Entertain Yourself from the Couch - iConnected: Use AirPlay, iCloud, Apps, and More to Bring Your Apple Devices Together - page 75

Play multiplayer games online
Many of the games in the App Store allow you to compete online against other players. Apps like
Words with Friends and Letterpress let you take a turn and be notified when your opponents take
theirs, while games like Air Wings and N.O.V.A let you show off your skills in real time in the same
way as a console game.
If you're keen to try out some of the best multiplayer games for iOS as well as use games that of-
fer mirroring features for the Apple TV, you can't get much better than these gems:
• A favorite in my house is Electronic Arts' Scrabble , the traditional board game redesigned
for iOS that lets you use your iPhone or iPod Touch as tile holder while an iPad becomes the
main board.
• For sports lovers, EA Sports' FIFA series offers local multiplayer features so you can take on
your friends in soccer matches using a Wi-Fi connection and two devices — and even use
AirPlay mirroring to an Apple TV.
• Of course, you can't beat Real Racing 2 if you want to the mirroring options from an iOS
game.
• If you like its console games, Modern Combat 3 is another AirPlay mirroring-enabled shoot-
er you'll enjoy.
• For a more arcade feel, I definitely recommend Chopper 2 , which also includes mirroring so
you can play on your TV using your iOS device to control the on screen action.
How you find and connect to your adversaries differs depending on the app, with some using
their own servers, others using Facebook and Twitter, and still others using Apple's Game Center,
which I describe next. Almost all these apps require having an account with the game provider; in
some cases, the e-mail address you provide lets friends discover that you are playing the same game,
either by searching for your e-mail address or the game checking your contacts list to see what play-
ers match entries there.
Play with others via Game Center
For a quick and easy way to find friends to play games against, view your achievements, and dis-
cover new games, your best bet is Game Center (see Figure 4-2), Apple's gaming hub. Game Center is
available on iOS devices and Macs, and you can sign in using your Apple ID.
Friends who are using Game Center are listed in the app, so you can challenge them to a head-to-
head game whenever you fancy from your chosen app. They'll see you in their Game Center app as
well. How? Game Center taps into your contacts list and compares e-mail addresses in everyone's list
to those people provided to the Game Center app to see who knows who. So, the more e-mail ad-
dresses to your Game Center account, the more likely friends will see you in their Game Centers.