Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 1
Let's Meet the Android
Android mobile phones dominate the mobile smartphone market, surpassing even Apple's iPhone.
There are hundreds of millions of mobile phones using the Android operating system in over
190 countries around the world. Every day, a million new users begin using their Android phones to
surf the Web, to e-mail friends, and to download apps and games. In fact, in the Google Play Store
alone, there are 1.5 billion downloads per month of Android games and applications. If you include
other web sites that offer Android games and apps for sale, such as Amazon Appstore for Android,
then the number is even higher.
In this chapter, you will learn about the Android Software Development Kit (SDK). You will learn how
to set up the Android development environment. You will also learn about the major components
of this environment, such as Eclipse. We then go through the creation and deployment of a simple
“Hello World” program for Android, to both a virtual Android emulator program and also a real
Android device.
Overview of Android
The Android operating system is a widely used operating system available on mobile phones and
tablets. It is even used on a video game console called the Ouya. Android phones range from
expensive phones that require a contract to inexpensive prepaid phones that do not require any
contract. Developing programs for the Android platform does not require any developer's fees,
unlike Apple mobile devices, which require yearly fees in order to even be able to run your program
on their devices. A good working prepaid no-contract Android phone that can develop 3D games
using OpenGL ES 2.0 can be bought on Amazon.com for as little as $75-$100 with free shipping.
Overview of the Android SDK
This section discusses the Android SDK. Development system requirements and important individual
pieces of the SDK, such as the SDK Manager, Android Virtual Device Manager, and the actual
Android emulator will be covered.
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