Google+ Wins Bon's Respect

Google today announced a gaming element for Google+, the social network the company launched at the end of June. The new offering lets Google+ users play games from within the social network, including some that can be played with other Google+ users.

Some of the launch games include Rovio's Angry Birds, PopCap's Bejeweled Blitz, and Zynga's Poker. It's a tiny collection compared to what's offered on Facebook, which has made a booming business by offering social games that players can click away at while remaining within the social network's walls.

According to Google engineering director David Glazer, the initial batch of games was intentionally kept small so as to "get the kinks out of our APIs." Glazer said Google would be adding more developers and features "in small steps" ahead of a public release.

The sketch of Google+ is filling in nicely.  It has impressed users with the simplified approach to organizing information.  They have maximized nicely on Google integration, and their product works flawlessly with Ubuntu and Mint (I can't speak for the others but have heard no complaints). Their interface is clean and bug-free.  And that is where I felt my heart grow three sizes and dedicate itself to Google+.  Don't get me wrong, I love my friends on Facebook, but I see Google+ becoming a permanent fixture in my life.  I think Facebook and G+ may be the two social networks that hold up because of sheer numbers and established groups.  People are heavily invested in Facebook, but just in Android users alone Google has a massive edge on the market, barring some massive incident.  Which brings me to my next point.

Google's decision to roll out the gaming slowly is a sign of great responsibility and solid caution on behalf of users, and so far I haven't heard them get their due praise for prudence.  Not rushing to release shows a restraint and maturity that makes me feel warm and fuzzy, because with the wave of hackings Google surely knows there is a prize and a mighty big target on their backs.  As the new kid on the block, they have something to prove.   They know how destructive a mistake can be.  Showing such confidence and unapologetic announcement of the timeline is a very good thing, and did not get the acknowledgement it deserved.