The popular communication platform, Discord has announced a new “Activities” feature that allows users to watch YouTube videos or enjoy Discord games together in one channel. The company has introduced eight games as of now but stated that more is yet to come.
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Activities are available on the desktop or via the web browser with just one click of the Rocket Ship button, although the feature is not accessible on the mobile app yet. While watch parties are free to access, Discord states that only one game will be free-to-play, a mini-golf game called Putt Party.
The remaining activities will require a Discord Nitro account, as the genres vary from wordplay, cards, checkers, chess, and more. The company has shared that more games will be included, but here are the names of the initial seven that are accessible by Discord Nitro:
- Poker Night
- Sketch Heads
- Chess in the Park
- Checkers in the Park
- Land-io
- Letter League
- Blazing 8s
Discord also mentioned that a study from last year had sparked the idea to include games on Discord, as the company found out that 85% of the users use the platform to bond with friends while playing games:
“Last year, we conducted user research to better understand how users enjoy spending their time on Discord. While 85% of the users surveyed said they played games with friends over Discord on a regular basis, their primary purpose for playing was actually to bond with friends.”
The platform also announced a new feature named Forum Channels just a month ago. In a Twitter post, the company said that it’s “Building Discord to be the best place for friends and communities to hang out together online,” and even more functionality will be introduced in the future.