Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
Always Connected
Android devices are usually sold with data plans. This is driving an increasing amount of traffic
on the Web. A smartphone user is very likely to be connected to the Web at any given time
(disregarding poor reception caused by hardware design failures).
Permanent connectivity opens up a completely new world for mobile gaming. A user can
challenge an opponent on the other side of the planet to a quick game of chess, explore virtual
worlds populated with real people, or try fragging a best friend from another city in a gentlemen's
death match. Moreover, all of this occurs on the go—on the bus, on the train, or in a most
beloved corner of the local park.
Apart from multiplayer functionality, social networks have also started to influence mobile
gaming. Games provide functionality to automatically tweet your latest high score directly to
your Twitter account, or to inform a friend of the latest achievement you earned in that racing
game you both love. Although growing social networks exist in the classical gaming world
(for example, Xbox Live or PlayStation Network), the market penetration of services such as
Facebook and Twitter is a lot higher, so the user is relieved of the burden of managing multiple
networks at once.
Casual and Hardcore
The overwhelming user adoption of mobile devices also means that people who have never even
touched a NES controller have suddenly discovered the world of gaming. Their idea of a good
game often deviates quite a bit from that of the hardcore gamer.
According to the use cases for mobile phones, typical users tend to lean toward the more casual
sort of game that they can fire up for a couple of minutes while on the bus or waiting in line at
a fast food restaurant. These games are the equivalent of those addictive little flash games on
the PC that force many people in the workplace to Alt + Tab frantically every time they sense the
presence of someone behind them. Ask yourself this: How much time each day would you be
willing to spend playing games on your mobile phone? Can you imagine playing a “quick� game
of Civilization on such a device?
Sure, there are probably serious gamers who would offer up their firstborn child if they could
play their beloved Advanced Dungeons & Dragons variant on a mobile phone. But this group is a
small minority, as evidenced by the top-selling games in the iPhone App Store and Google Play.
The top-selling games are usually extremely casual in nature, but they have a neat trick up their
sleeves: the average time it takes to play a round is in the range of minutes, but the games keep
you coming back by employing various evil schemes. One game might provide an elaborate
online achievement system that lets you virtually brag about your skills. Another could actually
be a hardcore game in disguise. Offer users an easy way to save their progress and you are
selling an epic RPG as a cute puzzle game!
Big Market, Small Developers
The low entry barrier to the mobile games market is a main attractor for many hobbyists and
independent developers. In the case of Android, this barrier is especially low: just get yourself
the SDK and program away. You don't even need a device; just use the emulator (although
having at least one development device is recommended). The open nature of Android also
