Game apps require multiple components to ensure widespread adoption with players. Perhaps the most important elements of successful mobile games are playability, shelf-life, well-defined gaming outcomes, and a reward system. Within each of these broad gaming categories are many other key components to developing a successful mobile game app. Without further ado, let’s get started on the 10 key components of a successful mobile game app.
1. Make a fun game
This is a spurious requirement, since
fun means different things to different people. Action and adventure games, brain games and puzzle games, educational games, and the like must be created with an eye to the mass market. What does this mean? It means that the games should be created with the largest possible playing audience in mind. The games must be engaging, immersive, entertaining, and accessible. Making a fun game for a mass audience is no mean feat. Game developers and the studios they work for typically roll out multiple variants of the game to determine which one will attract the widest range of players.
2. Easily quantifiable objectives
A well-designed game needs to have achievable objectives. This is sacrosanct in the game development arena. If there are no clear goals, players will quickly lose interest and the game will fall flat on its face. To this end, will there be infinite expansion possibilities in the game? Will there be a set number of playing levels with the possibility of expansion? How many levels, stages, tiers, or game universes will the player have access to? These questions are important insofar as they determine what the players are expected to achieve, and how the player can ultimately beat the game.
3. Playing sessions
Educational games can be completed in short sessions, while strategy-based games like Gears of War, Dungeons & Dragons, and World of Warcraft require days, weeks, and months to ‘complete’. When playing sessions are characterized by hard caps, players will need to wait before further expansion of the game is possible. When soft caps are in place, there are typically cool down periods for players.
4. In-game features
These are a major enticement to players. It’s not so much whether you win or lose (although that’s especially important to competitive players), it’s
how you play the game. To this end, game developers continually reward players with in-game elements such as powerful rockets, bombs, and color wheels in various
cube game The beauty of these enhancements is that they keep players interested as they are advancing through different stages of play.
5. Cross-platform functionality
This is as important to game developers as it is to players. A game that works well on Android, Windows Phone, iOS, Mac, and PC is more likely to garner positive reviews from players around the world. Mobile games can be played on PC and Mac, provided the right software is uploaded, but it’s the power of the mobile offering that is sacrosanct. Nothing less than sublime audio-visuals across multiple platforms will suffice. This is an area that requires substantial investment on the part of the game creator.
6. Thematically consistent
Players want to be entertained when they’re playing a mobile game. If the game is boring, or doesn’t have a linear progression, it will soon lose that player’s interest and be relegated to the annals of history. If a storyline has been created, that needs to transcend the entire game, and all associated elements must dovetail with it.
7. Simplicity trumps complexity
Many game developers seeking to create the ultimate mobile game try to wow the audience with convoluted storylines and obscure connections and associations between characters in the game. The golden rule when it comes to game development is as follows:
keep it simple. Remember your audience when you’re creating a game. If there is too much going on in the game, players likely won’t engage with the action.
8. Market the game with precision
Every game developer wants to have maximum coverage at the Google Play Store, or the App Store. But how do you go about doing this without breaking the bank? That’s a question best left to the marketing gurus. It is essential to leave the marketing to the most professional and experienced teams. After spending all that money creating a game, it is imperative to get the word out there. There are several ways to do this, including influencers in the community, press releases, the media, and of course the players. Game developers stand a much better chance of success if they can market their game correctly.
9. Stellar audiovisuals
Mobile game developers need to remember that if they don’t provide the best product for their players, someone else will. To this end, it’s important to have superior audio-visuals. Everything should dovetail with the game theme, and the atmosphere that needs to be created.
10. Get ready for liftoff
Game developers must be
ready for the success that will follow. The necessary bandwidth and capacity must be in place to cope with the demand for the game. Tech teams may be required to work around the clock to fix any bugs that arise, to ensure the ongoing success and growth of the mobile app.
