Skip to main content

Google Plus introduces games and swears that they won’t be annoying

Well that didn’t take very long. Not that anyone thought it would. Google announced today that it is rolling out social games to all of its Plus users.

For many people that announcement will induce a groan: “Not more Cityville updates!”

In order to alleviate those concerns, Vic Gundotra, Senior Vice President of Engineering had the following to say: “We want to make playing games online just as fun, and just as meaningful, as playing in real life. That means giving you control over when you see games, how you play them and with whom you share your experiences. Games in Google+ are there when you want them and gone when you don’t.”

This means Plus will have information, scores and any games available only if you go to the Games page. “Your stream will remain focused on conversations with the people you care about,” Gundotra said.

Provided Google keeps games partitioned in this fashion, the difference is a likely relief to those that were exhausted with ads for Farmville and updates on people’s latest high scores. The Facebook newsfeed has become sacred territory for many users and polluting it with unwanted information has developed into a real sin.

Google also extended the invite to developers looking to create games on their new platform. They provide further information on the Google Plus developer blog

The Games tab is going to be rolling out slowly so don’t fret if it hasn’t appeared at the top of your Plus feed just yet. Considering how much money Facebook and social game giants like Zynga are making, it will soon. 

Caleb Garling
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Bluesky barrels toward 1 million new sign-ups in a day
Bluesky social media app logo.

Social media app Bluesky has picked nearly a million new users just a day after exiting its invitation-only beta and opening to everyone.

In a post on its main rival -- X (formerly Twitter) -- Bluesky shared a chart showing a sudden boost in usage on the app, which can now be downloaded for free for iPhone and Android devices.

Read more
How to make a GIF from a YouTube video
woman sitting and using laptop

Sometimes, whether you're chatting with friends or posting on social media, words just aren't enough -- you need a GIF to fully convey your feelings. If there's a moment from a YouTube video that you want to snip into a GIF, the good news is that you don't need complex software to so it. There are now a bunch of ways to make a GIF from a YouTube video right in your browser.

If you want to use desktop software like Photoshop to make a GIF, then you'll need to download the YouTube video first before you can start making a GIF. However, if you don't want to go through that bother then there are several ways you can make a GIF right in your browser, without the need to download anything. That's ideal if you're working with a low-specced laptop or on a phone, as all the processing to make the GIF is done in the cloud rather than on your machine. With these options you can make quick and fun GIFs from YouTube videos in just a few minutes.
Use GIFs.com for great customization
Step 1: Find the YouTube video that you want to turn into a GIF (perhaps a NASA archive?) and copy its URL.

Read more
I paid Meta to ‘verify’ me — here’s what actually happened
An Instagram profile on an iPhone.

In the fall of 2023 I decided to do a little experiment in the height of the “blue check” hysteria. Twitter had shifted from verifying accounts based (more or less) on merit or importance and instead would let users pay for a blue checkmark. That obviously went (and still goes) badly. Meanwhile, Meta opened its own verification service earlier in the year, called Meta Verified.

Mostly aimed at “creators,” Meta Verified costs $15 a month and helps you “establish your account authenticity and help[s] your community know it’s the real us with a verified badge." It also gives you “proactive account protection” to help fight impersonation by (in part) requiring you to use two-factor authentication. You’ll also get direct account support “from a real person,” and exclusive features like stickers and stars.

Read more