Tag: game industry

Glass could be the next powerful mobile gaming platform

Google Glass may come to play a major role in gaming, especially that of the mobile variety. As one of the largest technology organizations in the world, Google has a strong position in the gaming field, largely because its Android mobile operating system is one of the most popular mobile gaming platforms. The company’s augmented reality glasses could soon change the way people experience their games and independent game developers are turning to Glass to revolutionize gaming.

Indie developers are beginning to turn to Glass for its augmented reality capabilities

Glass has not yet been officially released, but a relatively small number of developers and tech industry professionals have advance models of the device. Glass is already capable of taking pictures, capturing video, and engaging in various forms of social media, but a growing number of indie game developers and crafting mobile games specifically for the platform. Because of the device’s augmented reality capabilities, it is quite popular among developers that are interested in producing highly interactive games.

Developers could use AR to create more interactive games

The majority of applications currently available on Google Glass are designed with social media and content creation in mind. Developers are beginning to bring ambitious mobile games to the platform, however. Games like Mind Pirate have recently found their way to Glass, aiming to provide an innovative gaming experience for Glass users. Some of these games focus on the augmented reality capabilities of the platform, leveraging this technology to turn the real world into a gaming environment.

Mobile gaming is becoming a priority for some large development studios and publishers

Mobile gaming has become a very powerful force in the overarching game industry. The field is primarily composed of small developers that are independent of publishers, but large game studios are beginning to enter into the mobile space. As large development studios begin to take mobile gaming seriously, they too may see the promise in augmented reality technology and Glass. Companies like Sony and Microsoft are already taking steps to develop their own AR headsets in order to capture the wonderment of interactive gaming.

Mobile gaming is more than just a fad

The game industry is beginning to evolve as it puts more focus on the mobile sector. The mobile games market has been heavily saturated for some time, but large publishers and development studios that had initially been averse to the concept of mobile gaming are beginning to enter into the market with their own products. As mobile gaming continues to grow in popularity, the practices that have become common in the mobile gaming business are also becoming common in the overall game industry.

The game industry has been focusing more heavily on the mobile sector for good reason. Mobile games represent one of the most lucrative aspects of gaming today, with some 247 separate game companies earning more than $1 million in mobile revenue in the U.S. alone. Google, which provides access to a wide range of mobile gaming applications, has seen more than 300 million downloads for the mobile games it supports, with the developers of these games bringing in a collective $600 million. These may be astonishing numbers, but Google is widely considered within the game industry to be the least lucrative market for mobile gaming applications.

Many people enjoy mobile games because they are simple in nature and can be played anywhere and at any time. They offer on-demand entertainment that people have come to expect thanks to their growing reliance on mobile technology. Moreover, people have shown that they are willing to spend money on these games, whether it is the price for purchasing the game or buying in-game items, digital currencies, and bonuses that make gameplay more enjoyable.

Microtransactions, a term that represents in-game purchases, have become somewhat infamous among consumers. Some people claim that mobile games are nothing more than cash grabs, using microtransactions to take advantage of people that are willing to spend their money. These microtransactions are becoming a more integral part of traditional gaming, with developers and publishers introducing in-game purchases in order to cater to a more mobile-centric audience.  As mobile games continue to gain prominence, they may end up determining the course of the game industry’s future, which may cause a serious division between consumers and game developers that have an interest in microtransactions.