Mobile Gaming

The mobile phones provide many options for gaming and all are used in one way or another. There are networked games which utilize the various messaging and GPRS systems available on mobile phones. More commonly used are the non networked applications which utilize the computing system of the phone itself for running the game. Such games can be downloaded to the phone via the radio communications, side loaded by cable connection or even preprogrammed by the mobile operator.

Mobile Gaming Platforms

There are currently several gaming platforms in common use. The original games were all programs written in JAVA but the various programmers have since developed program platforms that are more conducive to mobile game play. Some examples of such platforms are; Windows Mobile, Palm OS, Symbian OS and Macromedia Flash Light. There are several more platforms in use but many of them are less popular.

Multiplayer Mobile Gaming

Although most games are designed to be played by a single player with an artificial intelligence opponent, there are some games that can be played with multiple players. The communication between players is achieved via one of the many direct communication options. Examples of these methods include WiFi and Bluetooth communication options. Older phones can use infrared communications to achieve similar results.

Limitations of Mobile Technology

Although everyone is playing mobile games and having lots of fun, there are certain limitations to these games. These are based on the purchasing problems and the player limitations. The problem with marketing mobile games is that there is as yet no good way of the player getting to see the product before purchase. This is generally overcome by marketing the product under a powerful brand name or basing the game on well established game patterns. The player limitation is based on the fact that the mobile phones supply hardware of limited capacity for game playing. The games are thus limited in graphics power and generally rely on quality content to make up for the graphics limitations.