[IGDA Mobile-SIG List] Future of mobile games

[William Volk]

Jorge,

Sounds like a good policy to me.  Three years ago I would start the games on
Nokia Series 60, build a different version for the cheaper handsets.  Anyone
remember the fun of building a Series-30 title?

Still, if you COULD focus on the handsets that represent 80% of potential
game sales (i.e. The NEW handsets) you would have more $$$ to spend on
design and less on ports.  Try launching a network game for example.

Meanwhile I will work on a “tetris-godlike idea” ... I love that expression!

William Volk
CEO, MyNuMo
858 692 1124
Create It, Show It, SELL IT!
http://www.mynumo.com


From: Jorge Gonzalez Sanchez <jorgegs at gmail.com>

While the Nokia S40v1 thing can be true, you can't really base your designs
around portability to the low-end handsets, even if they represent a big
slice of the market pie.
 
We always work around a S60v2-Razr-ish version as a base, and then down(and
up) scale from there.
 
Ever tried the Nokia 3200 version of King Kong? Its barely enough for the
client not to have the right to say he was ripped off. The S60 version comes
with all sorts of bells and whistles.
 
Unless you get one of those tetris-godlike ideas for a game, you will end up
with a poor game on most handsets if you think too much on them shabby
handsets. Consider I say this while having all the porting done in-house.

 
On 3/7/07, William Volk <bvolk at mynumo.com> wrote:

> The reason that licenses MAKE SENSE for mobile games is because the majority

> of mobile game sales are from carrier 'decks'.

> 

> Therefore what the consumer sees is about 20 – 40 characters of text.

> 

> So for publishers, it's worth spending $$$ to make that text stand out.

> 

> One thing that is holding up game design is that a requirement of getting

> on-deck is to support a very wide range of handsets.  If you have to support a

> "Series-40" handset it may not be worth your while to build a fancy version

> for a smartphone.

> 

> William Volk

> MyNuMo

> 

> 

> 

> From: DrDon <don at sonaural.com>

> 

> 

> I think part (but not all by any means) of it is that the evolution of phone

> game design is not progressing as fast as the evolution of hardware

> capabilities. This being due to the incredibly rapid rate at which hardware

> capabilities increase. In the past, game hardwares have been relatively stable

> and largely driven by capabilities developers wanted. With phones, it's the

> other way around. Definitely a unique problem.

> 

> Licensing (with the possible exception of sports games) have always been a

> "iffy" prospect where you have to weigh the cost of the license with the cost

> of development, and hopefully some mitigation of risk when compared against

> original ip. Some have succeeded, many have failed regardless of platform. You

> still have to have a decent game. Presumably, the cost of a license will be

> offset by the increased sales right? Easier said than done! Especially on

> phones where the value of a movie or TV license isn't the same as on other

> game platforms. 

> 

> dd

> 

> Jorge Gonzalez Sanchez wrote:

>> Yeah, as DrDon said, mobile industry, as chaotic as it is (no more than the

>> PC), has yet to find its Command n Conquers, its WoWs or whatever, a game

>> which represents the mobile industrys finest.

>>  

>> Licensed games dont always sell that well. I remember reading something on

>> Gamasutra a while ago saying the LOTR mobile game(s?) bombed in the face of

>> simpler, classinc titles like Tetris or Parcheese. Licenses are good. Taking

>> inspiration from classics also is, but mobile games are a kind of it own

>> (mainly because of the horrible, inconsistent human interfaces), and should

>> be treated as such.

>>  

>> A couple of years ago nobody gave a dime for Touch-screen games, and now the

>> DS prints money. GPS, SMS, the microphone and the Camera are great interfaces

>> which offer great possibilities, but are still pretty much unexplored.

>>  

>>  

>>  

>>  

>> On 3/7/07, DrDon <don at sonaural.com> wrote:

>>> 

>>> IMHO - the killer-app game for mobile has yet to be made (as many point

>>> out). 

>>>  

>>> dd

>>>  

>>> � wrote: 

>>>> 

>>>> Hi all,

>>>> 

>>>> I saw last year's TOP 50 games (according ELSPA) and the speech of Trip

>>>> Hawkins in GDC, and I went to sleep with a question biting my head last

>>>> night: Is there a future for original mobile games?

>>>> 

>>>> 

>>>> As we can see, most of downloaded games are adaptations from Console/PC

>>>> games or those using TV show brands. As Hawkins said, only 5% of mobile

>>>> customer download a game and, coincidentally, 5% of mobile customers are

>>>> 

>>>> console/PC gamers (or ex-gamers). Maybe that would explain why the most

>>>> downloaded games are remakes of console/PC ones.

>>>> 

>>>> We know that it is too expensive to keep getting brands to create a new

>>>> game. Only big companies, like EA, Ubisoft and others, that already got

>>>> 

>>>> their own big brands, do not have big costs to worry with.

>>>> 

>>>> So, I would like to listen to some opinions about this.

>>>> 

>>>> PS: The article can be found at:

>>>> 

>>>> http://www.mobileindustry.biz/article.php?article_id=2327

>>>> <http://www.mobileindustry.biz/article.php?article_id=2327>

>>>> <http://www.mobileindustry.biz/article.php?article_id=2327>

>>>> 

>>>> PS2: The ELSPA article can be found at:

>>>> http://mobilegames.blogs.com/mobile_games_blog/2007/01/elspas_2006_lis.html

>>>>  

>>>> <http://mobilegames.blogs.com/mobile_games_blog/2007/01/elspas_2006_lis.htm

>>>> l> 

>>>> 

>>>> Thanks and best regards,

>>>> 

>>>>   

>>>>  

>>> 

>>>  

>>>   

>>> -- 

>>>  

>>>  

>>> 

>>> Don Diekneite

>>> 

>>> 

>>> Sonaural Audio Studios

>>> 

>>> 

>>> (408)799-6123

>>> 

>>> 

>>> Hear us online: www.Sonaural.com <http://www.sonaural.com/>

>>> <http://www.sonaural.com/>

>>> 

>>>  

>>>  

>>>  

>>> _______________________________________________

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>>>  

>>>  

>> 

>>  

>>  

>>  

>> -- 

>> Jorge Gonzalez Sanchez

>> Blue River S.A.

>>  

>> TEL. +54 (11) 4777-9431

>> MOV. +54 (911) 6167-5412

>> 

>> 

>> 

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>>   

> 

> 

> -- 

> Don Diekneite 

> Don Diekneite

> Sonaural Audio Studios

> (408)799-6123

> Hear us online: www.Sonaural.com <http://www.sonaural.com/>

> <http://www.sonaural.com/>

> 

> 

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> 




-- 
Jorge Gonzalez Sanchez
Blue River S.A.

TEL. +54 (11) 4777-9431
MOV. +54 (911) 6167-5412

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