Blizzard to Let you Stream Games Directly over Facebook

Overwatch.

Not only has it brought about some meaningful change within the world of gaming as a whole, it seems to have signaled a change within Blizzard, as well... kind of, I mean. If you really think about it, with the launch of Hearthstone, Blizzard realized that games with a bigger focus on casual fun tend to do better, and in their games since--Heroes of the Storm and Overwatch--they've really doubled-down on the whole competitive-but-also-stupid-fun formula they seem to have mastered.

But anyway. Lots of changes. And the latest comes from Blizzard announcing that their client, Battle.net, is soon going to have Facebook login, so players can get into gaming from their Facebook accounts... which will also enable them to actually stream games directly to their Facebook pages. To bother your friends and family with the gaming feats none of them even remotely care about.

Still, Blizzard is very proud of this, and according to Gio Hunt, executive vice president of corporate operations at Blizzard Entertainment:

"Blizzard games are best when played with friends, so it's important to us to provide our players with features and services that make it easy and fun to share their experiences with each other. We're working closely with Facebook on this integration for Overwatch, as well as our other games, and we look forward to sharing further details on our plans as development progresses."

And Leo Olebe, global games partnerships director at Facebook, shared his thoughts, too:

"Blizzard has a passionate community of players, and an incredible track record for launching innovative and high-quality gaming experiences. Our collaboration on Overwatch demonstrates Facebook's commitment to partnering with AAA game companies, while further empowering Blizzard gamers to connect and share the content they're most passionate about with the friends they play with around the world."

So, for grouches like me, this is basically Facebook Armageddon, but for other people, this might be pretty swell news. I mean, who doesn't want Overwatch in every corner of their lives, engulfing them in bright colors, cartoon shapes, and uncomfortably well-done animated porn? Ugh... this must be what hell is like.

...But even I appreciate Gremlin D.Va. I mean I'm not made of stone, here.