Facebook Gaming has a new feature, and it is the recently unveiled Tournaments feature. Tournaments will let users create and organise virtual tournaments in a variety of formats, from double elimination to round-robin, and it appears to be intended to mitigate some of the strain of social distancing.
It might sound like a bit of a silly idea considering many gamers connect and play online already, but the idea behind Tournaments is more far-reaching and focuses on more than just electronic games. The product is intended for every kind of tournament, from casual to high-level esports play. It’s also built directly into the Facebook Gaming platform itself, which means that creators can host fan tournaments and stream them as well. They can even take advantage of Facebook’s fundraising tools to donate any money raised directly to relief organisations.
According to The Verge, Tournaments was originally designed for live gaming events so that people can stream their games live and compete against friends. The whole concept though can be broadened beyond just live streaming and can add a competitive edge to a lot of interaction and fun games between friends.
Facebook Gaming might not seem like a place where the discerning gamer will even navigate to, with it seen as more of a hotbed for casual gamers, but according to data from Streamlabs, a live-streaming software and analytics provider, the platform has experienced huge growth year over year and probably even more so now.
Last Updated: April 8, 2020
