Do you really use online social networking features for your games/websites?

[away168]

Hi,

I'm just wondering if you guys, specifically for web/mobile/mobile web game developers or publishers, who ever implemented at least Google or Facebook sign in, ever use their other features? for example like Google Play Game services' leaderboard/achievements? or do you only/primarily use their login to make a seamless login so people don't need to fill up the registration forms in concern that it may take too much of their time (excluding your effort to make your own login server)?

[kaasis]

I haven't gotten this far yet. But there are many, many games out there which makes full use of Google's API. So, basiclly... Yes, a lot people use them.

[b10b]

We've rarely found such features to be used by more than a few percent of players (calculated as % of usage of social features from total plays).  Our sample groups have been quite large and diverse over the years, across multiple platforms and demographics - so niche groups may respond better?

That's not to say it isn't worthwhile to properly design such features into a game, nor to dismiss those few percent of players who use them - because these same players are likely to be the game's most committed and influential users.  Optional, non-obtrusive, with in-game rewards unlocked for usage is probably a decent strategy?

[away168]

On 5/30/2017 at 2:51 AM, b10b said:

We've rarely found such features to be used by more than a few percent of players (calculated as % of usage of social features from total plays).  Our sample groups have been quite large and diverse over the years, across multiple platforms and demographics - so niche groups may respond better?

That's not to say it isn't worthwhile to properly design such features into a game, nor to dismiss those few percent of players who use them - because these same players are likely to be the game's most committed and influential users.  Optional, non-obtrusive, with in-game rewards unlocked for usage is probably a decent strategy?

How about Firebase? Firebase is a very flexible, real-time database. You can push/pull whatever data you like (be that a leaderboard, achievements, or whatever), client-side. Do you think that would fit your diverse players?

Speaking of Firebase... kinda conflict with Google Play game services itself, lol.

[b10b]

@Alectora Firebase looks pretty solid to me, although I'd say they aren't really targeting games devs?.  I used it once as a quick way of hosting a project on third-party https, and I also briefly researched it for a client's web app requirements.  The APIs are what they are - if that's all a project needs then fine, but chances are a game or advanced application will quickly evolve to needing more than a simple record base (i.e. bespoke server-side logic) and that may be where Firebase becomes more limited.

[away168]

@b10b Yeah they are for general use now.

I agree that games are quite demanding when it comes to custom application. I just kinda bumped into a situation where I only need Google's login (easier for user to click permissions more than filling password they barely remember), and I don't need the rest of Play services features other than my own game server for the game logic.