with another kind of content.
That brings us to Facebook and its online games. The casual profile of these games is undeniable, and it is not hard to imagine millions of people playing a few minutes a day. Now, let's think about a dedicated environment for all those games that inhabit the social network. That environment is Gameroom.
Installation and Setup
The official page gives us a download button that actually doesn't deliver the full client, but a simple launcher, which is responsible for obtaining the necessary files. Although I will never fully understand this constant rejection of "offline installers" by certain companies, it's only a minor detail. Once installed, Gameroom obviously requests a Facebook account (new or existing), and in a few seconds the available titles appear. Some games are quite small and run immediately, but others come close to reaching the maximum limit allowed in Gameroom, which is 200 megabytes. Developers have several resources at their disposal to move their projects from Unity to Facebook Gameroom, and next year, version 5.6 of the engine will enable direct export.
The Experience: Poor
What can we say about the experience? One word: Poor. Gameroom may move like an independent environment, but at its core it is still Facebook, and the games request all kinds of data related to the profile. If that seems little, access to the games depends on the app platform, and if the user decided to disable it... there is no Gameroom. Finally, several games refused to work, which makes it clear that developers have work ahead. Patience.
