There are two types of Facebook (News - Alert) users out there: those who love to work on their virtual farms, cafes and mobs, and those who get increasingly annoyed when their news feed is clogged by updates of these very same farms, cafes and mobs.

Now Google (News - Alert)+ is planning to make both types of social networkers happy with the imminent introduction of a new Games Stream.  Having a separate stream for games will allow users who are not interested in game updates to filter out news from people in their circles who are inclined to play and share.

The news is significant for the future of Google+. It will mean that the site is ready challenge both Facebook and Apple (News - Alert) in the online gaming arena.  This will put Google+ in direct competition with Apple’s Game Center, and position the new social networking site to take on Facebook in the area of social gaming.

Rumors have swirled for quite a while regarding games on Google+. Evidence such as embedded code, job postings, and clues on help pages have indicated that the feature is imminent. Coupled with recent news about Google’s interest in Zynga (News - Alert), it shows a clear intention to make gaming an integral part of the site.

Zynga is the developer responsible for many of Facebook’s most popular games, from FarmVille to Mafia Wars. The company plans to hold an IPO soon, and rumors are swirling that Google intends to be a heavy investor in the newly public company.

In the long run, adding games to Google+, which already boasts nearly 20 million users after just a month of existence, will take the site beyond just a place to connect with circles of friends and colleagues. It will now serve as a new place for people like me to waste copious amounts of time managing tropical islands or frontier wagons or whatever new games programmers can create to distract me from the real world.

As well it should be.

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