Abdou23 Posted January 27, 2016 Share Posted January 27, 2016 With mobile devices insanely rising in power, with the convenience of having a device in your pocket at all times, do web games still the once dominating go-to medium for free gaming they once were? I know that with the rapid advance in web technologies, web games are getting more powerful and easier to develop than, let's say 7 years ago. But should make the user stick around in front of his computer to play the game, or even play it in a mobile browser and having to remember it's URL or even bookmarking it, having several accounts on different websites where his preferred games are, instead of the convenience of starting any game instantly by touching its icon as a native stand-alone app? I'd like to know what's you guys opinion on this, and does anyone here make any reasonable profit, or at least tracking enough users to consider spending his time and effort worth it? JessC 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
labrat.mobi Posted January 27, 2016 Share Posted January 27, 2016 I still believe web games are still relevant. App Stores are already over crowded. But to be honest it really doesn't matter. If the game is good, people will play it and you can convert web game to native at any time but not vice versa. Converting Native to web, performance is not that good (in mobile browser). Regarding offline, with service workers or appcache web games can be played offline. JessC 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JessC Posted January 28, 2016 Share Posted January 28, 2016 The industry does seem to be moving more towards free to play games on mobile- however, I believe that, like labrat mentioned, "If the game is good, people will play it and you can convert". If you're thinking of making a desktop/browser game that isn't an intensive lengthy or massive one, my advice would be to ensure your game is mobile/cross platform compatible. That way, you don't worry about turning down clients that would like to license your game for mobile only. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattstyles Posted January 28, 2016 Share Posted January 28, 2016 Web games have taken a hammering at the expense of mobile games and, of course, mobile vendors generally aren't particularly disposed to making it easy for web games to flourish on their platforms as app stores are a major revenue stream. If anything, I'd say that mobile web is just becoming a viable option as things like 4G and more powerful devices become commonplace, in that respect I suspect web gaming is actually catching up (albeit slowly) with mobile. Part of the problem is monetization on the web, with mobile apps (which generally require an app store, I know Android is more permissive but surely most downloads are still through their store) the flow of revenue is well defined, on the web slightly less so, although this too is changing. If web gaming is to truly catch up then the monetary incentives for businesses need to be clear and easy. Letting Apple take a cut is still preferable as they help to get your game infront of more eyes, and eyes means a chance of catching, 100% of naff all is worse than 66% of lots. Another angle is when web gaming starts competing seriously with desktop gaming. Some games just are a poor experience on mobile but there are many advantages to just firing up a browser and playing your favourite game over downloading it. With growing tablet sizes and control methods the market for this falls there too. Web gaming, particularly for indies, is currently very important and its growing. The thing is that web gaming and mobile gaming are different experiences, there's no reason the two can not continue to co-exist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b10b Posted February 2, 2016 Share Posted February 2, 2016 My opinion is that successful creations must be shaped to the audience's existing habits AND extend a clear unique benefit. So there's little point making a mobile browser game that aims only to do what an App already does. There are many things a mobile browser game can do that an App cannot - working everywhere without interruption / installation being the Holy Grail. I'd rather chase a niche customer base who specifically values such things (e.g. education, advertising, social), than chase the herd for a spot in the top 10 of the App Store. I also agree that the freedom of the platform is significant for Indies and hobbyists. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WombatTurkey Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 Depends on the game I think. You can create a mobile compatible game with touch controls, or create a full fledged game similar to Diablo 2 / Path of Exile in the browser using WebGL with full mouse controls and WASD / etc support. I don't have as much insight as mattstyles, or others but I honestly believe WebGL games are just getting started. Look at GooCreate's flappybird example, and the power of WebGL. This is just the beginning. Although, I agree with JessC too. I think there is a higher market in the app world, but again, it really depends on the game's design though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pryme8 Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 They are for sure still relevant! Think about native deployment in browser. Who says your app has to be listed in the app store? why not just have users go to www.myapp.io or .com or what ever you want and have the browser handle like a native application. No downloading besides streaming no plugins and no developer licensing... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bosyeaiue Posted April 24, 2018 Share Posted April 24, 2018 wew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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