The six things we learned about mobile gaming in 2014
It's quite good
2014 has been a brilliant year for mobile gaming. We've had highs, we've had lows, and we've had some of those delicious gooey centres as well.
So with the year drawing to a close and a week of gin and turkey legs looming, we thought it was high time to have a look back at some of the things that we learned this year.
And to say thank you to you all for reading Pocket Gamer this year. We've had a brilliant time sharing the best mobile games with you, and we can hope you can join us again in 2015.
That's enough soppy stuff, here are the things that we learned about mobile gaming in 2014.
There's still room for premium
There are a lot of free to play games on the App Store, and some of them handle the monetisation system really well. Some of them, on the other hand, don't. When payment systems get in the way of fun it's annoying for everyone.
Which is why it was so nice this year to see so many premium games doing well. Sure, some games that deserved to do a whole lot better didn't, but the likes of Monument Valley and Wayward Souls showed that if your game's good enough, people are willing to pay for it.
Free to play gaming has its place on mobile, there's no denying that, but 2014 showed us that there's space for brilliant, paid-up-front experiences as well. And long may that continue.
Gamebooks are growing up
2014 was the year gamebooks shifted it up a gear. Titles like Heavy Metal Thunder and the brilliant 80 Days took things in interesting new directions, and Tin Man Games's Appointment With F.E.A.R showed there's room to experiment even with digital adaptations.
The gamebook feels like it's found its home on mobile – the mix of exciting story, interactive elements, and shiny artwork just feels right on your phone or tablet, and you don't need to carry any dice around with you to play.
We've had gamebooks of all shapes and sizes this year, and it's great to see an older genre finding new life, and new ways to innovate.
The clones are taking over
Probably the worst story of 2014 was the success of 2048. It's an unashamed cribbing of the far superior Threes!, and because it was free managed to capture the public's imagination in the way its premium 'inspiration' didn't.
It wasn't the only example of cloning we saw this year, but it's the most disappointing. Work at Pocket Gamer almost ground to a halt when we first got code for Threes!, and to see an inferior clone capturing the attention was pretty disheartening.
Some might say that's the way of the world, but it certainly makes the world seem like a pretty crappy place. We'll be doing our best in 2015 to make sure it doesn't happen again - mainly by shouting about the best games as loudly as we possibly can.
Android is catching up
2014 was the year that Android started to pull up its britches in the gaming department. We've seen plenty of day-and-date simultaneous releases across iOS and Google's operating system, and some exclusives as well.
It's good to see, and while the old adage of privacy being rife on Android might still be true, it looks like developers are more willing to take a risk to try and nab some of the Play Store cash.
Cross-platform engines have certainly helped, and devices like the Nvidia Shield Tablet have shown there's a huge appetite for gaming on Android. Hopefully 2015 will see us moving even closer to parity.
Flappy Bird did some good
Flappy Bird might have been the big mobile story of 2013, but its effects are still being felt today. There's been an influx of interesting, simple to play arcade games on iOS and Android, and it's all thanks to Dong Nguyen's pipe-dodger.
Some of the crop might have been dull clones, but more and more we're seeing big devs releasing really, really good little games. Look at Nitrome, or Noodlecake's brilliant Jupiter Jump.
Flappy Bird proved that there's a big space in the mobile market for one-touch high-score chases, and 2014 was the year when the genre really started to get interesting.
We have the best games
I know it, you know it, and now a lot of other people are starting to take notice. Monument Valley, 80 Days, and Framed have all been heavily mentioned in game of the year lists, and rightly so.
Mobile gaming has moved on a great deal in the last couple of years, and people are starting to take notice. Devs are creating experiences that could only work on touchscreen, and they're doing it with skill, style, and not a small amount of bravado.
2014 might not have been the best year for console gaming, but the crop of games on mobile this year would have stood out no matter the competition from your under-TV boxes.
It's been a real joy and a privilege to be able to share some of them with you this year. Here's hoping that 2015 is just as exciting, just as innovative, and just as much fun.
