GotGame tries to bring a browser and social networking inside Azeroth

by Mike Schramm Oct 1st 2008 at 7:00PM

The folks at GotGame kindly sent us a note about their new service -- they're running a "closed beta" (which just means you have to sign up for it, but they're increasing the number of people in it each week) of some software that will let you actually crack open a web browser ingame, with some social networking services attached (so you can keep track of your friends in the service and what they're playing).

You can see some screenshots of how it works in the gallery below. Personally, I've never been too big a fan of any of the "cross-game" social networking services (Xfire is a really popular one that we've talked about before, and a friend invited me to Raptr as well recently), mostly because I already know what my gaming friends are playing, and I've got enough social services running to distract me from my work anyway. And while an ingame browser is kind of nice (EVE Online actually has one built-in to the game), my own browser is already just an alt-tab away (and I've always got Lightheaded when I just need to pull up some game help). It's nice that this one works in more than just World of Warcraft, but really, why bother playing anything else?

So the GotGame software didn't really strike a chord with me, but maybe if your friends are already on it, and you're looking for a more robust ingame browser, it's just what you need. Get Adobe Air installed, and then you can try getting into the beta on their website. Any other ingame browsers that you guys use regularly or, like me, do you prefer that things outside the game stay there?

Gallery: GotGame beta in World of Warcraft

Tags: browser, cross-game, gallery, gotgame, ingame, pc, pc-games, social-networking, world-of-warcraft

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Virtual selves, Odds and ends, News items, Screenshots

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)

Tridus Oct 1st 2008 7:06PM

This is probably an overlay rather then actually "in" WoW, but I like the idea. Alt+tab works, but when you're waiting for a ready check its not really ideal since it also mutes WoW's sound (so you don't hear the ready check).

Obviously not for everybody, but for me this would be a great solution.

Mark Oct 1st 2008 7:32PM

You know theres an option in the sound settings to allow the games sound to continue, even if the WoW application isn't your main focus.

Tekkub Oct 1st 2008 8:54PM

This is *NOT* an "in-game" browser and it never will be. Blizzard does not allow addons to communicate with the world outside the game, and they never will.

This is an OVERLAY over the game, nothing more. unless their browser brings something wonderful that no other one does, you're just better off sticking to windowed-maximized and your usual browser.

elprogramer Oct 2nd 2008 2:19AM

^That's what I thought, but how do you explain the various WoWhead add-ons?

jrb Oct 2nd 2008 4:28AM

this is clever, but incredibly scary from a security point of view. The last thing i'd ever want is a web browser running in the in the same security context as WoW.. that's going to bring up a whole world of key loggers, and technical / social exploits.

Jbear Oct 2nd 2008 2:18PM

Yah, like bigcleatus said, PXP won't get you banned, and is driver-based, so it works across all games.

RogueJedi86 Oct 1st 2008 7:25PM

If web browsing while playing WoW is so important, just play in Windowed Mode. I've been doing it for a long time, never looked back.

kmcg Oct 1st 2008 7:32PM

well for one as a warrior and hunter your hot keys for stances and pets don't work.

Saryel Oct 1st 2008 8:25PM

I play in windowed mode all the time and I have never had issues with any classes.

NoTomorrow Oct 1st 2008 7:26PM

is it just me or does that look freakin' sweet?

gridwerk Oct 1st 2008 7:47PM

No, Peter Griffin, it's no just you.

manapots Oct 1st 2008 7:29PM

this looks amazing, it's like the steam overlay but for every game (not just valve games) and it does so much more . . . gah, why does everything that's good now-a-days involve waiting to be selected for beta???

BigCleatus Oct 1st 2008 7:33PM

There's a program already out known as PlayXpert. You can control Itunes, Windows Media, and Teamspeak without having to Alt-Tab. They're also working on an add-on for Ventrilo at the moment, but it isn't out yet. Go check it out if you want an overlay that won't get you banned by Blizzard. Its possible that you could get banned for using the GotGame program because it directly interfaces with WoW.

Keyra Oct 1st 2008 7:35PM

Oooooo.....we're getting ever closer to the /pizza command!

Lemons Oct 1st 2008 8:30PM

/pizza command?

...yes...yes...YES!!!!

Seedcake Oct 1st 2008 7:40PM

This could be quite awesome if there's the capability to look up the profiles of the players you meet in-game. It'd go a long way to giving real faces to all that cartoon-character anonymity, and help me judge a bit better if I'd actually enjoy playing with random player X or if it'd be yet another exercise in frustration. If this does that in addition to being a convenient in-game browser, then I am SO sold.

onetrueping Oct 1st 2008 9:08PM

I, personally, am against it. Aside from the whole "not everyone would be on it" aspect, it'd be a lot easier for people to harass other people, EVEN ACROSS ALTS. Frankly, if some irritating high-level is corpse-camping a low-level character, and the low-level character logs onto another character, I feel that it would be far too easy for that high-level character to go haring off, find the new character, and grief THEM.

Besides which, one of the benefits of WoW is anonymity, in that people cannot judge you for how you look (sex, race, or whatever), and must instead judge you for how you play, how you type, and whether you used a really derivative name.

Seedcake Oct 2nd 2008 4:20AM

Onetrueping, now that's an angle I hadn't thought of; makes me glad that I don't play on PvP servers. Corpse-camping made worse by a social-networking application, what a pain! But hey, if harassment via corpse-camping bothers you regardless, what are you doing playing on a PvP server in the first place?

Anyway, in my experience, anonymity more often than not makes jerks out of people; I, for one, would value seeing the personality behind the player first via a profile before having to risk my time judging by his/her playstyle, how he/she types or his/her potentially derivative name. Guess it's just me, though.

gridwerk Oct 1st 2008 7:47PM

I hate to be the bummer in the crowd but if I need to bring in the real-world to kill time while in downtime in my imaginary-world (that I'm using to escape, for a short while, my REAL-world downtime) then I really need to come to terms with what is *really* real and what realities are, in reality, not as real as my virtually-real realities.

orly?