Facebook unveils new games dashboard

Facebook has unveiled a new games dashboard, due to be launched on the service in the coming weeks.

The new dashboard will be introduced alongside one for applications as well - both have been designed to make it easier for users to interact with their apps.

Developers have been offered access to the new design now, via the Facebook Developers blog, so that they can begin integrating their creations with it.

The dashboards will bring with them a number of features - notably a 'recently used applications and games' bar, which prominently displays apps a user has recently interacted with, making it easy for them to revisit that app.

Applications will also be granted the ability to display news stories, communicating with users and alerting them to related news - such as a new leaderboard or competition. Users will have the option to set up their own news feeds too - with options to make them visible to individuals or to everyone - informing people of their achievements.

Additionally dashboards will display information on applications friends are using, while a directory section will have an 'applications you may like' bar.

"This is all about helping games and apps in front of users in a more effective way," Gareth Davis, platform manager for games at Facebook told GamesBeat.

He added the dashboards should help with the retention of users and, thus, extend a game's life cycle.

The company has put the designs through extensive testing and obtained feedback from developers, he said, and Facebook would continue to watch usage when launched, tweaking the design as necessary.