How to Live-Stream Game Play in a Google Hangout

Among Google Hangouts' many tools and features is the option to share your screen with others. This will let you share your desktop or a specific application, including a game. Hangouts does not have the best streaming quality compared to dedicated streaming sites, but does not require any additional software to run.

Open the game you want to stream, then make sure that the game is not running in Windowed Mode. Having this setting enabled may result in your viewers only seeing a black screen. If this is an option for your game, it is usually found in the game's graphics settings.

Start your Hangout and make it public or invite specific friends by typing in their names. Once you have entered the Hangout, hover over the left side of the screen and click "Screenshare." This brings up your desktop and a list of all currently running programs on your computer that you can share with anyone in the Hangout.

Select your game from the list of screens, then click "Share Selected Window." Your game will now be visible in real time to the Hangout. Because only the game window is selected, your viewers will only see the game, whether or not you have it minimized. You can switch back to the Hangout window and interact with your viewers without changing what they see on their screens.