Although metaverses are still developing, mobile game development is in full throttle! Mobile gaming is rife with compelling use cases and solid business outcomes. With each passing year, the industry expands, embracing everything from classics like Super Mario and PacMan to modern behemoths like Elden Ring and Diablo Immortal.
As a result, it’s not unexpected that many entrepreneurs are interested in game app design. Nonetheless, given the fierce competition, developing a distinct and entertaining gaming app is important.
If you want to learn more about mobile game design, you’ve come to the perfect place! This article delves into game app design, delving into its various features, the complexities of mobile game production, and much more. Come along for the ride!
With new competitors constantly entering the gaming industry, the gaming field is steadily rising in business value. Here are some interesting statistics.
The graphic below shows the increase in smartphone mobile network subscribers.
According to a research study, the gaming sector is developing globally, and cellphones play an important role. Furthermore, platforms such as Facebook and Instagram are becoming more creative and generating unique mobile games in order to generate product distinction.
According to one survey, the remarkable success of cloud gaming around the world is due to the advent of high-speed 5G and unlimited data plans, as most gamers choose to play games on their smartphones. Furthermore, Ericsson predicts that 5G mobile subscribers in the Asia-Pacific area would reach 1,545 million by 2025.
Another point of view is on the obvious cybersecurity risks, and designers and operators in the mobile gaming business must be aware of these. Furthermore, games with enormous popularity are frequently more vulnerable to reverse engineering attacks and malware infection.
Table of Content:
The Importance of Strategy
Who wouldn’t want a great idea turned into a successful app? That’s when your strategy team can come in handy. The staff has a thorough understanding of the needs. They may also analyse, deconstruct, and ensure that the insights can facilitate the mobile game production process.
The job of game designers and developers is difficult, yet smart game creation and design can make the process easier. In addition, developing a winning gaming app is a rewarding experience. Here are some observations on the significance of strategy in game design and development.
#Market Analysis : Market analysis is required to create appealing gameplay mechanisms that improve player engagement. Measurable indicators such as player requests, rival performance, market trends, and more can be aided by the data. The research also plays an important role in the design and development of your mobile gaming app, assuring its success.
#Deconstruct : It also aids in understanding what works (in game design and development) and what does not, as well as identifying holes in the competitive landscape. To address emerging possibilities and risks, entrepreneurs must future-proof their plans.
#Conceptualization : The conception step of strategic game creation is frequently overlooked. Designers and developers can use this space to explore and build the game’s basic themes, ideas, storyline, gameplay, and more.
#Game Mechanics and Systems : Your primary gameplay experience will include considerations for game programming, level design (2D or 3D design work), and so on. The game mechanics and UX assist in focusing on how players can remain motivated.
#Improvising : Finally, regular testing, refining, and working on player feedback and data analysis aids in improving the quality and appeal of the mobile gaming app.
How to Start the Design & Development of a Mobile Game?
Let’s begin by creating an app from scratch.
A. Identifying the Core Concept of Your Game
When you’re not sure where to start, start by collecting game ideas. You can improve an existing mobile game app. Consider revolutionary technologies such as AI, VR, and so on, which will provide a solid foundation for you to build on.
It is vital to develop your own game design. What exactly is a gaming concept? It’s straightforward – it’s an easy-to-understand vision of your game. It can comprise the following aspects: the story, the core idea (the game’s style, settings, types of characters, essential elements, how to play, and the USP), the art (producing 2D or 3D assets), the extent of development (the platforms for launch, cross-platform production, porting over to other devices, and so on), and the USP.
B. Defining your game’s unique value proposition
Developing games that are appealing to your target audience is fundamental to any development process. It is advantageous to have a well-defined UVP (unique value proposition).
What is UVP?
It’s a statement that distinguishes you from your competitors. Furthermore, it is something you can promise to your target audience. A UVP can assist you answer the question, “How is your game better than the others out there?” in the gaming industry.
A well-defined UVP is an excellent tool for focusing on your marketing objectives. It will assist you in making a positive impression on the gaming community.
C. Establishing clear goals for your game
Setting specific goals for your mobile game is vital to its success. Well-defined goals assist the development team in better understanding the vision and delivering a product that matches your expectations.
Furthermore, when you know exactly what you want to achieve with your mobile game, the development team can come up with amazing ideas or alternative techniques to assist you get there.
D. Detailed Game Design: Key Components
Finally, in order to create a game appealing, creators must pay special attention to important components such as a mind-boggling idea, great art, gameplay, economy, logic, flawless UX, and so on. It will aid in the creation of a mobile GDD (game design document) containing the project’s rules, needs, and overall workflow.
What exactly is GDD? GDD is a formal document that is required for planning and can aid in the avoidance of errors and misunderstandings during the design and development process. Simply said, it is the guiding star of the game app development project that highlights and shows all stakeholders the overall picture.
E. Developing engaging game mechanics
Game mechanics are critical in mobile game apps. Game mechanics combine the elements, procedures, and laws of the game. It may involve player goals and rewards. Furthermore, you may want to consider and implement character interactions, level design, resource management systems, and other features.
Game designers may confidently design the ideal gaming experience. In reality, an excellent set of mechanics ensures that gamers have a compelling experience in which they are pushed without difficulties. Furthermore, they are frequently utilised to distinguish games from others on the market.
There are various sorts of game mechanics, including:
Action Mechanics: Skirting barriers, jumping, and other actions are examples of action mechanics.
Role-playing mechanics: Players can customise their characters as they advance through the game environment using role-playing principles.
Strategy Mechanics: Puzzle solving and combat strategy planning are two examples of strategy mechanics. The emphasis is on players’ problem-solving abilities.
Exploration Mechanics: The emphasis is on exploring new sections of the game environment. It also includes elements of unearthing secrets that may be buried away from the players’ eyes.
Resource Management Mechanics: To succeed, players must manage their resources efficiently. Players are frequently required to manage resources such as money, health, and so on.
F. Designing an Intuitive User Interface (UI)
Designing the interface and making it a seamless experience is an important component of creating a good mobile game app. The design of the UI (User Interface) is an important aspect that can influence the UX, gameplay, and game theme. As a result, you should focus on creating a straightforward and clear user interface to guarantee that players have the most enjoyable and pleasurable gaming experience possible.
G. Making an Engaging Game Narrative and Character Design
Narrative designers for mobile games face a difficult task in improving player engagement by providing a meaningful context. One must attempt to maximise narrative chances as much as feasible. To get an excellent game experience, principles like Context, Clarity, Charm, and Consistency can be applied.
According to a poll of Candy Crush Friends users, 13% of gamers wanted that the game introduce the characters and their duties. Approximately 12% of respondents hoped for additional story in the game. As a result, narrative designers face an exciting task in crafting a fascinating and deeply engaging story, storyline, and characters in order to elicit a comprehensive storytelling experience.
H. Game Difficulty must be Balanced in Order to Maintain Player Involvement.
It might be difficult to balance the complexity of a game. Why? It’s simple: learning curves change for different players and are determined by skill level. The catch is that if it is too simple, it might become tedious. On the other side, if it is too difficult, it might become frustrating.
Developers can utilise player feedback to design the difficulty of a game and change it to balance it. It’s also a good idea to do a beta test and solicit feedback and comments from the game’s intended audience. It can aid with early balance improvement.
Development on iOS vs. Android Technology
When developing a mobile game, you need consider the platform. Android and iOS are often among the first options. In terms of technology, both systems are significantly different. Android’s code is open source. As a result, it is easily adaptable to thousands of different devices. However, iOS is a closed system that only works on Apple devices.
The truth is, each platform has a distinct target demographic. As a result, it will be beneficial to research the geography and interests of the target users. Alternatively, you might go for a hybrid model. However, you must factor in the additional expenditures of designing a game for numerous platforms.
#Technical Considerations
Here are some things to think about when it comes to technological considerations for Android and iOS.
Android game app development provides open-source code, whereas iOS provides closed-source code (sometimes known as proprietary code).
Swift, Apple’s proprietary programming language, is generally used to create iOS apps. Kotlin and Java are used to construct Android apps. iOS is often easier to develop for programmers (both new and experienced). On the other hand, producing iOS apps takes less time and is less expensive to design and maintain than developing Android apps.
Apple’s development tools are a little trickier to set up and use than Android’s. Google provides development tools such as Jetpack (a well-known mobile app development platform). It also offers its Android SDK development kit, which is linked to Android Studio.
Apple provides an API, SwiftUI Design tools, and Storyboards in Xcode for developing the App’s UI. In comparison to Google, coding for iOS requires fewer resources.
Finally, deciding between iOS and Android can be challenging. You can use numerous elements to make your decision. Assume you still need to determine the platform (iOS or Android). In that instance, it is best to contact a knowledgeable technology partner, such as Digitalfren, who can walk you through the decision-making process.
#Demographic considerations
Another fascinating aspect is to look at the large worldwide audience. Here’s the thing: Android would be better for an Asian, Latin American, and African audience than iOS, because Android people like Android. Furthermore, it is more likely to find a technical career on the market.
In comparison, iOS is more popular in Western Europe, North America, and Australia. Finally, knowing who you’re trying to reach with your app is a good idea. The information will assist you in making an informed decision.
Mobile Game Development Process
#1 Pre-production and Planning
Game development is an essential step in the success of a game app. The first phase (pre-production) focuses on developing fundamental concepts and assembling the preliminary design documentation. It is a stage in which one plans to construct a game and helps to streamline all operations.
During this stage, designers and developers will concentrate on gathering feedback on target consumers, core gaming mechanics, game demography, and so on. Pre-production game development can benefit from prototyping. The phase is crucial because it provides a road map for the team’s actions during the production phase.
#2 Production – Building the Game
Production is a time-consuming and labor-intensive stage of the mobile game development process. The team will focus on character models and rendering during this stage. They also concentrate on the game’s music and level design. Coding is another aspect that will enter development, and project managers guarantee that all departments work together smoothly, fulfil deadlines, and so forth.
#3 Post-production – Testing and Polishing
Testing is an important part of the development process. Finally, the development game will be released. Although the stage can be stressful, there will be reports of new defects or crashes in the first few months following the debut.
The purpose of this stage is to keep the gaming experience smooth and flawless while also retaining the target users. Furthermore, the game will evolve, and it is the obligation of the developer to reflect on updates and work on the release of new editions. Adding new material keeps consumers interested and the game relevant.
Finishing Up
Creating a mobile game with ranking potential is an interesting task. You can please your target consumers and increase your ROI by streamlining your development process. It’s time to focus on creating a great mobile game to assist your business grow with strategic facets in order to gain a significant competitive advantage.
If you are in need of a Android Game Development Company that provides one of the best Game Development Services then Digitalfren is the solution for you. We are known to be one of the most well performing in Game Development Companies in Selangor.
Join us and book your first consultation with us today.