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YouTube dips its toe into gaming with experimental Playables
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YouTube is dipping it toe into gaming with a new experimental Playables offering.
Aswe reportedback in early September, the Google-owned video gianthas been testinga feature called Playables, which offers simple casual games that can be played directly in the YouTube app or web page.
Now that Playables feature is available to try out for all YouTube Premium subscribers. Said subscribers should have received a notification about the gaming offering, but if not, simply head into the YouTube app, tap your profile image, followed by Your Premium benefits, then Try experimental new features.
Scroll down, and you should see that ‘Play games on YouTube’ is now available. Tap the Try it out button, then head back to the Home tab.
When you scroll down, you should now see a Playables on YouTube section, which lets you play 37 simple games right there in the app. These appear to be the very definition of the term ‘casual time waster’, with simple graphics and gameplay. I had a quick blast on Angry Birds Showdown, which (after a brief loading screen) was a stripped-back, windowed take on the familiar avian flinger.
More interesting than the actual games at this point is what they signify. It’s clear that YouTube is looking emulate Netflix and get into gaming as a side hustle to its main video business.
YouTube’s Playables test feature will only be available until March 28, according to the experimental feature entry, so it’s clearly not ready for prime time just yet.
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Jon is a seasoned freelance writer who started covering games and apps in 2007 before expanding into smartphones and consumer tech, dabbling in lifestyle and media coverage along the way. Besides bein…
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Founded in 2003, Trusted Reviews exists to give our readers thorough, unbiased and independent advice on what to buy.
Today, we have millions of users a month from around the world, and assess more than 1,000 products a year.
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
