Google Games tweaks login; introduces unique gamer ids

Google Play Games is rolling out a new update for gamers with a new sign in option. The gamers will be no longer need their Google+ account to log in but instead can create a unique user id using their existing email.

With this new update, players can create their user id and avatars, and they would require signing in just once with the current email id for every account, rather than singing in once per game. This is good news for regular gamers with names and avatars for their consoles, as now they can bring in the same identity and username for their Google Play Games account.

"Your Google+ account continues to get a little less useful. The folks in Mountain View announced today that Google Play Games would not longer require the aforementioned log-in. Over the coming weeks, titles integrated with the company's gaming hub will transition to new Gamer IDs," wrote Benjamin Frenkel, product manager at Google Play Games, in a blog post.

This also gives the gamers the discretion of keeping their gaming activity private or public by unlinking activity from their respective Google+ accounts. Earlier, Google + connect would automatically connect their gaming account to their social media account and post their information. Frenkel said: "In this alternate world, I'm not Ben, product manager at Google. I'm Caldorf, destroyer of enemy bases; slayer of zombies."

Linking the two accounts also gives away a lot of redundant information on the social media platform. However, some like to connect with fellow gamers and Google is cognizant of this. It has offered the option to find other gamers or allows people to find your gamer id by searching for it with the email address. Furthermore, there is also the option for players in the existing Google+ circles or contacts to be able to see the gamer id and activity along with the name.

Existing gamers who are logging into the account will be automatically taken to a new sign in page with a new "Play Integrated" title and asked to create a new id and profile for activating this update. First timers will need to sign in using the email and then create any id.

The move is part of a new strategy under which Google is unlinking all its major platforms from Google+; it has already divorced Google+ from Picasa, YouTube, and Contacts.

Google had launched its social networking platform in June 2011 and was slowly integrating it with all Google products. In just one year, Google + had become world's second largest social media platform with over 350 million users, trailing behind Facebook, which has over 600 million users.