Facebook has announced a call for online gamers and introduced “in-game  tipping” to bolster engagement and compete with YouTube and Twitch.

The (video)game wars

In a recent blog post, Facebook outlined new features along with a new service to grow online gaming audiences through their new “gaming creator pilot program.”

The new program is meant to build a fundamental architecture for gamers and game creators alike. Facebook’s existing Live services lend themselves well to real-time broadcasting and game streaming.

With the ability for audience members to tip a minimum of $3 to live streamers, and a higher definition of 1080p/60fps, there’s a lot for the self-identifying gamer crowd to get excited about.

Working with what they got

Facebook has a unique launching pad, with over 2 billion global users. With the added benefit of existing gaming Facebook Groups and Instagram followers, it might not take much to catch fire.

Moving away from Pages and more towards engaging communities, Facebook Groups and Facebook Watch should further its drive of increased “meaningful interactions.”

The end of January saw Facebook’s launch of the livestreaming for gamers and the pilot program has shown favourable buzz. Gamers may be happy to hear Facebook plans to have a larger presence at April’s upcoming PAX expo.

Do you follow gamers through live streaming? Are you excited for Facebook’s latest foray? We want to know what you think in our comment section.