Now that Google+ has fully unleashed its Hangouts API to developers, we’re going to start seeing more apps that use the video conferencing platform.
The cooler part about the announcement from Google today is the special apps section, where the company will be showing off some of the more innovative uses for the Hangouts platform, which lets up to ten people talk and chat over video.
One of the apps that is featured is called “Scoot & Doodle” and it lets you scribble and draw with a group of your friends. While it’s not a game, it’s definitely a nice white board that lets you do whatever you want, be it help someone with a math problem or start your own game of pictionary.
The cool part about Scoot & Doodle is that multiple people can draw at the same time, which makes a game like tic-tac-toe possible:
If parents are away from their kids on a business trip, this kind of app is a great way for them to interact through more than just video. A child could draw a picture for their mom or dad, or an artist could host a Hangout and draw a picture in real-time.
While it might not seem like much right now, the Hangouts platform will offer a lot of opportunities for developers to build games and interactions that we’ve never had before. Up until now, something like Scoot & Doodle was a standalone site or app which required us to sign-up. The fact that it’s using the Google+ Hangouts API means that none of that is necessary and you can use the app right within Google+ rather than being sent somewhere else.
Skype is definitely the king of business and casual video conferencing, but when it comes to interaction and fun, Google+ might just have a hit on its hands.
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