iOS Games – A new(ish) subgenre of New Media
Techniques: iOS
games are unlike video games on any other platform. When it first came out,
many people tried to port familiar games to the iOS like platformers and
dragonslayers, but it was apparent for the players and the developers that
traditional games don’t usually work great with two thumbs on a touch screen.
Because of this, an entirely new strain of games and controls has developed
around the strengths of the platform.
Interface: iOS
touchscreen (iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, between 4-10” screen) and their ten
fingers. Multi-touch gestures are also frequently used. Multi-axis movement is
also commonly exploited by picking up data from a gyroscope and accelerometer
and using it in-game
Development:
Since the release of the app store in 2008, different games have attempted
various implementations of touch technology. When the app store began, many
developers provided the users with the familiar A, B, start, select, up, down,
left, right that are common to gaming controllers. But these controls are very
difficult to use on a touch screen and have largely phased on in favor of more
elegant, usually invisible controls that revolve around swiping, tapping, or
movement of the phone itself
The Peak: I think
that OS gaming has plateaued somewhat in popularity in the last few years
since Angry Birds. The idea of motion and touch in gaming was very novel at
first, but I think the honeymoon period of the technology has ended and is now experiencing
the same expectations in design placed on traditional gaming styles.
Example: Rolando
is a great iOS game that takes full advantage of the platform. As seen in the
video below, you can move your protagonists as well as interact with the world
itself with your fingers and various gestures.
Speculation: I
think that as cameras, sensors, and the speed of iOS devices get better and
better, we will be able to get rid of traditional consoles and instead of
buying a Playstation console for example, you will buy the rights to have those
games on your personal device, and perhaps pay for the drivers to be able to
use a Playstation controller with your pocket device.