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Forget consoles - mobile's where all the innovation will be in 2017

And has been for years now

Forget consoles - mobile's where all the innovation will be in 2017
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| The Room Three

What is it that I love about mobile games? It's sort of hard to pin down. It's a combination of factors that, in my pretty humble opinion, blend together to make mobile the most exciting field in gaming right now.

There's a breathtaking array of different styles of game on mobile. From simple one-finger tappers to more complex, manipulable experiences. But the very best games all have one thing in common - they wouldn't work as well on any other device.

It's not just about controls either, although that's part of it. It's about play length, the style of the experience, and how well the finest games fit onto that device that fits snugly in your pocket.

Make Room

Think of it this way - we've got games like The Room, which make the most of the inputs available to them. On anything else they'd feel clunky, but on a touchscreen there's an instant familiarity to them.

But we've also got titles like Lifeline. It's a game that's essentially played through notifications. And we've got Pokemon GO, a game that not only gets you out and about, but turns the entire world into your playground thanks to AR.

And really we're just scratching the surface with those three. Look at how Device-6 makes you move you phone around, or how Zombies Run tells you a story with each step that you take.

TVernacular

Other ways of playing have inherent limitations. I don't know if you've ever tried turning a 50 inch TV on its side, but believe you me, it's not something that you're going to have a go at twice.

Mobile has its own vernacular of play, a rich language that we learn just by using the device in day-to-day situations. We're tapping, pinching, and swiping all the time now. We're using our cameras, we're checking our notifications.

So what is it I love about mobile gaming? I guess you could say its the individuality of it. And the freedom to experiment that that individuality offers. There are just more options available to devs on mobile, and almost every week we see those options exploited in new and exciting ways.

Harry Slater
Harry Slater
Harry used to be really good at Snake on the Nokia 5110. Apparently though, digital snake wrangling isn't a proper job, so now he writes words about games instead.