Mobile Game Development Is Where The Money Is

If you’ve been thinking about getting into development, you should seriously consider mobile game development. Many developers are turning their attention to mobile games because of the field’s rapid growth.

While no one is predicting the death of game consoles, experts have noticed that people are flocking to online games. This is partly because it’s so easy to whip out a mobile phone and play a quick game or two while waiting in a queue, waiting for a train, or waiting for a friend.

In addition to immediate gratification, mobile games don’t rely on consoles whose technology quickly becomes dated and which need regular updates.

Snake is relegated to the basement

Does anyone remember Snake, the game that came pre-loaded on Nokia mobile phones, back in the dark ages? The dark ages being the late 90s and early 2000s. It might not have been the most riveting game in the world, but it certainly was compelling.

Mobile gaming has come a long way since then, hasn’t it?

The Market of Mobile Gaming

At the end of the November 2012, Mike Haggerty (gamesindustry.biz) cited data from Avista Partners, from which it was estimated that the mobile gaming market will grow to $18.3 billion in 2016.

In late January 2013, Adobe published an infographic on mobile gaming growth and potential. Some highlights include:

• People around the world spend three billion hours per week playing mobile games.
• Of total app store revenue, 80% goes to mobile games.
• Tablet owners spend 67% of their time on games.
• Flash technology is by far (96%) the most commonly used for game development.

Image Licensed Under Attribution

 

 Cash in

Unfortunately, the market is saturated with game developers, all of whom think they have the next Farmville or Angry Birds on their hands. It’s quite difficult to stand out from this crowd, but there are some things that you can do to improve your chances of getting your share of $18.3 billion.

• Ensure that your development skills are exemplary. You need to produce quality work or you have no hope of succeeding.
• Have a website for your game – a well-designed website that is engaging and interactive and allows visitors to play a demo so that they just have to play more.
• Promote your game on social media and other avenues online.
• Encourage reviews on your website and social media sites.
• Use analytics to improve performance.

Trevor McClaremont (gamasutra.com) lists some common gaming analytic mistakes that you can’t afford to make:

• Not setting up proper goal tracking. You need to ensure that you have granular goals so you can see exactly what you are achieving and where you can improve.
• Going hog wild with tracking. If you’re inundated with data you won’t be able to extract any meaningful information. Think carefully about what data you need and just go with that.
• Relying too much on analytics and not enough on reviews and feedback. Your users’ opinions matter; they matter a lot. Ignore them at your peril.

Mobile gaming is on the up and up, which means that the one thing the market doesn’t lack are developers. You can improve your chances of standing out from the crowd and achieving your goals if you ensure that your development skills are top-notch.

  Sandy Cosser

About the Guest Author:

Sandy Cosser is a gaming widow who can, nevertheless, appreciate the value of good development and design, skills which are often rooted in good web development.