Traditionally gaming platforms have come in three flavours. Games consoles connected to a television such as the PlayStation and Xbox, personal computers and dedicated portable gaming devices such as the Nintendo game boy. The last of these platforms were nominally portable but rarely pocketable. The advent of smart phones has created a new gaming platform that, unlike mobile gaming platforms of the past, are not only easily pocketable but also multifunctional through the extreme diversity of downloadable applications run on their operating systems.
In just a few years “Apps” has gone from the letters left over after a game of scrabble to a word slipped into everyday conversation by an immensely broad section of society. Technically speaking mobile phone applications (apps) are software programs for mobile devices and typically available through four main distribution platforms, each linked to the principal operating systems that power mobile devices (the Apple App Store, Google Play, Windows Phone Store, and BlackBerry App World). Less technically speaking apps expand the functionality of a mobile device by enabling it to perform new tasks. Should a user need to translate a restaurant menu from Mandarin to English a few quick clicks can turn any smart phone into bilingual dictionary by downloading a suitable app.
Such functionality is clearly extremely useful and is unsurprisingly attracting as lot of attention. Wikipedia reports that market research firm Gartner predicted 102 billion apps would be downloaded in 2013 generating US$26 billion of revenue (up 44% on the previous year), and supporting over half a million jobs across the EU.
Whilst apps can be highly functional they can also be fun. Game apps represent a large portion of total app downloads and provide gaming opportunities for people and within locations that previous platforms struggled to reach. Early generations of mobile phones included games like Snake which despite the grey and black displays of Nokia handsets past were still immensely popular (especially amongst kids on my school bus). By allowing users to play games on the move without requiring a separate gaming device these mobile phones introduced society to the concept of always being able to play a digital game, wherever you were. With the vastly increased computing power of smart phones a boom in the market of phone based games has occurred. New generations of games with complex involved gameplay and detailed graphics and sophisticated physics engines have taken the initial concept of gaming anywhere and made it even more attractive. No longer are six schoolboys fighting over a single handset on the journey home. Now entire subway trains can be crammed with gaming commuters all focused on the latest releases.
Whilst digital games might offer those stuck on the daily grind a little escapism and a novel way to avoid eye contact with fellow passengers the ability to game on the move has much more profound impacts for those apps which seek to add a note of gamification to what might otherwise be considered an onerous or boring task. I have a very great love of nature, I enjoy watching wildlife and have a keen interest in conservation, however I am unlikely to go out for a Sunday stroll equipped with an insect field guide, a notebook, a camera and a set of recording instructions so that I can record the presence of different ladybird species. An app on my phone however can change all that. The iSpot Ladybirds apps allow users to collect citizen science data without the faff associated with setting out on a walk with this specific purpose in mind. If whilst out walking I spot a ladybird then my phone is now able help me identify it through a simple and interactive key, lead me easily through a standardised recording format and enable me to submit a photo of my find if it is a species of particular interest. The phone removes 99% of the hassle, adds a sense of discovery and fun through its interface and allows me to participate in the project without requiring me to pre-meditate my ladybird spotting activities or choose between going out bird watching, insect spotting or bat detecting. Now my phone enables me to do all three (and much more) as my mood takes me.
This is just one simplistic example of how the fact that the mobile phone now sits alongside the wallet and keys in a holy trinity of pocket contents is bringing new opportunities for gaming app developers. The apps must, of course, still be catchy and appealing otherwise they sit on the phone forgotten and unused but by providing a constant presence on a users person the mobile phone is dramatically increasing the opportunities for both frivolous and serious gaming alike.
In just a few years “Apps” has gone from the letters left over after a game of scrabble to a word slipped into everyday conversation by an immensely broad section of society. Technically speaking mobile phone applications (apps) are software programs for mobile devices and typically available through four main distribution platforms, each linked to the principal operating systems that power mobile devices (the Apple App Store, Google Play, Windows Phone Store, and BlackBerry App World). Less technically speaking apps expand the functionality of a mobile device by enabling it to perform new tasks. Should a user need to translate a restaurant menu from Mandarin to English a few quick clicks can turn any smart phone into bilingual dictionary by downloading a suitable app.
Such functionality is clearly extremely useful and is unsurprisingly attracting as lot of attention. Wikipedia reports that market research firm Gartner predicted 102 billion apps would be downloaded in 2013 generating US$26 billion of revenue (up 44% on the previous year), and supporting over half a million jobs across the EU.
Whilst apps can be highly functional they can also be fun. Game apps represent a large portion of total app downloads and provide gaming opportunities for people and within locations that previous platforms struggled to reach. Early generations of mobile phones included games like Snake which despite the grey and black displays of Nokia handsets past were still immensely popular (especially amongst kids on my school bus). By allowing users to play games on the move without requiring a separate gaming device these mobile phones introduced society to the concept of always being able to play a digital game, wherever you were. With the vastly increased computing power of smart phones a boom in the market of phone based games has occurred. New generations of games with complex involved gameplay and detailed graphics and sophisticated physics engines have taken the initial concept of gaming anywhere and made it even more attractive. No longer are six schoolboys fighting over a single handset on the journey home. Now entire subway trains can be crammed with gaming commuters all focused on the latest releases.
Whilst digital games might offer those stuck on the daily grind a little escapism and a novel way to avoid eye contact with fellow passengers the ability to game on the move has much more profound impacts for those apps which seek to add a note of gamification to what might otherwise be considered an onerous or boring task. I have a very great love of nature, I enjoy watching wildlife and have a keen interest in conservation, however I am unlikely to go out for a Sunday stroll equipped with an insect field guide, a notebook, a camera and a set of recording instructions so that I can record the presence of different ladybird species. An app on my phone however can change all that. The iSpot Ladybirds apps allow users to collect citizen science data without the faff associated with setting out on a walk with this specific purpose in mind. If whilst out walking I spot a ladybird then my phone is now able help me identify it through a simple and interactive key, lead me easily through a standardised recording format and enable me to submit a photo of my find if it is a species of particular interest. The phone removes 99% of the hassle, adds a sense of discovery and fun through its interface and allows me to participate in the project without requiring me to pre-meditate my ladybird spotting activities or choose between going out bird watching, insect spotting or bat detecting. Now my phone enables me to do all three (and much more) as my mood takes me.
This is just one simplistic example of how the fact that the mobile phone now sits alongside the wallet and keys in a holy trinity of pocket contents is bringing new opportunities for gaming app developers. The apps must, of course, still be catchy and appealing otherwise they sit on the phone forgotten and unused but by providing a constant presence on a users person the mobile phone is dramatically increasing the opportunities for both frivolous and serious gaming alike.