What The Apple Watch Means For Mobile Gaming
Toggle Dark Mode
All anyone can talk about in the tech world is the Apple Watch. From tech gurus to Apple fanboys, everyone is excited about the Apple Watch. Featuring notifications at your fingers, a heart rate monitor, customizable bands and more, the Apple Watch is changing how we look at wearable technology. But among all these unique perks remains one question: will mobile gaming be available on the Apple Watch?
As Mathieu Nouzareth, co-founder and CEO of FreshPlanet, said to Macworld, “Entertainment apps are important in addition to utilitarian ones, reminding users that the device is fun as well as functional.” So in addition to your heart rate monitor, text message notifications, maps and more, gaming will be an integrative part of the Apple Watch experience.
Despite its screen size, mobile gaming will indeed be making an appearance on the Apple Watch. The challenge, of course, will be to creating games specifically for the Apple Watch platform as opposed to taking a current smartphone games and hastily shrinking them for Apple Watch play. This was first apparent when mobile gaming was making the transition from desktops to smartphones.
Another glaring challenge is the fact that designers and developers are trying to make apps for something that is not yet available to the mainstream market. Some developers had access to Apple Watches to test their product, while others did not.
Paul Virapen, chief executive of wearable games startup WearGa, told The Guardian that he believes the technological advancements of the Apple Watch, “can be incredibly powerful for games.” Developers will have to take the small screen in addition to simple controls into consideration when crafting Apple Watch games. The market for such a platform is unproven and relatively untouched at this point, causing many developers to try to tap into the Apple Watch gaming world from the start.
Source: Ars Technica
Due to the screen size and hardware limitations, developers have to rethink what type of game play will work on the wearable device. One of the biggest factors to consider is time, considering that Apple anticipates users to game for up to one minute on an Apple Watch before arm fatigue sets in.
One of the unique features of the Apple Watch is its ability to allow users to not only see their notifications, but take action on them as well. This will allow users to interact on their watch without having to take out their smartphone. However, games will have to be wary about subjecting their users to ‘notification overload.’ “Notification and glances can become a key component of user interaction on the watch as long as they fit into the user context,” noted Itamar Lesuisse, chief executive of brain-training apps firm Peak, to The Guardian.
Source: Mac World
Some of the early games released for the Apple Watch include Letterpad, Runeblade, Rules!, Trivia Crack, Lifeline, and a few others. Stay tuned for more Apple Watch game releases as the Apple Watch becomes available to the general public.
