Download 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)
Dedicated
Portables
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
Cartridge based hand-helds
Console based technology
Last year’s console technology…
…becomes next year’s mobile technology.
Console  Portable Migration
 Nintendo NES
 Game Boy Color
 Nintendo SNES
 GBA
 Sega Master System
 Sega GameGear
 Sega Genesis
 Sega Nomad
 Sega CD
 Sega CDX
 Nintendo N64
 Nintendo DS
 Sony PS2
 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
Good gameplay, Limited graphics
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.
Platform
diversification
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
Multi-use and Multi-player
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
Portable appliance based
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
CD and
Downloadable
Media
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
Pad-based and motion-sensitive
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
Full-sized touch screens
Dedicated gaming peripherals!!