Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
Input interfaces for mobile games
The advent of the iOS and its revolutionary touch user interface is responsible for one
of the most interesting aspects of mobile game development: the possibility of creat-
ing games that rely on very innovative input control systems.
Not only the usual touch actions, such as swiping and tapping, have been exploited to
create the mechanics for innovative and popular games belonging to various genres,
such as Fruit Ninja, Spider the Secret of Bryce Manor, Angry Birds, or Temple Run.
As the iPhone and the majority of smartphones are provided with sensors to detect
movement, proximity, light, a camera, a microphone, and a headphone jack, these
pieces of hardware have been taken into consideration by game developers to create
games that were simply not possible before the advent of the touch interface and
today's smartphones.
In the following sections, we examine the distinctive features of mobile devices from a
mobile game designer's perspective. How can we exploit the potential of built-in and
external components of today's smartphones to design games?
