手机游戏5大认识误区 编辑本段回目录
游戏邦注：本文作者为Nadia Oxford，文章重要谈论手机游戏领域的5大认识误区。
你习惯在什么地方体验手机游戏？不要说“哦，通常是在公交车或者火车”，因为EA关注你的一举一动，他们知道你身处何方。
之前在DICE峰会（游戏邦注：DICE代表“设计、创新、交流和娱乐”），EA Mobile Worldwide工作室副总裁Travis Boatman提出手机游戏行业“5大主要误区”。首个误区也是最大误区，Boatman反驳表示，在家体验游戏的手机玩家人数和外出玩家一样都高达47%，居家用户能够便捷使用Wi-Fi网络。
Travis Boatman from venturebeat.com
我们不难相信这个“误区纠正认识”，因为我们很多时候并非只在外出时候体验掌上游戏和手机游戏。除上述能够便捷使用Wi-Fi网络外，还有几个原因。首先，便携游戏由来已久，从最初的《俄罗斯方块》和《Game & Watch》游戏。如果玩家醉心Nintendo DS、PSP或iPhone/iPod中的深度角色扮演游戏，那么多半会选择利用早晨上班途中的20分钟体验游戏。而且回家会继续体验，手机设备甚至取代高预算掌机或PC游戏。
此外，这还因为便携游戏系统电池维持时间短。就连任天堂公司（游戏邦注：这家公司的便携系统是以电池寿命著称）也提醒玩家Nintendo 3DS的电池只能够供应3-5个小时。
Boatman揭开的第2个误区是iPhone热门游戏都是休闲类型。Boatman引用《Infinity Ward》和《Dead Space》之类的例子说明手机玩家纷繁复杂。这个观点更难佐证。因为苹果之前公布的排名前10应用名单中，大多是《涂鸦跳跃》、《愤怒的小鸟》和《Flight Control》之类的休闲类型。
这并不是说iOS平台未来不会出现更多硬核游戏，但目前看来，控制装置似乎是症结所在：虚拟摇杆或方向键并无法取代真实控制键，而索尼和任天堂则不断在其3DS和NGP设备添加新控制选择。但开发商明白手机平台的休闲游戏需求量很大，至少目前来看是这样的。但我们未来定会看见更多类型涌现。
Boatman揭露第3个误区令开发商和玩家都颇为收益。很多人都持有这样的观点：手机游戏能够同时运作于多个平台。Boatman称这并不属实。智能技术逐步分化出来拓展新发展方向，游戏亦是如此（游戏邦注：iOS版《Ergo》和Android版截然不同）。进一步延伸Boatman观点，玩家需铭记的重要一点是即便同个操作系统的不同版本，游戏运作效果都截然不同。完美呈现于iPhone 4的游戏也许在3G设备完全行不通。
Boatman在谈到第4个误区的时候提及“畅销品牌”：“畅销品牌无关紧要”。他反驳表示，畅销品牌至关重要，并以EA iPhone游戏《Need for Speed》的成功作为例证。当然App Store已经推出新一代畅销品牌（游戏邦注：指App Store热门下载游戏名单），但大众熟知品牌无疑有其益处，特别是对手机游戏知之甚少的掌机玩家而言。畅销品牌也会带来反效果，例如若iPhone版游戏的原型是颇受追捧的掌机经典类型，但却因为差强人意的控制装置出现缓慢、糟糕和无法体验的局面。消极体验会留给玩家不良感受，一旦目睹类似游戏类型此感觉便会重现。
Boatman最后谈到的认识误区是手机游戏已达到高峰。想必大家都会认同Boatman的否定态度：这个市场才刚找准自身定位，目前正加快发展步伐。
目前手机游戏又有可喜成就。Boatman表示，目前有7%的手机用户利用上厕所时间体验游戏。这并不难想象。事实上，如果大家习惯交流智能手机相关悲惨经历，就会发现常常会有人表示其iPhone不幸落入马桶。他们通常是怀着尴尬、悲哀的心情告知他人该经历。（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译）
Mobile Gaming’s Top 5 Dirty Secrets
By Nadia Oxford
When you break out your mobile phone for a bit of gaming, where do you tend to be situated? And don’t say “Oh, usually on the bus or the train,” because EA has been watching you and it knows that you’re lying.
At the recent DICE summit (“DICE” standing for “Design, Innovate, Communicate, Entertain”), EA’s Vice President of Mobile Worldwide studios, Travis Boatman, attempted to dispel what he called “five major myths” about mobile gaming. The first one is a big one: According to Boatman, 47% of mobile gamers play at home as well as on the go, where they have easy access to Wi-Fi networks.
It’s not difficult to believe this “busted myth;” many of us can admit that we don’t play our handheld and mobile games exclusively when we’re on the go. There are several reasons for that, aside from the aforementioned easy access to Wi-Fi. For one thing, portable games have come a long way from Tetris and Game & Watch titles. If you get wrapped up in a deep role-playing game on your Nintendo DS, or your PSP, or your iPhone/iPod, you’re probably not going to save the experience for the twenty minute bursts of playtime that make up your morning commute. You’re going to keep playing at home, maybe even in lieu of a big budget console or PC title.
Also, portable game systems are pretty bad about sucking up the juice. Even Nintendo, a company known for performing acts of wizardry with the battery life of its portable systems, has warned players that they’re only going to get three to five hours out of the Nintendo 3DS before it needs to be hitched to its charging cradle.
The second myth Boatman tried to disassemble is the belief that the iPhone’s top games are all casual. Boatman cited games like Infinity Ward and Dead Space to illustrate that mobile gamers are a diverse bunch. This is a harder claim to back up. When Apple revealed its Top 10 Most Downloaded Apps last month, the overwhelming majority of the games on the list were casual distractions in the vein of Doodle Jump, Angry Birds, and Flight Control.
That’s not to say we won’t see more hardcore fare catch on on iOS, but for now, controls seem to be a sticking point: A virtual analogue stick or d-pad is no substitute for the real thing, and Sony and Nintendo have not been shy about offering control options on the 3DS and the NGP. Moreover, developers know that casual titles are in high demand on mobile platforms, at least for now. We can probably expect to see more diversification over time, though.
The dissection of Myth #3 is important for developers and gamers alike. Most of us carry an assumption in the backs of our heads that a mobile game can run identically across multiple platforms. Not true, says Boatman. As smartphone tech branches off into wild new directions, so do its games. Ergo, a game that runs on the iOS might be very different on Android. To expand on Boatman’s point, it’s important for gamers to remember that there’s not even a guarantee of games working smoothly on older iterations of the same system. What runs beautifully on the iPhone 4 might choke and die on the 3G.
Boatman addressed “marketable brands” in his discussion of Myth #4: “Marketable brands don’t matter.” Yes they do, he argues, bringing up EA’s success with Need for Speed on the iPhone. Of course, the App Store has built up a whole new generation of marketable brands–refer again to Apple’s list of the most downloaded games on the App Store–but there’s no denying the benefits that a comfortably familiar brand name can offer, especially for a console gamer who’s still unsure about this whole mobile gaming thing and is only dipping his or her toe into the water. A marketable brand can also backfire, though, if an iPhone port or adaptation of a beloved console classic ends up being slow, ugly, or unplayable because of bad controls. A negative experience might leave a sour aftertaste in the player’s mouth that will refresh every time he or she sees the game in any incarnation.
And finally, Boatman talked about Myth #5: That mobile gaming has peaked. Most of us can probably agree with him on this one: The market has only just found its legs, and it’s running fast.
And now, a bonus fact. According to Boatman, 7% of mobile phone owners game while they’re on the toilet. Not hard to believe. In fact, if you’re in the habit of exchanging anecdotes about smartphone mishaps, you’re sure to find a couple of people who will tell you that the iPhone can float. They usually relay this fact with embarrassment, sadness, and/or a hangdog face.（Source：gametheoryonline）
