Don’t retire Android gaming just yet

‘Nothing is worse than having an itch you can never scratch.’
–Leon, Blade Runner

I’ve now had my Nexus One phone for about 5 months, and I’m giving mobile games a spin, though I’ve been skeptical. Overall, my experiences aren’t making me less skeptical, but I see the potential.  As far as Android games go, the problems are that, in spite of the potential, 1] the hardware is too diverse, 2] Google isn’t encouraging and helping developers enough, and 3] Android updates are somewhat unpredictable.

the good

First, games sales are improving for Android. And January and February of 2010 saw 1200 new games in the Android Market.

Android games are seeing higher-quality games, but it’s still dominated by casual games. Gameloft recently announced some new games for Android devices, and many look good, at least.

But Gameloft isn’t currently selling these through the Android Market, though they said that they would.

Games like Crusade of Destiny holds promise as a 3D RPG with some interesting controls.

Another bit of good news is that, with Android 2.2, owners can play Flash games on their phones, and sites like Kongregate are prepared to support them. In fact, I have an early version 2.2 and have found the Flash games to work well, at least for those with appropriate controls for a handheld.

the bad

The fragmented OS and hardware is known. But here are other significant issues.

• The Android Market has too few gaming categories: Action & Arcade, Casual, Brains & Puzzle, and Card & Casino. Can you say ‘casual gaming’?  The lack of meaningful categories alone makes browsing games daunting. Sure, you can sort by ‘top paid,’ ‘top free’ and ‘recent,’ but still you see either the same titles from week to week or titles with no comments, reviews, or screen shots.
• the android gaming community is almost non-existent. You’ll see an Android gaming article here and there, when there’s a big player. You’ll see mostly the same games in searches for ‘best android games.’  There are some Android game sites and blogs, but they tend to post infrequently or sparse reviews.  Other mobile games sites seem to see nothing but iPhone. It’s a circular problem–without a good community, it’s hard to know what’s new or interesting. But without good games and good support for them, it’s hard to develop a community.
• Too many games are ports or tweak PC or Flash game mechanics and design. Like the Wii and DS, gamers have seen that when developers create games for the platform, mindful of its advantages and disadvantages, they can create good games that stand out. But so far, I’m finding that DS homebrew games are more interesting than what I’m seeing for Android phones. I bought de Blob for Android. While it is a beautiful game, the controls seemed awkward. I couldn’t get the hang of the tilt controls, and using my finger just got in the way of seeing the screen.
• Android uses Java programming, something that is familiar to many. The Android SDK is even free. Yet, I’m not seeing the kind of passion that I’ve seen in homebrew and indie gaming. The comments on this Gamasutra article illuminate some of the reasons for that.

so, now what

While gaming might be one reason to buy an iPhone or the iTouch XL, games are not really a selling point right now for Android phones. True, you can find a few that you can play, that are nice to have.

I’m not giving up my phone anytime soon, so I’ll continue to explore Android games. The fact remains that Android phones are becoming a larger segment of the phone market and that the Android app growth continues. I’ve come to read Android Game Reviews and Droid Gamers on a regular basis, and I hope to see more such consistent, dedicated sites. Recent game releases like the Gameloft games, Art of War 2, Mystique are encouraging, not just for their graphics but their depth.