Online

Airbnb rival aims to fix the home-sharing economy and you’re going to love what it will be called

An “ethical” alternative to Airbnb will start offering a pilot program in four cities in January.

In allowing people to rent out rooms in their own houses, Airbnb seemed to have created the perfect product. It allowed people to supplement their primary income while opening up a whole host of interesting and affordable new properties to travelers and tourists. On a small scale, this idea seemingly works for everybody, but the idea has proved so powerful it has grown large enough to cause some rather serious problems.

As well as our U.S. headquarters, Softonic has a base in Barcelona, Spain, where the local council has been fighting with Airbnb for years. Barcelona’s problems are also being felt by cities all around the world. The Airbnb effect? Rent increases, gentrification, housing shortages, and a whole host of other problems relating to increased levels of tourism. At the heart of all the problems lies the fact that instead of offering their properties to local people, homeowners are listing them on Airbnb.

To combat these negative side effects, a team led by Sitio Veracruz is working on a rival service to compete with Airbnb. According to Veracruz, the new service will be different to Airbnb in three main areas that will ensure a much fairer service.

6 must-have apps to take on vacation

Read Now ►

Fairbnb will start offering a pilot scheme in four cities from January

The four pilot cities that will see the first Fairbnb rentals are all in Europe. From January 2019, the platform will offer properties in Barcelona, Bologna and Venice in Italy, and Amsterdam in the Netherlands.

Speaking to The Next Web, Veracruz described the three main areas that set FairBnB apart from its established competition. First, The platform will enforce a one host one home policy, which will ensure single landlords can’t take multiple properties off the local market. The platform will follow this up by ensuring that all hosts are legally entitled to offer their property up as a tourist rental.

The second difference is that Fairbnb will pay local taxes on all profits and that 50% will be used to fund local community projects. Veracruz said, “We’re currently looking towards community projects that are struggling to find non-commercial spaces, which we’ve seen is a big problem in many cities… This includes non-profit projects such as housing for neighborhood associations, non-profit food cooperatives, or community gardens.” Imagine a global company like Airbnb, which has achieved a market value of more than $2 billion in less than 10 years, putting half of everything it makes back into the local communities where it operates.

The third major difference between Fairbnb and Airbnb is the fact that the ethical alternative will be run as a cooperative. All salaries will be limited, everything about it will be transparent, and the owners of the project will all be involved in the day-to-day running of it.

Apps are all supposed to make our lives better and developers claim to be working to make a better world, too. When profits get involved, however, and investors start calling the shots, things can become a little muddied. Airbnb has shown the real-world problems that can occur when well-meaning apps ignore the wider issues to chase maximum profit. With the very different Fairbnb starting up next year, we could be about to see a battle between ideologies. Capitalist apps against truly ideological apps that offer service over profit. Who will you be rooting for?

You can find out more about FairBnB here.

Google declares war on the TV guide

Google is working on a way to help you know what each streaming service is showing.

TV is changing. For years, instead of just watching what the TV networks have been serving up, we’ve been able to turn to the internet to find other options. Subsequently, the internet has created a host of big new players in TV, like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon, while giving us much more choice when it comes to what we watch.

With more choice, however, comes the issue of keeping up to date with what you have to choose from. The old school TV guide can no longer keep up with the huge internet libraries of movies and TV shows we now have competing for our hard-earned dollars. There is, however, a technology firm out there that thinks it is up to this gargantuan task. That firm is Google.

Google is working on a way to help you know what each streaming service is showing

It can be very difficult keeping up to date with what the likes of Netflix are showing this month and what they’ll be showing next month. The contracts that give them access to shows are very complicated and expensive things, which means the rosters of all the streaming services are fluctuating all the time. Even, if you stuck to just one streaming service, it would be hard keeping on top of what you can watch in one country but can’t in another.

How to ask for a movie or TV show to be added to Netflix

Submit your choice now ►

To keep on top of all this you either have to subscribe to the press releases from the streaming services themselves or closely monitor social media for updates from trusted sources. The first option offers some dry reading and the second offers a whole world of potential distractions. Both are problematic and offer no guarantee that you’ll successfully stay on top of what you can watch where.

The 5 best sites for streaming recommendations

Find a better movie now ►

According to the guys over at Quartz, Google is working on a way to make this whole process easier and much less problematic. The report says that a new feature is being tested that will add streaming options to the search results for TV show and movie-related search queries. For a while now, typing something like “Romantic comedy” into Google will open up Google’s movie search box that offers all sorts of useful information about rom-coms.

Netflix plans interactive Black Mirror episode

Read Now ►

A Google spokesman tells Quartz, “We’re always experimenting with new ways to help people find relevant information through Search.” Google replied to a question from Quartz after the feature had been spotted while they were running the test. The spokesperson also added, however, that there was nothing to announce at the time.

If this feature does roll out to everybody, it will give us all a new and easy way of seeing what streaming services are showing the content we are searching for. This won’t, however, be a golden bullet that will help us look objectively at what each streaming service offers so we can decide which to subscribe to.

How to find hidden Netflix categories

Read Now ►

Is mobile data faster than Wi-Fi where you are?

Mobile download speeds are now faster than Wi-Fi in many countries around the world

If you enjoy surfing the web or living an always-online existence, then it is an exciting time to be alive. The dawn of the 5G network is upon us and it won’t be long until we soon have access to mobile internet speeds as yet unheard of. In the run up to 5G networks coming online, wireless coverage mapping company OpenSignal has been looking into download speeds on both Wi-Fi and mobile connections and it has discovered some surprising findings.

Ever wondered what WiFi actually looks like?

Click Here to Find Out

Mobile download speeds are now faster than Wi-Fi in many countries around the world

If you’re reading this in the U.S., UK, or Ireland then this will likely come as a surprise to you as Wi-Fi still enjoys much faster download speeds in all three countries. Those fixed networks offer faster and more reliable downloads because of mature networks that have received regular updates. This is why Wi-Fi offers faster downloads in places like Hong Kong, Thailand, Israel, and Russia.

If you’re reading this article in Australia, however, it might not be so surprising. Australians are able download over mobile networks a whopping 13Mbps faster than they can do over Wi-Fi. There is a similar situation to be found in France, Mexico, Turkey, and South Africa.

Interestingly, OpenSignal highlights the fact that anybody can set up a Wi-Fi network as a potential problem that could lead to congestion of the airwaves and slower download speeds. Surprisingly, mobile networks can offer a much more stable download experience due to the heavily licensed nature of their networks.

How Do I Know if Someone Is Stealing my Wi-Fi Connection?

Find out now

Is it time to ditch the router?

OpenSignal doesn’t make any direct calls for users to ditch their Wi-Fi router and flee to mobile companies just yet, but the company does highlight some interesting findings. Now, in 63% of the nations studied where 4G is available, mobile networks offer quicker speeds than Wi-Fi. As countries begin to turn on their 5G networks, this number will grow further. It is also highly likely that 5G implementation will happen much quicker than broadband networks can be updated, due to the intense effort required to upgrade cables that often lie underground.

This could be the beginning of the end for WPA2 Wi-Fi

Discover the future of Wi-Fi

There is more. In a report by the BBC, another company that specializes in measuring internet coverage and download speeds, RootMetrics, highlighted the fact that not everyone will experience the benefits of 5G. Head of Product at RootMetrics, Kevin Halsey, said, “The infrastructure deployed for 5G will likely not extend into remote areas… Wi-Fi will remain an important tool for the provision of fast internet connections for a segment of the populous.” If you’re living in a remote area then, you’ll likely still rely on your broadband connection even after 5G has landed in the big cities and towns.

Why China is winning the race to 5G

Read Now ►

Whether your mobile or Wi-Fi data connection has a faster download speed all depends then on the country that you’re in and which particular part of the country, too. If you’re in a country like Australia, you might want to look at your Wi-Fi settings because automatically connecting to a Wi-Fi network might be harming your download speeds.

The other big thing to consider here though is your mobile data plan. Broadband subscriptions usually come with unlimited data whereas mobile plans do not. Downloading over your mobile network might rack up huge extra costs. As 5G starts to come online though, we might start to see an evolution in mobile data plans that reflect the superior speeds offered by the mobile networks. Hold on tight. The future could get a bit bumpy.

Always losing your phone? You’ll love this new update from Google

Google’s Find My Device app is getting indoor map support for some buildings

Apple’s Find My iPhone and Google’s Find My Device features have been common for quite some time now. They use the data our devices constantly share with the cloud to show us a fairly accurate location of where our devices are at any given moment. This is particularly useful if you misplace your device; especially if you add features like remote locking of your device, remotely deleting all your device’s data, and sending notifications to your device so that you can listen when you are near the coordinates the apps have given.

There has always been a limit to the usefulness of the apps, however. If you lost your device in a building, there has been no way of seeing an accurate location. If the building has multiple stories, the device could be on any of those stories. Google wants to change this, and the latest update to Google Find My Device is huge step in the right direction.

Google’s Find My Device app is getting indoor map support for some buildings

If you have location service enabled on your Android, you’ve probably received occasional notifications when entering certain landmarks like shopping malls and airports. This is because Google has been working on indoor maps for a while. Opening up one of those notifications will offer you information on wherever you are as well as a detailed floor plan, complete with the little blue dot showing exactly where you are.

Find my Device Download now

This type of feature is a perfect fit for an app that is designed to help absent-minded people retrieve their lost devices. When you download the latest version of the Google Find My Device app, you’ll be able to accurately locate your device should you lose it in certain large indoor spaces like shopping malls and airports.

There are a number of ways to use Google’s Find My Device app once you’ve lost your phone or tablet, but one stands out as the easiest. If you ever lose your Google device all you have to do is log in to your Google Account on another device, type “Find my phone” into Google, and hit search. This will open up the Find My Device tab right there in the Google search engine.

12 top add-ons for Google Docs

Read Now

Indoor map support is a cool new feature for Google to add to the Find My Device app. It should help a lot of users locate their phones should they lose them. The best way to make sure you don’t lose your phone, though, is to keep an eye on it in the first place.

Google no longer has to search to find all its answers

Google is dropping search results from queries relating to time, conversions, and math

Google is more than just a search giant. It’s an internet giant. From humble beginnings, Google has grown, and its empire now includes mobile and desktop operating systems, all manner of AI-filled hardware, mobile phone and tablet production, and all sorts of popular apps and programs like Google Maps, Google Mail, and Google Chrome. Search still sits at the heart of it all, though, which makes this latest announcement from Google a little surprising.

Google App Download Now

Google is dropping search results from queries relating to time, conversions, and math

For many people, Google is the internet. Rather than typing in a web domain, they’ll simply throw the name of the site into Google and then click on the first result. The same goes for basic tasks like simple calculations, conversions, or time-zones. Why bother opening up your calculator when you can simply type “18 times 47” into Google? Why bother opening a world clock when you can simply ask Google “what time is it Barcelona?” This is exactly what a lot of people do, they go straight to Google.

Google has announced that this user experience is about to change, and that search results are going to be dropped from the results it serves up. When somebody asks Google a question about time, math, or a conversion Google will simply show the answer to the query. The only other thing visible on the page will be a button to show the search results that otherwise would have been shown.

In a statement to Search Engine Land, Google said of the change:

“As always, our goal with search is to help people quickly find the most relevant information. For queries where we have extremely high confidence that a user is seeking a calculation, unit conversion or local time, we will show a single result to improve load time on mobile. Since our initial experiment in February, we worked to remove ads and improve the triggering quality for this experience to be sure that we’re serving users what they’re looking for, and we will still provide the option to tap to see more results.”

Google ran a similar experiment earlier this year, but they pulled it after a week due to negative feedback. For example, some brands weren’t showing up when people typed their name into the search engine. Google has tried to address these issues before pushing ahead with this new roll-out of the zero answers feature.

This is all bad news for people who run sites offering answers to these simple types of search query. Google will no longer show their sites in a list of search results unless the user makes an extra click to bring up the list of results. For users though, this just cements the idea that Google is the tool for everything that is committed to helping us find the answers we’re looking for as quickly and as easily as possible.

Hey Google, what has happened to your home page?

Google is rolling out the new Discover feature to google.com on mobile

Anybody in the U.S. who has been over to the Google home page on their phone over the last couple of days will have noticed a huge change. Gone is the clean white background with the simple text box for searches; in its place is what Google is calling its Discover feed.

Google App Download Now

Google is rolling out the new Discover feature to google.com on mobile

Google has long been trying to shave precious seconds off of our search experience. What started as auto-complete on search terms has now evolved into full-blown preemption of whatever we might be searching for when we head to google.com.

The Discover feed is a series of suggested news stories and articles that Google thinks you might be interested in. Users of the Google app on Android or iOS will be familiar with the feature as Discover has been available for some time.

If this all sounds like magic, it isn’t. Google uses information it takes from all the search queries you enter and uses it to find similar stories. If you’ve been searching for information about cameras or photography, Discover will likely show recent stories or posts relating to the topic. Each suggested story is shown in its own card and each card will have its own little settings menu, in the form of three small dots. Opening this menu will enable users to tell Google whether they want to see more stories relating to the card’s topic or if they’re not interested in it at all. A button in the bottom right of the card controls the frequency of related cards being shown.

Making Discover the face of Google rather than a search box marks a huge change for Google. It shows that the search giant is focused on the future and is looking beyond mere text-based searching.

Google I/O 2018: The biggest news stories about Android, Maps, Photos, Assistant, and more

Read Now

The roll-out of Discover to google.com was announced in a blog post back in September and has now started hitting devices across the U.S. It is available across many browsers, so whether you’re browsing the web on your smartphone using Firefox, Chrome, or Safari you should get the Discover feed whenever you go to google.com. Users in the rest of the world will have to wait a little longer though. Google is first working on getting Discover out in English and Spanish in the U.S. first and will then start to look at a wider international release.

If you are not in the U.S. and the idea of Google doing your web searches for you sounds new and exciting, you don’t have to wait. Rather than hanging around until Discover comes to google.com you can download the Google app and take the Discover feed for a test spin right now. Just hit the link below.

Google App Download Now

Best ways to play Dungeons & Dragons online

Dungeons & Dragons has persisted for decades, so it’s no surprise to see it adapted to play over the internet. Maybe you have friends online that you want to play with, or you’re trying to get into Dungeons & Dragons for the first time. Regardless, there are a few ways to do this, and it can be a little confusing as to which is the best. Here is a list of the best ways to play:

Roll20

Roll20 is probably the cheapest and simplest option available. It’s free to use and really easy to adjust to. While it doesn’t have a player’s guide built into it, you can use D&D Beyond to create and organize your characters, and then transfer them to Roll20. The site also features support for Google Hangouts, but you can use any voice communication software such as Discord or Skype. You can pay to get pre-built campaigns, and better maps if you’re comfortable with Roll20.

Discord Download Discord ►

Skype download free ►

Tabletop Simulator

If you’ve ever played with Tabletop Simulator, then you’re sure to understand what it would be like to play Dungeons and Dragons with it. Tabletop Simulator gives you an actual table, and lets you recreate how it feels to play Dungeons and Dragons. You have to find the write D&D mod you want to use, but most of them are well made, and even some have complete pre-built campaigns. Regardless, you will feel like you are at home playing Dungeons & Dragons traditionally, rather than online.

Tabletop Simulator Download ►

Fantasy Grounds

By far the most expensive choice on this list, Fantasy Grounds can be a versatile and immersive tool. It may take a bit of time to adjust to the program, but Fantasy Grounds has so many built-in features that you’re able to customize adventures however you want. It’s also worth checking out if you are into more tabletop games than just Dungeons and Dragons, as Fantasy Grounds has official support for a variety of tabletop games.

Some people have even made their own systems with the program, so you’re able to run practically any tabletop game out there. You can even create your own with it. Note that, like Tabletop Simulator, everyone involved has to own a variant of Fantasy Grounds. Thankfully there is a free demo, and different options for paying.

Fantasy Grounds Download ►

Overall, each of these is a great option, and it’s ultimately up to you to decide which one is the best for you. Roll20 is the easiest and fastest to get into, since it’s free and intuitive. Tabletop Simulator allows for a more classic Dungeons & Dragons experience, while Fantasy Grounds may be the most immersive option. Regardless of which choice you make, be sure to have a DM and/or player’s handbook available to you, and good luck with your adventures!

The 5 best Dungeons & Dragons apps

read now ►

How to prepare for World of Warcraft’s Battle for Azeroth

On August 14, 2018, the 13-years-running MMO giant World of Warcraft returns to the franchise’s central conflict: Horde or Alliance?

World of Warcraft DOWNLOAD now ▶️

In Battle for Azeroth, a world constantly at threat — whether from the undead, dragons, demons and olds gods — sees old wounds reopened in the form of heated, open war between the game’s two main factions. Whether you’re a new or returning player, here are the most important things you need to know to prepare yourself for the largest, most devastating conflict the two sides have ever waged.

Horde or Alliance

As the scope of war increases, so also do your in-faction choices. Key to getting started in BfA will be choosing your side (or which to play first). A big fan of Legion’s Nightborne? Well, join up with the Horde. Jealous of the Horde’s more lithe, pointy-eared elves? The Alliance gets their own version. Itching to play a Dark Iron Dwarf ever since the game was first released in 2004? Blizzard is giving you the fan-favorite option.

Sorry guys, these are still off the table.

Keep in mind, access to the new options isn’t a given; there are steps to unlock these ‘allied’ races which require some grinding through existing content.

Mount up…

Steps are also involved to gain access to class-specific mounts. Returning players may already see characters riding around on some fancy steeds. Whether you’re just getting reacquainted with WoW or still rolling through the current content, don’t get left in the dust of your fellow rogue or hunter.

And gear up!

As happens with every World of Warcraft expansion, the damage, stats and other benefits of new items (and more common) items will soon begin to overtake those of your most beloved epic and legendary pieces. Still, players who strive for those top-tier pieces will have an easier time in the first few levels of new content. Log in, grab your guild and create or join a Looking for Raid group that will get you that last ring, trinket, or chest piece that has been lagging several item levels behind the rest of your equipment.

With regards to Looking for Raid, those that love transmogrifying their gear will also want to make sure they complete these special LFR-only sets. Once Battle for Azeroth hits, Legion raids will no longer be available in LFR (and neither will the gear).

Discord Download Discord ▶️

Bid a fond farewell to artifact weapons

An interesting feature introduced in the current expansion, Legion, artifact weapons are also one of the first things to go in the new expansion. For players who skipped the current expansion, this is no worry. For paladins who enjoyed wielding the legendary Ashbringer, shamans who finally got to swing Doomhammer, and all those who enjoyed the special new weapons for their favorite specialization, it’s time to sacrifice your faithful friend in order to heal the wounds caused by the Sword of Sargeras.

Speaking of specializations…

WoW’s developers have spoken of a desire to return classes to the more unique feel they experienced in earlier versions of the game. Indeed, many classes are seeing big changes. Whatever you enjoy playing, it’s worth reviewing all the coming changes (some of which already arrived in patch 8.0) to determine whether you want to keep playing your druid or finally try your hand at the dark arts of the warlock.

Be warned: numbers are in flux

With a game as long-running as WoW, giving players new challenges means giving them tougher monsters, and giving players a growing sense of power to fight those monsters means giving them new and more powerful weapons. While this makes perfect sense, it can result in stat numbers growing to the point where they become a burden to track rather than a source of joy.

The only solution? The developers squish those numbers. This time, it hasn’t gone so well. Players reading this article should be warned that though Blizzard is taking steps to fix the unintended consequences of stat shifting and scaling, you might still find an unbeatable murloc or two.

Hit the auction house

With every new expansion, some crafting materials become rarer and most expensive while others become cheaper. Check your bank to see what your stash is worth. To ease things, use an online price-checker tool like AHPrices.com to see how you can make a pretty penny before prices change rapidly with the new content.

Keep to your career goals

Make sure you have quick access to the newest recipes for your given profession by maxing out each one you can. While all professions are likely to see some interesting and powerful new craftables, one long-standing secondary skill is going away entirely; First Aid, a staple of the game since its launch, will now be retired in Battle for Azeroth, and advancements will be considered legacy achievements. If you fancy yourself a completionist, get on and make some bandages!

World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth DOWNLOAD HERE ▶️

The Violet Spellwing

With the arrival of the 8.0 pre-patch last week, you may have already missed out on some time-sensitive questing and grinding Blizzard put into place. The coveted Violet Spellwing from Heroic Argus is still available, and for those players who still don’t have it, Softonic recommends getting on board a run with Perky Pugs or a similar community group dedicated to getting players this fantastic Legion-era rare.

On a final note… water mounts

Word is that with a WoW expansion focused more on island-based locations and the high seas, water mounts will be more useful than ever. If you’ve got nothing else in particular to be focusing on, it’s time to make friends with a sea turtle.

The 5 best MOBA games to play right now

While the MOBA genre has some pretty diverse games in it, none is more prevalent than the traditional Dota-based ones. Dota was a defining game for the genre, and many have tried to recreate its style with their own unique flair. While some have failed at this, a few have succeeded above and beyond the original Dota’s glory. Below is a list of some of the best traditional MOBAs still active today.

5. Vainglory

Despite being a mobile game, Vainglory is a very well developed MOBA with a very active player-base. If you want to play a mobile MOBA, then Vainglory is by far the best one out there. The role system is great, and the games are fast-paced but still just as fun as PC MOBAs.

Vainglory Download Free ►

4. Smite

Even though Smite follows the traditional format of MOBAs (5v5 with three lanes and a jungle), it’s probably the most unique of them. The big difference between Smite and other MOBAs is that Smite’s point of view is third-person, and all basic attacks are skillshots instead of automatic. Also, Smite characters are all based on gods and goddesses instead of unique characters, which is a nice touch.

Smite Download free ►

3. Dota 2

The successor to the game that defined the MOBA genre. While not as popular as it was a few years ago, Dota 2 still has a strong following. In fact, Dota 2 recently received a big client update, so now is the perfect time to get back into the game if you’re an old fan.

Dota 2 Download free ►

How to start playing Dota 2

Read Now ►

2. Heroes of the Storm

If you’ve ever played a Blizzard game, then you probably know what Heroes of the Storm is. Like Smite, HotS’ characters are not original to its game. But instead of gods and goddesses, HotS features Blizzard characters from their other popular games like World of Warcraft, Starcraft, Diablo, and Overwatch. Blizzard often has giveaways and does events for all of its games, so if you play any of their other games, then you may get some benefits from playing HotS.

Heroes of the Storm Download Free ►

1. League of Legends

With over 100 characters to choose from, and a massive fanbase, League of Legends is still the largest MOBA around. While League itself was inspired by Dota, most new MOBAs are inspired by League of Legends instead. The game is constantly seeing updates, and the developers are very interactive with their audience. Definitely worth trying out if you haven’t.

League of Legends Download Free ►

15 best beginner champions in League of Legends

Read Now ►

How to join a game’s online community

If you haven’t joined the online community of a game, you’re missing out on something special. There are a number of ways to do it and there are a whole lot of game communities, but joining the team almost always feels great. Almost always, because let’s be honest, some communities are, well…

When you uninstall league of legends from gaming

That being said, gaming alone and gaming with a community is the difference between celebrating your birthday alone or grabbing pizza with the squad. If you haven’t already, we’d recommend giving it a try!

Choose a Method

As we’ve said, there are tons of ways to join a community, which makes it difficult to create discussable categories. But we worked together three pretty solid sections: console, online, and in-person communities.

Console

Many consoles like PlayStation and Xbox allow users to meet, collaborate, and communicate over games.

For example, Microsoft provides every game on the Xbox with a “Game Hub”, where users can collectively discuss, post videos, develop Clans, and create Group Requests, which joins the players in a party chat. Altogether, these abilities work great for games like Halo 5, where cooperative “fireteams” of Spartans go head to head in futuristic battles. Depending on those involved, the teamwork involved can bring teams together as friends.

So, whatever game you’re playing, make sure to check what your console offers. You may discover long-time teammates or a few buddies you can talk with to make gaming a bit more fun and friendly.

Also: many games, Fortnite especially, allow users to meet in-game. Here are some articles that discuss the topic more in-depth.

The main question to ask is, what do you want? There are many online resources that help communities gather, and even more application that can be used for the same purpose. Here are a few:

Reddit. Commonly called “The Front Page of the Internet”, this site offers numerous discussion pages, called subreddits, for literally anything. If you’re a game, make a Reddit account and subscribe to r/gaming. Do you have a specific game you enjoy? How about r/halo, r/bloodborne, or r/breath_of_the_wild? The downside to Reddit is that although posting, commenting, and discussing works well, it may be hard to find a specific group of people.
Facebook. A classic. Facebook excels at allowing users to create small or large groups. Thanks to the personalization, this makes it easier to plan events or work together, rather than posting memes. On the other hand, Facebook’s relative intimacy means you may need to search a while for the right group for you.
Twitch. This site does more than let you watch games: the following, commenting, and friending services enable the development of community like the other sites we’ve mentioned. However, in contrast with Reddit and Facebook, Twitch takes users right to the games with live feed videos of players. This hands-on style may be up your alley.

How to livestream your Xbox gameplay

Read now and start broadcasting

If a site wasn’t mentioned, we apologize. Please mention it in the comments below and remember: you don’t need to tie yourself down to one website. Most users have accounts on multiple sites. What matters most is what works best for each person!

In Person

Despite being in the communication age, meeting face-to-face can still create one of the best gaming experiences.

Keep an eye and ear out for opportunities in your community. Yes, it’s possible that nobody in your area actually plays the games you enjoy… but that’s highly unlikely. More often, you can discover fellow players through conversations about your interests. A number of gamer clans have been developed by adults who met in the office!

For the younger crowd, schools create the perfect environment to meet friends. If you’ve tried to discover teammates with no luck, consider making your own club or event: schools are often glad to accommodate student-run activities. With a little initiative, you may bring together a group of fellow gamers!