The Morass of Gaming or How to Develop a Mobile Game That Does not Suck

Are you in for a grand slam on mobile stores? Then forget ordinary mobile applications and make and extraordinary mobile game! Yet, it is not as easy as it sounds and only a handful of mobile games make it to the top. You wonder why? Well, read on to find the answers for yourselves!

Hello folks! I presume you have been busy implementing your latest strategy for total market domination or alternatively, you have been working very hard on yet another star-quality project that could turn into a shortcut to brand awareness, a bridge to brand recognition, or a pathway to fortune. If you have not been involved in similar activities, but you would very much like to, you might find my articles quite useful. Indeed, I am always ready and willing to share a delectable portion of marketing tricks or a bucketful of business insights that could push your commercial endeavors forward. Take my entry on humanizing your business practices to avoid some spinal tap marketing contradictions! It might help you with your customer service and/or customer support efforts! But enough on this subject! It is time we discussed other topics. As I promised you in my last piece, I would re-open the chapter on mobile marketing, because I simply failed to address a very important type of mobile applications, which proves to be extremely popular with people! Yes, I know. I did not blog about mobile games, which is a huge lapse, but hey, I am ready to redeem myself and correct this wrong. Just read on! I hope this feature was worth the long wait.

Are you in for a grand slam? Well, then make a mobile game! Why? Because games are the only type of mobile applications that stand a real chance of becoming big hits on the App Store, the Android Market, and the Google Chrome Web Store, among others. How come? Well, this is the part I need to elaborate on. Meanwhile, I will take the liberty to introduce you to a few notions and trends. Without further ado, I will plunge into the gaming world, so get ready to follow me through the tangled labyrinths and the dark nooks and crannies of the mobile gaming universe. I am sure you will have fun!

There is a method to the madness

In his book iPhone and iPad Apps Marketing: Secrets to Selling Your iPhone and iPad Apps, Jeffrey Hughes argues that games, by far, make up the majority of the big win applications. Indeed, as he keeps elaborating, games take advantage of the impulse buy, which occurs directly from mobile devices. Moreover, according to numerous surveys conducted by industry analysts, games are the only type of mobile apps that are likely to be bought on impulse, because people do not tend to give a lot of thought before purchasing a game. At the end of the day, they would not be buying a house or a piece of software that they would use in the long run. They are simply purchasing a game for the sole purpose of having some fun. There is nothing more to it.

Having established this, I already identified one of the key characteristics of mobile games: they simply have to be a whole lot of fun. This is, indeed, a no-brainer but many mobile game makers still get it wrong and they tend to develop boring, dull, and largely unattractive game apps. Do not be fooled. Coming up with a great idea for an interactive mobile game is much harder than you think. It cannot happen overnight (unless you are a super creative genius who knows exactly what appeals to people). In fact, the way to devising a successful concept for a mobile game is paved by a lot of research, a thorough analysis of hundreds of mobile games and game reviews, numerous A/B tests, and plenty of concept revisions. This, as you can imagine, is extremely laborious and time-consuming task and you do have to involve some experts on gaming if you want to forge a strong game concept. The possibilities of one or two indie developers, who know absolutely nothing or very little about games, coming up with an amazing idea for a mobile game are close to zero. Then again, there are a few notable exceptions. Nonetheless, I do recommend that you have an expert on gaming on board. Such whizzes can show you the way to capturing the imagination of your target audience or at least, they can point you in the right direction and be your guide to the gaming galaxy. Moreover, their knowledge and expertise are really invaluable.

Keep it simple, stupid!

People who download mobile games and play them on their mobile devices often do so as a matter of convenience. Indeed, most of those who immerse themselves in mobile games do so while they are on the go. I presume you have all seen the guys or gals who furiously shake or tap on their mobile devices on the train. Maybe you are one of those gaming folks and you know more about games than I ever will. In case you are not into games, but you would like to pursue future business endeavors in the gaming sphere, you have to realize that the culture of gaming and the ways to play games have radically changed over the course of the last few years. The advent of mobile devices and the simultaneous release of improved portable consoles have redefined the basic gaming habits and they have driven people to come out and play in the open. Literally. Moreover, these developments have opened the gates to casual gaming, which, appeals to a mass audience. This phenomenon, according to experts, is here to stay.

As a result of those interconnected events, now we have people playing games while waiting for their desired means of transportation to arrive or while killing time until a friend shows up at a meeting. Others, indulge in such pleasant activities while lazily lying on the couch. In fact, there are lots of ways to play games but I am not going to get into the whole culture and the respective rituals of gaming, because this is a totally different subject. Nonetheless, it should be pointed out that there is a common denominator that groups mobile games in a very specific category, which can be best described as the middle ground where the desire to fill in a void and the present physical constraints interlock and crystallize into the need to play a game. Therefore, it is perfectly natural that people would pick up their mobile devices and get busy tapping, shaking, and swiping.

It is worth noting that hard-core gamers and people who occasionally play games (the so called casual gamers), have computers, consoles, you name it. The fact that they choose to play a game on their mobile devices often indicates that they are either on the move or they are too lazy to turn on their computer or their console. There are plenty of interpretations of the latter assumption but the bottom line is that normally, there are certain limitations in place that make people settle for playing games on their mobile devices. The very nature of those restrictions, on the other hand, defines one of the most critical ingredients, which a mobile game has to possess to become a big win. As you might have already guessed, this essential component is no other but the element of simplicity. Phew, what a way to arrive to the point! Yet, I still need to make some clarifications. In a nutshell, casual mobile games have to be simple to digest and easy to play. Indeed, you need to have a crisp, straightforward game concept, which is neither too arcane nor too complex to comprehend. Unless you want to develop a mobile application for traditional strategy games such as the game of Go and thus appeal to a particular target audience, you might want to opt for something much more simple. Otherwise you risk estranging a lot of potential users. What do I mean? Well, take the ravingly popular Angry Birds and dissect the game concept. In its gist, it is quite simple: users have use a slingshot to launch birds at monstrous green villains, also known as squealing pigs, with the intent of killing ‘em all. Very simple! Players do not need to do a lot of thinking to play such a game neither do they require some special preparation to launch an armed assault on the nasty egg-snatchers! They just have to tap to kill! It goes without saying that simplicity is, in fact, the very core of a game concept. In fact, you are unable to describe your idea for a game in one or two short sentences, you have a problem: it is complex and it will not work. After all, people just want to play a no-brainer game, not to launch a space shuttle! They do not have the time or the patience to study the intricate rules of your super duper game! Neither do they have to possess an IQ of 180 to figure out how to finish a level. As I already pointed out, I am excluding strategy games from my 'keep it very simple’ scheme because of their inherent nature. I am also not including full-blown games such as Call of Duty, Resident Evil, the Sims, etc, because those games have complex plots and a small company with two or three developers and several designers cannot really develop them, as they are out of the league of 99% of the businesses worldwide. The rest of the mobile app games, however, should follow the aforementioned formula. Otherwise, they are doomed to fail.

Add some intuitiveness to the mix, hater.

Mobile devices stand apart from any other technological wonders because of a single critical characteristic: they are inherently intuitive. Thus, if smart phones and tablets are intuitive, your applications should be intuitive in turn. Following this simple logic, your game apps should be … intuitive. Whereas I am not a user experience designer or a product engineer, my common sense tells me that if you challenge your users with some cryptic functionalities that encapsulate the very antithesis of intuitiveness, your game is not going to receive lots of glowing reviews. On the contrary, it will be quite unpopular with people. I urge you that you read carefully the iOS Human Interface Guidelines, a document that developers, designers, product engineers, marketers, and any other interested parties should hold sacred, to get some tips and make your mobile games as intuitive as possible. Make sure you involve some testers in the process, as they can point out certain deficiencies and flaws and give you some invaluable insights.

Keep ‘em hooked, Jack!

What do Tetris, Pacman, and Super Mario Bros have in common? Besides the fact that they are all extremely popular, there is another commonality among them: they are very, very addictive! What is more, these games are so captivating that both gamers and non-gamers alike have difficulties when it comes to putting them down. Indeed, people just keep on playing and playing, because they cannot wait to find out what the next level is going to be like. After all, a game is no good unless it can hook players up.

So, a mobile game can boast superior graphics, it can have a great concept, it can be simple and intuitive but it can still be plain boring. How is that possible? Well, it all boils down to the addictive nature of a game: it simply has to offer something to people and keep them interested in playing it. You could give users points, rewards, badges, new characters, various challenges, items they have to unlock, gifts, etc. The bottom line is that you have to generate some interest and keep players hooked on the game you have developed. If you fail to give your mobile application an edge, do not be surprised if people do not dig it. At the end of the day, addictive games sell while boring games gather virtual dust on the shelves of the mobile applications stores.

Now that I got the ball rolling, I really urge you that you hire a gaming expert who can help you figure out what interactive ingredients and techniques go into the making of an addictive game. Meanwhile, have your arsenal of beta testers ready to take a ride or two and get experienced.

It’s all about the experience, dummy!

As you may know, mobile devices are all about the experience they offer to their users. What is more, a superior user experience is the fiery engine driving each and every successful mobile application forward. Therefore, product engineers, UX designers, developers, and marketers have to unite their efforts, harness their immense potential, and create amazing experiences that capture the imagination of people. Yet, bear in mind that creating spellbinding experiences that are riveting vis-a-vis the levels of detail they encompass while being strikingly mimetic, is a very complex process and it involves a lot of compromises. Nevertheless, there are certain things you simply cannot forgo. One of them is rich, quality content. Indeed, content is the main building block of user experience. Poor and/or scarce content equals limited user experience. This axiom for designing and developing mobile applications rings especially true when it comes to game apps.

It will not come to you as a surprise if I tell you that content reigns supreme as far as games are concerned. Yet, the actual content for mobile games is almost exclusively visual. It goes without saying that it has to be interactive. In fact, the magic formula for a successful mobile game always includes designing and implementing gorgeous graphics, incorporating crisp sounds (which users can disable if they decide and/or need to do so), and adding some surprise elements, which take advantage of the full capacity of mobile devices. This, in a nutshell, is the kind of content that each and every mobile game has to have. If you think this is easy, think again! Nothing but great visuals will do! Moreover, if you think you can get away with mediocrity and horrible graphics, you are wrong. Some time ago, I got my hands on a game, developed by someone who believes he would create the next Angry Birds. Wow. Just wow. Anyhow, the mobile abomination this person created involves playing with a cute cat, which had to overcome obstacles, such as a rotating ceiling fan. Or else, the kitty-cat will be chopped to bits and pieces. I was traumatized for days by the experience. (Well, there are some people who like blood and gore, but this was never meant to be a zombie game.) In any case, think twice before implementing controversial content. It is a double-edge sword and it could do you more harm than good. Moreover, place an emphasis on the quality of your design. It has to be superior. Anything else is a bad idea. After all, you have to deliver an amazing experience to users and if you fail to do so, you really stand no chances. Furthermore, my single piece of advice is to focus on the details because the devil lurks there. The more you care about the nitty-gritty, the more successful your mobile game will be. In addition, cover the basics and make sure your mobile game does not crash, because this is truly annoying. Oh, yes, make sure you allow users to disable sounds because sometimes, a repetitive tune can be very irritating and totally out of place. For more insights regarding gaming content, do some extensive research and hire a gaming expert. It is a very wise investment.

Showtime or how to market your mobile baby

Whereas this piece is becoming absurdly long and it is quite challenging to read in one sit, I simply cannot neglect the final aspect of a product cycle, which inevitably pertains to its promotion. So, everything is in place and you are ready to roll. Now that you have your fantastic mobile game ready to hit the App Store, the Android Market, and/or the Google Chrome Web Store, you need to market it to generate downloads and/or sales. It goes without saying that you have to devise a solid marketing strategy, which covers various online distribution channels. Yet, before you start marketing your game, bear in mind that there are thousands of incredible games on the mobile stores. Moreover, these are plenty of free games, developed by some of the biggest gaming companies such as Capcom, Konami, Namco/Bandai, Epic Games, EA, Sega, etc. Those gaming behemoths do not spare resources to design, develop, promote, and deliver outstanding experiences, which transfix hard-core gamers and convert casual players into game addicts. Therefore, get ready for some extremely stiff competition. You have to come up with something truly exceptional to challenge the gaming status quo on the mobile application stores. Otherwise, you will remain a small fry swimming in an ocean full of deadly sharks, ready to kill you on the spot. Yet, Rome was not built in a day, so do the best you can and if you have to die, do so with your boots on. Allocate some time and money and devise an engaging marketing strategy, spread the word, give away promo codes to influential gamers and bloggers, conduct a creative marketing campaign, get people talking about your game, create videocasts, ask people to make and upload videos in which they play your game, etc. There are plenty of marketing avenues that lead to the square of success. Nonetheless, remember that one or two good games on the mobile stores will not make you rich. Yet, they can give you a nice head start and pave the way to brand recognition. Just keep pushing. Sooner or later, everything else will fall into place.

In a nutshell, those are the very basics you need to know before you start exploring the gaming universe and commence work on your mobile game. This piece, however, is not a complete guide to mobile gaming development and marketing. It has barely scratched the surface of Planet Games! You have dig deeper and do your homework or hire experts who can help you with your endeavors. It is up to you how you would like to proceed. Meanwhile, stay tuned for more updates, useful articles, and tips and tricks that can help your business stand out from the competition. Indeed, next time I will briefly discuss the notion of gamification of mobile marketing. I am sure you will find it useful when working on your product and/or service concepts or on your ingenious marketing campaign. Indeed, not everything that glitters is gold, so not every app that has a tremendous success on the mobile application stores has to be a game. Yet, it could have the elements and/or the main characteristics of a game. Interested? Well, then stick around, subscribe to the feed that rocks, follow us on Twitter, join us on Facebook, and simply have a great time and rock on!