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Mobile and Casual Games. An introduction and miniaturized history…. Overview. Basics of Casual Games Overview of Portable Gaming Mobile Game Limitations and Marketing Solutions Mobile Title Diversification Multiplayer Mobile Games Location-based Mobile Games Media and Distribution
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Mobile and Casual Games An introduction and miniaturized history…
Overview Basics of Casual Games Overview of Portable Gaming Mobile Game Limitations and Marketing Solutions Mobile Title Diversification Multiplayer Mobile Games Location-based Mobile Games Media and Distribution Alternative Interfaces
Definition of Terms CASUAL GAME - a game targeted at or used by a mass audience of casual gamers MOBILE GAME - a game played on a mobile phone, handheld computer or portable media player HAND HELD VIDEO GAME - is a video game designed for a handheld game consoles such as Nintendo's Game Boy line.
Basics of Casual Games Simple to learn Level based skill ramp/difficulty curve Reduced player commitment Limited player profile investment Limited story elements in game play Quick start, stop, resume Portable, location based, appliance based (PC)
Overview of Portable Gaming Dedicated hand-helds Cartridge based portables Disc based portables Connectivity and down-loadable content Cell-phones, PDAs, other portable appliances Pad-based and motion-sensitive portables Full-sized touch-screen pads
Last year’s console technology… …becomes next year’s mobile technology.
Console Portable Migration Nintendo NES Nintendo SNES Sega Master System Sega Genesis Sega CD Nintendo N64 Sony PS2 Game Boy Color GBA Sega GameGear Sega Nomad Sega CDX Nintendo DS PSP
Mobile Appliances Cel Phones PDA (Personal Digital Assistants) MP3 players (iPod) Digital Cameras All of the above!! Blackberry Droid iPhone/iTouch/iPad
Mobile Games Limitations Small in scope Rely on good gameplay over flashy graphics Lack of processing power of host device. Enough customer information to make a purchase? Limited sales presence through Network Carriers A few lines of text and a screen shot of the game to excite the customer
Marketing solutions Reliance on powerful brands and licenses that impart a suggestion of quality to the game such as Tomb Raider or Sonic Well known and established play patterns (genres) such as Tetris, Space Invaders or Poker. Both these strategies are used to decrease the perceived level of risk that the customer feels when choosing a game to download from the carrier’s deck.
Portable title diversification • Typical trends in portable games include: • Singleplayer vs. Multiplayer • 2D vs. 3D graphics. • Social Network games support both of singleplayer and multiplayer games. • Multiplayer games take advantage of the extension of the mobile phone’s connectivity.
Adult demographic based titles Internet gambling Player can play the game in a singleplayer or multiplayer mode for real or play money. MMORPG’s Subscription-based resources and real money transactions Trivia or quiz games (limited data space issue) Expansion packs provide solutions
Multiplayer Mobile Games • Most mobile games are single player with artificially intelligent opponents • Multiplayer functionality is achieved through: • Infared • Bluetooth • 3G • Wi-Fi • Wireless LAN • Multiplayer mobile games are often a re-branding of multiplayer games for the PC or Console
Location-based games Games played on a mobile device using localization technology like GPS are called location-based games. These are not only played on mobile hardware but also integrate the player's position into the game concept. It does not matter where exactly you are for a normal mobile game (play them anywhere at anytime) In a Location-based game the player's coordinate and movement are main game elements.
Unique to Mobile Gaming Geo-caching treasure hunt games Played on mobile device with integrated GPS receiver External GPS receivers connected via Bluetooth Increased number of mobile phones with GPS Overlay games involve specific location of multiple players and game resources in the real world “Enhanced Reality” adds layer of game technology “Flash mob” social event phenomenon
Distribution Over the Air (OTA) - via wireless carrier networks. Sideloaded - a game file is loaded onto the phone while connected to a PC, either via USB cable or Bluetooth. Pre-installed - a game file is preloaded onto the device by the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM). Mobile browser download - a game file (typically Adobe Flash Lite) is downloaded directly from a mobile website on demand
Alternate Mobile Interfaces Touch-screen pads allow immediate reconfiguration No moving parts Gesture-based interface control Multiple game play metaphors (moving, shooting, scratching) Handwriting recognition Motion, proximity, position sensitivity iPhone Warioware