Facebook rethinks game notification ban

Viral messages to return, but only to those who play games on the social network

Internet powerhouse and social networking leader Facebook has outlined a range of initiatives that it hopes will arrest the slowdown of gaming growth on the website.

Privacy concerns have lead to a tightening of security restrictions on the network, which in turn has stunted titles’ ability to spread the word amongst the site’s userbase. This is something CEO mark Zuckerberg hopes to change with a refresh of the notifications system.

Speaking to press at Facebook’s offices in California, Zuckerberg explained that despite the popularity of games they remain one of the most complained about elements of the service.

These new initiatives will see Facebook’s games content effectively hidden from those who don’t game on the service, with more emphasis in turn being placed upon it for those who do.

However, none of that undermines the colossal force that Facebook now represents in gaming. Over 200m people are playing games on the site every month, meaning that 40 per cent of its userbase uses the site for gaming.

Free Facebook credits will be offered to those who’ve never partaken in the site’s virtual currency service. In addition, the site intends for every game hosted on the site to eventually support the currency system.

New functionality will also automatically add and remove games apps from a user’s profile according to usage, while app icons will now be able to support counters to inform users of pending tasks or notifications.