3 Reasons Why Mobile is not the Future of Game Development

Discussion in 'Public Game Developers Forum' started by TokyoDan, May 31, 2016.

  1. TokyoDan

    TokyoDan Well-Known Member

    Oct 7, 2010
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  2. AmarulaByMorning

    May 31, 2016
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    Seattle, WA
    I don't know if the title matches the article very well. It seems to be mostly a critique of some current trends in mobile games. Of course the present trends are not the future of game development at all, they're the present!

    People have a lot of time to kill in small intervals with their phone, I suspect there will always be room for a future of game dev there. But it probably won't ever look exactly like PC or console gaming.
     
  3. Blackharon

    Blackharon Well-Known Member

    Mar 15, 2010
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    Game Designer for Ludia
    Canada
    #3 Blackharon, May 31, 2016
    Last edited: May 31, 2016
    There's a lot of wisdom in one line. I wouldn't even call the first point the present! The race to the bottom happened nearly a decade ago when the App Store first became a thing. Now we are at the bottom (price-wise). There is no more racing.

    Point 2: Limited design has a paragraph that says "poor controls make poor games". That's not new to mobile - all game platforms can have poor controls whether they have physical buttons, a mouse, or a touch screen. The real crux of the matter is: Design a game that's right for the controller (or lack thereof).

    The final point, poor consumer treatment, is somewhat valid but the evidence provided is going at the wrong angle. Everyone knows that forums like these, and people who comment on games in general, are a vocal minority. Who cares about the complainers.

    Want me to write up 3 good reasons why mobile gaming is here to stay for quite some time?

    My wife, my mother-in-law, and my son.

    1 of these had never touched a game in her life until she met Candy Crush. Now, she spends a good 1 hour a day on her device.

    Another one hadn't played games since high school, when "The Sims" were a thing. Now she has Talking Angela, Candy Crush and Diner Dash in her hands almost every day.

    The 3rd and final one will be a gamer and the core audience. Since he was 4 he's been playing builders and endless runners. These are his "Super Mario Brothers" days and will likely remember the Temple Run demon thing as I do Bowser. He's already moved onto mobile MOBAs (Vain Glory) but doesn't know how to operate a mouse.

    TLDR: It's not time to abandon ship, but the market is saturated so don't expect success because you shipped it.
     
  4. Eli

    Eli ᕕ┌◕ᗜ◕┐ᕗ
    Staff Member Patreon Silver Patreon Gold

  5. Jubelio

    Jubelio Active Member

    Jul 31, 2014
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  6. Gluskap

    Gluskap Well-Known Member

    Sep 12, 2015
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    Just looked tags at beginning of the article and closed the tab. Best reading ever.
     
  7. Eli

    Eli ᕕ┌◕ᗜ◕┐ᕗ
    Staff Member Patreon Silver Patreon Gold

    Yeah, we see a lot of articles like this one. Those who can, do. Those who can't, write... think pieces about how it's the market's fault or whatever else.
     
  8. orangepascal

    orangepascal Well-Known Member

    is this article new? or written in 2012? :)
    really the same article can now be written for PC/Steam games..
    check how many games there are now just $0.99 or $1.99.. race to the bottom on pc?

    mobile is not the future, mobile is NOW just like PC is now!
    Gaming is everywhere, and earning money in gaming is equally hard on all platforms.

    Also I think the race to the bottom has actually ended, and there is now a slight climb back to proper premium games. Check the top lists, there are premium games now that are round $4.99, which is a decent price for many games. Still not where it should be to make game-development profitable for companies, but much better than 0.99 or free
     
  9. Moonjump

    Moonjump Well-Known Member

    May 17, 2010
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    Game designer
    Lincoln, UK
    Some games are apparently doing the wrong thing, so the platform is not the future. Mobile gaming may, or may not, be the future, but this article doesn't provide any evidence either way.
     
  10. nick@Paintteh.com

    May 20, 2013
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    noob at painttehcastle.com
    as long as smartphones and commuting will exist, there will always be games to fill time;)
     
  11. AnawikiGames

    AnawikiGames New Member

    Dec 21, 2011
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    Well, if you look at the developer conferences and tools made for developers you can say Virtual Reality is the trend... although I don't think so.

    Mobile games will do strong, but it won't be a gold mine for developers as it used to be. I guess the better name for this article would be "Mobile games are not a gold mine any more".
     

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