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The Weekly Question...

  • Inna Kryvoruchko
  • Apr 11, 2016
  • 4 min read

Given the huge difference in player experience delivered by games on a usual/big screen (be it a console or a PC) and mobile games, can those two options be combined or are they mutually exclusive? Is it possible to find a balance between mobile and big screen gaming?

We wanted to discuss all these topics with our colleagues by asking them the following question:

Do you play games on mobile devices or do you prefer the real thing (PC or console games) and why?

… And here’s what we heard in reply…

Thibault Carpentier, Project Manager

There’s only one game installed on my smartphone, but I played it only a couple of times: the Triple Triad card game from Final Fantasy VIII!

No, I’m an old-school guy and I’m more the kind of person who tries to avoid their mobile phone rather than the addicted type. I reckon it’s one of the reasons why I didn’t get to discover mobile games, I just don’t like the idea of spending more time on my phone. I may have some prejudice about it too: the idea of playing a game constantly interrupted by messages, notifications, likes and so on is definitely not attractive to me.

You said it: the real thing is PC (and consoles, let’s not be elitist), but my taste in games has radically changed over the last few years. Most of the big AAA productions fail to catch my interest, not that I have doubts about their quality, I just feel that I had enough, in the same way I am rarely interested in big cinematographic or literary productions. Come on, let’s say the word: I’m a video game hipster! I like big fat pixels and chiptune music, retro gaming and 80's revival, point & clicks, and metroidvanias!

Hyper Light Drifter

On a more serious note, I find the indie scene vibrant and it’s probably the only place where authors can develop new concepts or perfect classic ones. And I reckon this is valid for all forms of creation. The community plays a huge role in supporting, financing, and pushing the works they really like. It’s quite an anarchic system, not without flaws, but this is by far the most exciting scene at the moment.

Regarding mobile games, I assume there are a lot of hidden gems behind all the freemium apps and who knows, maybe in a couple of years I will abandon my PC for an overpriced and overhyped gadget because that’s where the cool games will be? Who knows? For sure the system is not that important, in the end it’s only about the games.

Robert Hill, Japanese Localisation Specialist

I think there is definitely room for both platforms to exist simultaneously, but if you ask me what I get the most out of then it would have to be more traditional console/PC based games. There is greater scope for world-immersion in playing these larger experiences which, along with narrative, is what I derive the most enjoyment from in videogames. That is not to say that mobile games would not be able to deliver these experiences, but as they are largely developed from the ground up to be played in small 5-10 minute chunks, the overall trend is more towards addictive nuggets of gameplay than something more over-arching. As I say though, there is more than enough room for both to exist simultaneously, and I have definitely enjoyed different mobile games in the past.

I think as the industry moves forward though, the focus will become ever more centred on the mobile market. Many of the kids coming through now would probably choose their phone over a console given an ultimatum and when you see the success of games like Clash of Clans, it would be hard to argue for the industry to keep investing so heavily in larger development studios. It would be a sad moment for me if such gaming ceased to exist in my lifetime, but that is the nature of things and moaning away like a disgruntled old man is not going to change the minds of anybody!

Shane Hulgraine, Project Manager

Generally I believe that both platforms are there to offer different things. In the early stages of mobile gaming I think there was an effort made to emulate the same experience that you take away from gaming on a PC or console. I think that the controls and screen sizes on mobile devices (certainly before tablet devices) dictate what kind of games could be played and restrict that experience. So this did not work for a lot of titles (Another World was one of these in my opinion).

Game Dev Story

One of the first mobile games I played, and thought was best suited to the format, was a little title: Game Dev Story. Playing on my Samsung Galaxy phone, the game (which follows a typical management game format) allowed you to build and run your own game development studio. You chose what genre of games you wanted to develop in the studio, expand the business and get more office space, and hire and fire... Good fun all round. I do believe, however, that this was the only title that I can honestly say I enjoyed on my mobile phone. I tried some football titles, puzzle games (which have their merits) and of course Angry Birds for a spell, but I resigned to the fact early on that I rather console games over mobile ones.

Having said that, advances have been made and there are a certain amount of point and clicks that function quite well on tablet devices - I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream, Broken Sword, and more recent titles such as Telltale Games' Tales of Monkey Island. Overall I dislike the compromise of the smaller screen and sometimes clunky controls that have to be adapted for mobile gaming and, not considering the dreaded in app purchases that you feel are only around the corner sometimes, they have their place but I favour old-school gaming; leaning back in a comfortable chair with a controller in my grip and hours of storytelling intuitive gameplay ahead.

Do you have your own viewpoint regarding the mobile vs big screen gaming duel? Please share your thoughts with us by posting your comments!

 
 
 

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