GOG introduces user profiles

What has already been available on many gaming platforms has now finally been implemented on GOG: the user profile that allows sharing one’s personal gaming progress and preferences.

It might seem a bit weird that this feature hasn’t been included right from the start, especially with achievements already being a part of GOG Galaxy, the alternative to Steam or actually any other online system. Don’t be confused by the name “user profile”, though, as this isn’t simply the way forum users can edit their personal details with avatars. The new user profile allows everyone to keep others up to date with the four cornerstones Feed, Profile, Games and Friends.

Feed is the centerpiece of the profile, as it shows what games one’s friends have played or are currently playing, including achievements and milestones. Commenting on screenshots, forum activities and general thoughts adds to the social aspect of that feature, too.
The personal Profile itself is obviously about one’s own gaming accomplishments and recent activity, showing playtimes, achievements, and also what friends are up to.
Then there’s Games which contains a list of all titles owned on GOG, together with stats like time spent in-game and one’s progress towards unlocking achievements. Being able to sort the list and compare stats with friends, one can be in constant competition if one wants to.
Finally Friends gives a general summary of their achievements and hours played. Showing which games are the most popular and being able to join friends in multiplayer are all things that can be found on other gaming platforms, so it’s great to finally see it make an appearance.

Of course with so much personal information and transparency of gaming behavior comes visibility and responsibility. So if one doesn’t want to share everything with everyone, it’s possible to adjust three new privacy options in one’s account. Steam, Xbox Live, PSN and maybe other platforms have always been about bringing people together and making them share their experiences. Just like Twitter and Facebook, it might come with its problems, but maybe the good outweighs the bad. It’s certainly a great way to finally be able to do this in a DRM-free form, even though in combination with the optional GOG Galaxy client, it’s only partly true.

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