Part of a class on mobile game design about what makes it different from game design for other platforms. Intended to get you thinking about all the differences and how they impact your designs so you aren't surprised!

1. Mobile Game
Design
What makes it different?

2. What’s this about?
● Mobile Games are different from
PC/Console
● How can we work with the strengths
● How can we avoid the weaknesses
● The Future

3. Duration of play
Varied Devices
Pricing
Mobility
Updates/DLC
Connectivity
Social
Size limitations
App Stores
Control Schemes
What’s so different about mobile?
Sound use

4. Pricing
● Price Ranges
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Almost never above $10
Only AAA or Minecraft above $4
Premium Indie, $3
Average game $1-2 or Free
● No retail, but middleman still gets 30%
● Most people won’t pay without pressure
● Lite/Demo model difficult

5. Mobility
● More portable than a game boy
● Mostly played during “downtime”
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Poop gaming
Car/Bus/Train rides
Waiting in lines
Chillin’ in bed
● Usually used as a time killer

6. Play Duration
● Short bursts
● Easily interruptible by text, calls, real life
● Session length affects when played

7. Connectivity
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Always “potentially” connected
Speed and reception erratic
Great for bursts, but easily interrupted
Push notifications, useful but interruptive

8. Social
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Very little face to face play
Good support for FB/Twitter/Game Center
Text and e-mail under-utilized
Non-multiplayer interactions with friends
Multiplayer with friends and randoms

9. Size restrictions
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Small phone drives
OTA download limits vs Wi-Fi
Update install space
Graphics/RAM memory limits

10. Updates/DLC
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DLC sold as In App Purchases
Easier to update than consoles
Can’t force updates unlike Steam/Facebook
Updates have the gatekeeper still

11. Control Schemes
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No physical controls (mostly)
Touch and Accelerometer only
Multi-touch possible, screen size limits
Often takes screen/GUI space
Has to be simple

12. Sound issues
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Often play with sound off/limited volume
Often playing privately in public
Social games are bad with sound too
Sound cues and hooks more difficult

13. App store markets
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Apple and Google control, at their whim
There are some alternatives like Amazon
Charts and editorials vital to sales
Videos only on Play, visual style matters!

14. How can we use this knowledge?

15. Less content, more systems
● Content is expensive in both $ and memory
● Content is like movie studio props and sets,
rearrange and re-dress to maximize use
● Systemic/Procedural design has replayability
● Great for Puzzle games:Tetris, Bejeweled
● Great for Player content games: Minecraft
● Great for Rogue-like RPGs

16. Shorter play cycles/sessions
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Make progress/hook em in 30 seconds
Easy in, hard out addictivity or Check-ins
Limitations can leave them wanting more
Keep attention length requirements short
Plan for interruptions
Use local push to get em back

17. Planning/Budgeting
● Design for indie long-tail, not AAA
● You’ll make little, so spend little
● Pick the right business model
○ Pre-pay for a more packaged product
○ Use Ads to monetize cheapskates
○ Use IAP when you’re willing to support the game
● Budget for polish time and lots of updates
● Beta-test using Test Flight

18. Intermittent Internet
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Multiplayer should be asynchronous only
Communicate to servers in small bursts
Support some form of offline play/cache
Use “cloud” syncing for device switching
○ Switch mobile devices
○ Switch to FB
● Make sure net down doesn’t interrupt play

19. Use social
● Leaderboards/Achievements are easy
○ Game center is easy and free
○ Keep FB/Twitter achievement posts infrequent
● Use social trading/gifting
○ Do it between existing players, not spammy
● Look at viral methods that got your attention
● Use push notifications to keep connected

20. Controlling where you play
● Control schemes affect play locations
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Accelerometer increases attention, decreases comfort, sucks to play
for long or in bed.
Landscape good for long sessions, Portrait good for frequent bursts
Portrait considerations
■ 1 thumb, keep low for tall screens/short thumbs
Virtual controls suck
■ Don’t make fingers cover the screen, touch things you are
interacting with directly
Keep swipes simple, don’t do lots of drag-drop
Make touch areas big and forgiving!

21. Handling updates
● Too frequent is frustrating for everyone
● Do it often enough to remind them
○ Do hyper critical bug fixes fast and stand-alone
○ Save minor fixes for content/feature pushes so that
updates are seen as either important or exciting
○ Keeps players looking forward, like Angry Birds
○ Update frequency can hurt your chance at charts
● Updates can break multiplayer!
● Test well to reduce emergency updates

22. Sounding off
● Plan for audio to be on only once
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Design good audio cues for feedback, Angry Birds
Tie the audio cues to visuals as much as possible
When in public, interesting or annoying?
Short catchy music loop, get em humming it!
● Easy to use
○ Make it easy to get to the on/off switch
○ Respect it next time they open
○ Respect the ringer mute switch!

23. Questions?
Devin Becker, devin@devinbecker.com