Garena+

Garena+ is a Windows program for discovering other gamers to play alongside and against.

Garena+ is essentially a looking-for-group platform in app form. For those that don't know, LFG is all about bringing likeminded gamers together on a compatible schedule. Such a tool is particularly useful for adult gamers who may have unpredictable availability due to other responsibilities.

After you download, install and run Garena+, you'll have to create an account by entering a username and password. Garena+ accounts are free, and you don't need to supply an email address, but it can come in handy if you ever lose your password.

Once connected, you can see all of the other users currently online. You can even sort them by the games they're playing or want to play. You may also friend people, and those gamers will take priority on your list. Players are self-labeled by skill level as well. You can sort by skill and search for players who have a skill level similar to your own.

The great thing about Garena+ is that it lets you find teammates and opponents from all over the world regardless of your local time. The app also has an internal messaging system. It's nice for introductions or games that don't support chat. The website has a robust forum system for conversations that are too complex for simple chats.

You represent yourself to the rest of the community with an avatar. The avatar is provided to you upon opening a Garena+ account. If you want to personalize your avatar beyond the default, you're going to have to pay for that privilege. This is how the service generates income.

Note that Garena+ doesn't support every game out there. With some exceptions, it also tends not to add new games as soon as they become available. Instead, this service generally focuses on games that have real staying power and loyal fan bases, such as Team Fortress 2 and Warcraft 3. This approach has advantages and drawbacks, but it certainly helps to curate a particular type of gamer who is very committed to the games that he or she plays.

Pros

• Find teammates and opponents worldwide
• Hardcore gamer community

Cons

• Avatar personalization is a paid service
• May not support your favorite MP game