Tag: mobile games news

Screen resolution may have a huge affect on mobile games monetization

| March 25, 2013

High Resolution Key to Mobile Games SuccessHigh resolution devices may be the key to successful mobile games

Mobile games have become something of a phenomenon in the game industry. These games have proven to be rampantly popular with consumers, many of whom are more than willing to participate in in-game advertising and mobile purchases. As such, the mobile games market is considered to be significantly lucrative and home to very promising opportunities for developers. These developers do, of course, have to find ways to encourage consumers to make in-app purchases. A new study from mobile games studio Pocket Gems suggests that this may be a matter of quality in mobile technology rather than mobile games themselves.

Study suggests screen quality influences in-app purchases

The study from Pocket Gems suggests that the quality of a mobile devices screen directly influences whether consumers will make an in-app purchase. Consumers that play mobile games on better quality screens, such as those typically found on tablet devices, are more likely to make in-app purchases than those that play games on lower quality screens. Pocket Gems notes that Android users with high resolution mobile devices are up to 10 times more likely to purchase in-game items or virtual currencies.

Popularity of high resolution devices may be a sign of disposable income

This may be because many consumers consider high resolution screens to be synonymous with processing power for mobile devices, which may lead consumers to believe that some mobile games are better than they actually are. Consumers that have a high opinion of a game or its developer typically tend to support that game or developer more strongly. Pocket Gems notes that consumers with high resolution devices are more likely to have disposable incomes as well, which makes them more likely to conduct in-app purchases.

Android shows greatest potential for mobile games monetization

The study suggests that mobile games developers looking to find major success in the game industry may do well to tailor their games for high resolution devices. The study shows that the correlation between screen resolution and monetization is the highest in Android tablets. Conversely, the study shows that the iPad has no correlation between resolution and monetization whatsoever.

Mobile games may be a powerful educational tool

| March 23, 2013

Educational Mobile GamesMobile games have their use in education

Mobile games are all about entertainment, but that does not mean that players cannot learn something from them. Educational games for mobile devices are becoming more common throughout the mobile space. These titles leverage the entertaining aspects of gaming to make education more engaging for consumers. In the U.S., these games are typically released by organizations like NASA, which has several mobile games to its name. This week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), launched its own game in order to promote learning.

CDC launches new disease-fighting game

The CDC has released a game specifically for the iPad called “Solve the Outbreak.” The game tasks the player with investigating the outbreak of a disease that could potentially threaten the world. In the game, the player adopts the role of a CDC investigator and will conduct tasks that are based on what actual CDC disease investors do in the field. The player is meant to discover the nature of the disease, its origins, and what can be done to mitigate its spread or cure it outright.

CDC shows interest in other mobile games

Like other organizations in the U.S., the CDC has been showing increasing interest in mobile games. These games are enjoyed by a huge number of people with mobile devices. Indeed, much of the game industry itself has become enthralled with the impact mobile games have had on the U.S. market. The CDC has taken a strong interest in a game that is very similar to its own, called Plague, Inc. This game allows players to create a disease, which they can name anything they want, and put this disease to the task of obliterating humanity.

Games are becoming an effective way to teach

The CDC is not the only organization using mobile games to promote education. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) makes use of a game based on the popular Tron franchise in order to help students learn more about improving network security. Outside of the U.S., the prestigious European Space Agency uses mobile games to improve software used to control robotic space flight.