Facebook launched a dedicated game streaming hub in 2018 and entered the video game streaming world, competing with YouTube Gaming and Amazon’s Twitch. Initially, Facebook gaming began as a separate, independent hub known as FB.gg. This hub provided a landing page for Facebook Live streamers, who primarily stream gameplay, to find streams and begin a live stream. In 2019, Facebook Gaming was made available through an easy-to-access tab within the main Facebook app on your phone.
Then, to make Facebook Gaming even more accessible, the company launched a dedicated mobile app. But what exactly is Facebook Gaming? What is it and why should you care? We’ll go over everything you need to know to find out.
What is Facebook’s game streaming hub?
Facebook has a gaming video hub to make it easier for you to find and follow gaming content. It’s located within the app, beneath the main website, and is accessible via the short URL FB.gg.
This Facebook section collects live and pre-recorded gaming video on the social media platform. Remember that Facebook already allows live streaming through its Facebook Live tool; this hub is merely an extension of that service with an emphasis on game streams. Facebook’s game streaming hub has been in an “experimental phase” for some time, but it is now rapidly expanding.
Facebook has improved its recommendations, expanded its selection of gaming videos to include more languages, and integrated an Instant Games tab on the mobile version of the gaming hub so users can switch between watching and playing games. This section of Facebook also features a feed where fans can browse relevant gaming content.
How does Facebook’s game streaming hub work?
A persistent navigation bar with links to the Home, Browse Games, Browse Streamers, view clips, and other sections can be found on the hub’s left side. These sections operate as follows.
Home
This is the hub’s home page. At the top, there is a featured live stream, then there is a section for curated live streams, and then there is another for finding streams by game, like Fortnite. There is also a category for recommended streamers that you can choose to follow on your own. The people you’ve followed, recent live streams, streams that your friends have watched, and so forth are additional categories.
Browse All Games
The Browse All Games section of the hub takes you to a page where you can find more games to follow.
Browse Streamers
This section contains specific streamers as well as those who are already popular on Facebook Gaming. You’ll also see “suggested” streamers on the left side, which allows you to find live streamers.
Tournaments
Here, players can create tournaments and organise games in which they compete against one another on specific dates. Tournaments will allow users to create and organise virtual tournaments in a variety of formats, ranging from double elimination to round-robin, and it appears to be designed to alleviate some of the strain caused by social distancing. (It’s worth noting that Tournaments was originally intended for live gaming events.)
The product is designed for all types of tournaments, from casual to high-level esports play. It’s also built directly into the Facebook Gaming platform, which means creators can host and stream fan tournaments. They can even use Facebook’s fundraising tools to direct any funds raised to relief organisations.
You can Play Games
You can also access more casual Facebook games to play with your friends from here, as you might expect. Words with Friends, Uno, Bubble Shooter, and other games can be found here. You can search for games or browse them by category.
Where can I find Facebook’s game streaming hub?
Go to www.facebook.com/gaming or FB.gg.
How to Subscribe to a Streamer on Facebook’s Game Hub
To follow streams from a specific streamer, go to the Suggested Streamers category from Home, then find and follow a streamer you like. This will add a link to the Following section on the left of the hub, where you can browse all of that person’s available streams.
How to Stream Games on Facebook
In addition to watching other gamers stream, you may be interested in Facebook Gaming if you want to start streaming yourself. The good news is that the procedure is relatively simple.
Facebook has a page dedicated to assisting you in signing up for and joining the Facebook Gaming Creators Community. This walks you through the process of getting started, which includes the following steps:
- Joining the Facebook Gaming Creators Community (to get early access to new features)
- Making a creator page for gaming videos (or editing it to include “Gaming Video Creator” as a category under page info)
- Configuring the software with Streamlabs OBS, OBS Studio Classic, or Split
- Creating a scene in that software and fine-tuning all of the settings
- Accessing your stream key and preparing the stream via the creator dashboard
- Going live!
How to Earn Money Through Facebook Gaming
Aside from the enjoyment of gaming as a hobby, you may be interested in making money by streaming on Facebook. Gamers, like Twitch, can monetize their gameplay streams in a variety of ways. Whereas Twitch has an affiliate programme with subs, bits, and other perks, Facebook has the Level Up Program. To be eligible for this programme, streamers must meet the following criteria:
- You must have at least 100 followers on your page.
- Streaming at least four hours of content in a 14-day period
- Streaming on at least two of those 14 days
- Having been active for at least 14 days
- Being at least 18 years old
Once you’ve met those requirements, go to your Creator Dashboard and apply for the Level Up Program. It’s worth noting that the Level Up Program isn’t available everywhere, so double-check the current list of approved regions before you begin.
You can monetise your stream once you’ve been approved to join the Level Up Program. Facebook Stars will be sent to you by viewers. Facebook will pay you USD 0.01 for each Star you send. You must earn at least $100 USD or 10,000 Stars to be paid. You’ll also need to configure your pay-out options beforehand. Viewers of your stream can send you animated, virtual gifts with varying Star values in addition to Stars. Still, don’t begin your Facebook Gaming career expecting to become wealthy in a matter of weeks.
Facebook Gaming on Mobile
Another recent update from Facebook is the addition of the Facebook Gaming app. This app is intended to make it easier for gamers to discover content, connect with other gamers, and play casual games. The app is similar to the Twitch app in that it allows you to easily access and watch videos from your favourite streamers. You can also comment on the streams, interact with Facebook groups, and do other things from within the app.
You can also start streaming from within the app if you so desire. This enables gamers to easily broadcast mobile gameplay with just a few clicks. This could be a stream of your Call of Duty mobile gameplay, PUBG mobile gameplay, or something more casual. You have a choice. This app is currently only available on Android, but it is expected to be available on iOS in the near future as well.
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