This rant comes riding on the coattails of the announcement of Deus Ex: The Fall. I hope it will be just one of many caffeine-fueled ravings that I will be able to share with the temp, whether it's read or not. These won't be the most coherent paragraphs you've ever read, I'll tell you that. And I'm probably wrong in my thinking in some way, but by venting it out, I can create a discussion. So, onward:
Today, people use their smartphones for everything at every time. They're glued to these screens. Apps and games are the glue. What separates smartphones from gaming handhelds is their ability to multitask and the need to keep it with you at all times because it's your gateway into your social life. Since people carry these phones around, they use them to fill every fleeting minute that passes with content and media. This means they don't necessarily have even ten minutes to devote to a game. They may have two to five, which is plenty enough if used right. I could use that time to get 3-stars on a level of Angry Birds or set a new High Score on Super Hexagon. I definitely would not be able to beat a level or accomplish a task in Deus Ex: The Fall in five minutes, nor make good progress on case in Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. If I've got more time than that, I could just play better games on my 3DS or my PSP if I'm on the go, or I could play even better games on my PC or console.
This puts games like Phoenix Wright and Deus Ex into a really small niche: players would need to have a decent amount of time, be on the go, not have a gaming handheld, and, considering the average battery life of smartphones when gaming, have access to a charger. Or they would need to be at home and not own a decent PC (by decent, I mean better than a netbook) or a gaming console.
Don't take all this to mean that great games can't be made for mobile. Not even close to what I mean. A proper game for mobile needs to not just plan for but take advantage of the player's busy schedule while still allowing room for the above niche market. Give the player something they can do in a short amount of time, offer more things for them to come back for, and try to have larger tasks to be done when they have larger amounts of time or are sitting at home.
Today, people use their smartphones for everything at every time. They're glued to these screens. Apps and games are the glue. What separates smartphones from gaming handhelds is their ability to multitask and the need to keep it with you at all times because it's your gateway into your social life. Since people carry these phones around, they use them to fill every fleeting minute that passes with content and media. This means they don't necessarily have even ten minutes to devote to a game. They may have two to five, which is plenty enough if used right. I could use that time to get 3-stars on a level of Angry Birds or set a new High Score on Super Hexagon. I definitely would not be able to beat a level or accomplish a task in Deus Ex: The Fall in five minutes, nor make good progress on case in Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. If I've got more time than that, I could just play better games on my 3DS or my PSP if I'm on the go, or I could play even better games on my PC or console.
This puts games like Phoenix Wright and Deus Ex into a really small niche: players would need to have a decent amount of time, be on the go, not have a gaming handheld, and, considering the average battery life of smartphones when gaming, have access to a charger. Or they would need to be at home and not own a decent PC (by decent, I mean better than a netbook) or a gaming console.
Don't take all this to mean that great games can't be made for mobile. Not even close to what I mean. A proper game for mobile needs to not just plan for but take advantage of the player's busy schedule while still allowing room for the above niche market. Give the player something they can do in a short amount of time, offer more things for them to come back for, and try to have larger tasks to be done when they have larger amounts of time or are sitting at home.
