Game Center

Game Center is an app released by Apple that allows users to play and challenge friends when playing online multiplayer social gaming network games.[5][6] Games can now share multiplayer functionality between the Mac and iOS versions of the app.[7]

For places that offer video games and other attractions, see Amusement arcade.
Game Center
Game Center on OS X Yosemite
TypeOnline service
Launch dateSeptember 8, 2010 (2010-09-08)
Current version13.6.1[1] (17G80)[2] (August 12, 2020 (2020-08-12)) [±]
Platform(s)iOS 4.1 or later, OS X Mountain Lion or later
Operating system(s)macOS, iOS, tvOS, watchOS
Members67 million (as of October 22, 2011)[3][4]
Part of a series on
macOS

Game Center can be implemented by developers as of iOS 4.1 or later, and OS X 10.8 or later, through the GameKit framework. Game Center is available on iPod Touch 2nd generation and later (iOS 4.1 or higher required); iPhone 3GS and later (iOS 4.1 or higher required); all models of the iPad (iOS 4.2 or higher required); Mac computers running OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion or later, Apple TV 4 running tvOS, and Apple Watch running watchOS 3.

History

Gaming became a major part of the iOS platform when Apple launched the App Store on July 10, 2008.[8] Unlike the console systems that were currently on the market, Apple had no unified multiplayer and social system for their platform. This gap was soon filled by third parties, such as OpenFeint, Plus, AGON Online, and Scoreloop. These third parties had control over the online gaming environment and with multiple third parties involved, it left a non-unified experience.

Game Center was announced during an iOS 4 preview event hosted by Apple on April 8, 2010. A preview was released to registered Apple developers in August.[5] It was released on September 8, 2010 with iOS 4.1 on iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, and iPod Touch 2nd generation through 4th generation, and is included with iOS 4.2 on the iPad.[9]

An updated version of Game Center was released with iOS 5 that featured the addition of turn-based gaming, player photos, friend suggestions, and achievement points.[10] The iOS 6 update added Challenges, a way for players to challenge other players to beat leaderboard scores or earn achievements.[11]

As of June 13, 2016, the application was removed from iOS 10 and macOS Sierra; however, the service still exists.[12][13]

From within Game Center, players can connect with friends, send friend requests, start playing games and organize online multiplayer games. The number of friends that can be connected to a single Game Center account is limited to 500. Some games may feature achievements, where for completing a certain task, the player is rewarded points. Depending on the game, a leaderboard may be present where a player can compare his or her score with friends or the world.[14]

Many iOS games use Game Center, but not all of them use every feature. Apps can choose to include any or all of the following features supported by Game Center:

  • Leaderboards – compares scores with the player's friends and with other players from around the world.
  • Achievements – Points are awarded to players as a part of Game Center's achievement tracking system. Players can earn points by meeting specific in-game challenges. Players cannot use the point for anything other than to rate progress in games. It was developed so players can socialize and compete against each other.
  • Multiplayer – the game can host matches in real-time, either between the player's friends or by "auto-matching" with random players from around the world.
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See also
  • Social network game – online games played through social networks

References
  1. Juli Clover (August 12, 2020). "Apple Releases iOS and iPadOS 13.6.1 With Fix for Storage Issue and Green Tinted Displays". MacRumors. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
  2. "iOS 13.6.1 (17G80) - Releases - Apple Developer". Apple Developer. Apple Inc. August 12, 2020. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
  3. "Inside Mobile Apps · Apple's Game Center Gets Update, Has 67 Million Total Accounts to Date". Inside Mobile Apps. Archived from the original on October 20, 2011. Retrieved October 22, 2011.
  4. "Game Center has 67 million users, news, Game Center, PocketGamer.biz". PocketGamer.biz. Retrieved October 22, 2011.
  5. "What's New in iOS 4". Apple Inc. Archived from the original on 8 March 2010. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
  6. Brett Molina (September 1, 2010). "Apple's Game Center debuts next week". USA Today. Retrieved September 1, 2010.
  7. "Matchmaking Overview". June 30, 2015. Retrieved November 14, 2015.
  8. "Apple Introduces the New iPhone 3G". Apple Inc. June 9, 2008. Archived from the original on May 1, 2011. Retrieved May 1, 2011.
  9. Holt, Chris. "iOS 4.1's GameCenter to Hit iPhone Next Week". Macworld. Retrieved September 1, 2010.
  10. Holt, Chris (October 4, 2011). "Apple Upgrades Game Center in iOS 5 Update". PC World. Retrieved December 21, 2011.
  11. "What's New with Game Center in iOS 6 - Ray Wenderlich". Ray Wenderlich. Retrieved November 14, 2015.
  12. "iOS 10.0". developer.apple.com. Retrieved 2016-06-13.
  13. https://www.cnet.com/how-to/10-hidden-macos-sierra-features-you-need-to-know/
  14. "Game Center". Apple Inc. Archived from the original on December 23, 2010. Retrieved May 1, 2011.


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