The demand for attractive, innovative, and flawless apps are increasing day by day. But, for beginner developers it could still be a great concern choosing their initial platform of mobile app development.

Windows app development is a lot more comfortable and organized as compared to development in other platforms. It is better and easy with the availability of a wide range of tools for development. The best thing is that the most popular Windows app development tool, MS Visual Studio offers Android and iOS app development support.

Windows is the Right Platform for Beginners

It is the best platform for amateurs to start their journey. Unlike in Windows, the IDE for Android is too slow. Android plugin and toolset has got a lot of bugs and lacks many features compared to Windows. Also, Android emulators will take too much time to load up in contrast to Windows emulators which loads at lightning speeds. And the IDE’s for Android apps are built for single use – making Android apps alone.

Some Benefits

Given below are some of the top benefits in using Windows platform for development.

  • You can use C# and C++ for development. C# is a very flexible and versatile language as it fixes java’s weaknesses and offers further functionality.
  • Virtual studio is a lot more stable and mature IDE.
  • Visual studio allows you to build not just Windows phone apps, but Windows desktop apps, WPF apps, games, console apps, Android apps etc.
  • It alerts about errors in the code without having to run it. Also, it provides instant context-aware help while coding.
  • XAML gives a more natural interface.
  • In Windows, UI creation will be a direct procedure using it’s drag and drop tool.
  • Microsoft’s design guideline is stable, unlike the one with Android, which constantly changes and requires you to redesign your app often.
  • A large number of tutorials are available on the Microsoft virtual academy and MSDN library.
  • Another cool feature that comes with Windows 10, is the universal nature. With Windows universal app development, the single app you develop will be supported on PCs, mobiles, Kinect, as well as Microsoft band.

Some Concerns

If you think whether opting the Microsoft ecosystem is as lucrative as choosing Android, the answer would be a clear No. There are several factors that pull MS backwards. Windows app market share is so low that it is barely visible.

PCs are no more hub of computing technology. The present and immediate future belongs to mobility. Google and Apple have long established their kingdom on the mobile platform. Unfortunately, there were not much conscious effort taken by MS under Steve Ballmer to win over the mobile platform.

Another thing that makes Android important for a developer is that Windows phone development will make you bear the extra costs. Annual fee payment for Windows is $99 compared to Android, which is cheaper at 25$ for lifetime.

It is a fact that Windows can come nowhere near in terms of popularity and market share of these blue chip companies. So, there are fewer developers and fewer devices which lead to less demand and uncertainty. Yet, constant attempts are being made for a comeback under the leadership of Satya Nadella.

What’s Best to be Successful as a Developer

For beginners, the best advice is to start with Windows app development. Learning Android can be inevitable as you progress with your career. But to get there you should learn the patience and knack to go forward.

Windows IDE is the best learning platform, supplemented with the wide collection of tools available. It will boost up the passion young developers have.

In the beginning, mobile phones were nothing more than simple voice communication devices. People wouldn’t have even imagined about mobile game development at that time. On 3rd April 1973, Martin Cooper of Motorola made the world’s first mobile phone call to his rival Dr. Engel of Bell labs. Those devices were bulky, large, and plain-looking. Two decades later, IBM introduced the first ever mobile app for a Smartphone.

Mobile phone industry has grown dramatically. As somebody rightly said, “A man is known by the company of the phone he keeps”, mobile phones are more or less one’s status symbol now. We admire our devices and we are very happy to own it. They are more like our companions nowadays.

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Age of Mobile Game Development, the beginning

Entertainment has always been an essential part of human life. So, it’s no wonder someone thought mobile game development would be a great idea.

The first ever apps included a few unadorned games, calculator, calendar, world clock and contact book that came pre-installed in the mobile devices.

The versatility of mobile phone apps is phenomenal. They range from apps for social networks, travel, health, banking, fitness, news and much more. The mobile game development industry also has its own share to offer.

The first mobile games introduced were a mobile version of Tetris on the Hagenuk MT-2000 device in 1994 and Snake on Nokia in 1997.

First mobile games developed First mobile games developed 1

The scope for mobile games was very limited earlier. The very first games were basic, uncluttered and penny plain. They were characterised with poor visual quality, minimal or no effects, polygon characters, block articles, performance lag, and snail-paced movements.

Initially when mobile hardware development was still in its infancy, the mobile game development industry faced problems due to the low battery life, unavailable memory and poor graphics hardware.

Present day Games

The time when we fancied old-school games like Pac-Man, Galaga, Tetris and Snake are over. Introduction of smartphones was a predominant breakthrough in the communication field. We witnessed major achievements through extreme R&D steps and market analysis, which brought successive versions of highly advanced devices into the market. These devices featured better software and hardware functionalities with each generation.

It is seen that developers are moving away from living room consoles and towards PC and mobile game development. Mobile platforms don’t have the restrictions that come with developing for consoles. They are much cheaper and can be developed without the help of a publisher. And also with the introduction of android and iPhone, mobile game development quality started to close the gap with console games.

Popular Mobile Game Categories

Mobile games refer to video games that are played on mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets, smartwatches and the like. Games can be downloaded from app stores such as Google play or the Apple App store or could come preloaded with the device. It is also possible to play your games from the cloud.

The generally acclaimed qualities of mobile games are the right mix of fact and fantasy, focusing on the game’s graphics, sound, story and replay value.

Some of the leading category/genres of mobile game development include:

Detective games/ Murder mystery games: These games require the player to solve a mystery  and catch the criminal by following various clues.

Combat games: Combat games include fighting opponents, which can be armed or unarmed.

Survival games/ Room escape games/ Zombie games: These games include horror elements and arouse fear in the player. Themes could include death, gore, the undead and possession.

Strategy games: In this type of games, the player should make use of decision making skills to achieve victory.

Simulation games: Simulation games include games that offer realistic interpretations and operations of various machines or real life activities. They are widely used for various training purposes.

Simulation games

Educational games: Educational games are targeted at young audiences. These games should have some kind of educational value. They range from simple spelling games to different types of complex construction games based on the academic level of player.

Sport games/ Competitive games/ Race games: This includes playing any of the traditional sports. Archery games, football, car races etc comes under this category.

Adventure games/ Exploration games: This is a type of game where there is a considerable amount of fantasy and the game goes forward by exploration.

Puzzle solving/ mystery games: This includes the logic oriented games. The player needs to solve puzzles and mysteries to move on to the next level.

The list is only a common classification of the different types of mobile games and is not in any way exhaustive.

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Game Engines

Present day mobile devices offer powerful platforms to develop stunning real life scenes and characters. Mobile game development have evolved from the first single player games to java games and multiplayer 3D games. With the help of full color visuals and realistic sound effects, mobile games can now create a whole new world of augmented reality.

A game engine is a software tool used for creating video games. Unity, CryEngine, J2me and Unreal Engine are the most popular game engines in use today. These engines are chosen based on the type of game that is about to be developed, like a shooter game or a puzzle game.

Unity 3D: The Unity 3D game engine helps you to develop awesome interactive 3D games. It allows cross platform publishing and supports imports from popular 3D applications like Maya.

CryEngine 3: CryEngine helps to create pretty and realistic game visuals with artist-level programming. It also comes with the most powerful audio tool, Fmod. It is considered as the best mobile game development tool for beginners.

mobile game development - cry engine

Unreal Engine 4: This is the most popular mobile game development engine. Some of the most successful games were developed by using this tool which includes ARC Squadron Redux, Batman, and Blade. This tool has a lot of amazing features such as improved dynamic lighting and advanced particle system that enhances the graphics quality.

Unreal engine 4 mobile gaming app

J2me Engine: This is a version of Java. The major advantages of J2me are its security features, development alternatives and omission of any licensing fee.

Features of present day Mobile Games

With powerful hardware and sophisticated tools available in the market, mobile game development has undergone an extensive facelift. More amazing features means there is more control on how much your game can stand close to reality. It also aids in faster development and release cycles.

Detailed characterisation, crystal clear visuals, audio excellence, polished animations, great looking textures, gorgeous art style, near to reality lighting, responsiveness, precision & finesse, and adherence to the fundamental laws of nature are some of attractive features that new generation games offer.

Immersive games with features described above could transform you to a virtual reality and evoke real life feelings and emotions. It could drive you crazy and leave you overwhelmed. You will crave for more gaming hours. There is a global demand for games that test your speed, knowledge, rational thought and common sense.rel=”nofollow”

Some new trends in mobile game development:

Multiplayer games: A multiplayer mobile game allows two or more players to play a single game by sharing the same game environment by using Bluetooth or similar technology. It allows interaction among players and offers real-world opponents. Multiplayer games that supports cross platform gaming are also available.

Social games: Social games are played online and it requires social network integration. It is the most popular game played in the world. These games allow gamers to stay connected with their friends. Mafia Wars and Candy Crush are two of the most successful social network games on Facebook.

Location based games: In location based games, the gameplay progresses based on the location of the player. The location information is commonly retrieved using the GPS technology.

Phone accelerometer: The accelerometer is a device that senses movement or gravity, which in turn helps it to sense the angle at which the device is being held. This has opened a new scope by introducing the technology for playing mobile games. Accelerometer sensors which functions as game controllers are placed to measure the tilt, angle and speed of player actions.

mobile Phone accelerometerPhone accelerometer 2

The Gamer – Age and Gender Groups

Mobile phones were considered as a luxury until not too long ago. But today, they are one among the most common commodities. They are owned by the young and the aged alike. There are more mobile devices than people in this world.

As mobile gaming technology flourished with improved hardware such as the sound cards, graphics cards and powerful & faster processors, it became increasingly easy to conceptualize and design games suitable for all age and gender groups. Quick distraction games are trend setters as they can be played in bite sized chunks when you wait in line or during lunch break. For most people, mobile games are truly entertainment in pockets.

In the US alone, there are more than 100 million mobile game players. This includes children, men, women and the old. The average age of mobile game players is 28 years. Though most of the serious gamers are supposed to be men, recent studies show that over half of the mobile gamers in the world are women. The number of women gamers in developed countries is greater than those in the developing or undeveloped countries.

Many games are now being developed focusing women audiences with apt characters and story lines. A lot of women are already in the executive job titles in the gaming industry.

The Mobile Game Market – Statistics

Mobile game development had been just a fringe activity for years, but now they have come up into the mainstream. The mobile game market is very much on the rise from the past several years.

The global mobile gaming market has been worth about $25 billion by the end of 2015. It is dominated by the US, Japan and China. The Asia Pacific countries as a whole generate about 56% of the world’s mobile gaming revenues.

93% of the d applications are games. Of these, cross-platform games are monetized 25% better. 34% of the top 100 game apps use the Freemium model.

Moving on to social network games; of the 100 million players, about 61% plays them on Facebook. More than 50% of Smartphone and tablet owners play their games every day.

Benefits of Video Gaming

The benefits of gaming goes well beyond entertainment and education. Here are some of them:

  • They help to overcome attention related disorders such as dyslexia.
  • Moderate game playing improves vision.
  • Brain games can boost brain activity and slow down the biological aging process.
  • As a post-injury prescription, it performs a great role in easing pain by diverting attention.
  • Multi-player games help build social connections.
  • Strengthens hand-eye co-ordination.
  • Improves decisive skills.
  • Reduce stress.
  • They help compulsive overeaters and drinkers to curb cravings.
  • Enhance creative thinking.

We should not forget the bad side

Serious gamers spend way too much of their daily hours in front of their gaming devices. One should be aware that, this behavior could damage one’s health. Listed below are some of the most common health hazards that excessive gaming can bring about.

  • Addiction
  • Thinning line between reality and the virtual world
  • Musculoskeletal injuries
  • Aggression
  • Obesity
  • Vision disturbances

Future of Mobile Game Development

“The future of mobile game development is bright. Venture capitalists are investing like mad right now, and start-ups are beginning to see the fruits of their labor with huge returns….…. As mobile devices become more powerful, we’ll also see more mid-core games being produced. Eventually, you’ll be able to play a game as graphically impressive and complex as Halo: Reach, on a handheld. At this point, the industry will revolutionize yet again as the pinnacle achievement is reached. “- Christopher P. Onstad(Lead 3D Modeler, Mega Pickle Entertainment)

Strictly speaking, the future of mobile gaming is unpredictable. It’s been known that built-in hardware features and peripheral accessories affect the way mobile games are played greatly.
The imminent development could be in gaming devices such as Wearables, Phablets, GameStream or VR helmet sets. Or there could be new technologies introduced in mobile gaming including head tracking, computer vision, motion sensing, color detection, sound sensing, and artificial intelligence.

Future of Mobile Game Development

Future mobile phones could be 3D enabled Smartphones like the HTC EVO 3D which enables 3D mobile gameplay.

The term in itself might envelope a whole new sense and meaning as the words of Jennifer Estaris (Designer, Total Immersion) might help convey:

“Mobile game does not mean phone or tablet. It means, ‘Oh, I wore this shirt today, which has connectivity with this bus stop, which alters the world via my sunglasses, and I control the game with my hands… or voice… or… thoughts.”

Visionaries say that there will be more cross platform access in future for the same game. When games are stored and played from the cloud, there will be multiple ways of access to your games. You can start playing your game from your TV and continue to play it on your iPad/Smartphone and then, move on to playing it from your PC.

There is also a massive scope for linking everyday activities to mobile games. Applications such as Foursquare, Wikitude, Layar etc. could be turned into actual games. What mobile game development requires is out-of-the-box thinking and fearlessness to experiment and implement new ideas.

Today, everyone is using smartphones for staying in touch with family or friends, social media, music, apps, etc. Android is a popular mobile platform used by several people across the globe. Android app development has been gaining popularity since the last few years. Businesses are developing Android applications to attract more and more users. The increasing popularity of Android phones makes it important for businesses to develop the apps for this popular platform and harness the countless benefits.

Why should one develop Android Applications?

Better Business Growth:

As the Android applications are Java-based, they are considered to be reliable and robust means of mobile app development. It is known that Android is a cost effective platform and generates good revenues in no time. You can easily make your business grow by using effective Android apps for your business.

Cost Benefits:

Android is an open source and hence, you do not have to spend money for availing the licenses. The software development kit (SDK) can be accessed by the developers. The developers can customize Android apps and they can be monetized. Hence, you would be having several cost benefits when you opt for Android application development.

Good Returns:

When you hire a reliable Android application development company, you would need to make an investment to develop mobile app for Android. Initially, you would need to spend money for development and testing the app. You would not have to pay the licensing fees. You would easily be able to achieve the maximum returns on investment when you have Android applications for your business.

How to Hire the Right Professional / Company for Android App Development?

If you have an Android app development idea in mind, you can look for companies who have a team of experts and talented developers. Keeping in mind your budget and business goals, you should employ the best company for developing Android apps for your business.

It is important that you hire reliable and honest company for Android application development. You can contact a few companies and get free estimates from them. You can compare the quotes and select the best company according to your requirements.

Make sure that the company you hire understands your requirements and is capable of delivering the best solution. You should discuss the requirements with the project manager or developer and ask for the appropriate solution.

If you hire freelance Android app developers for your project, then it can be risky. There are chances that you may have to repent later on. Hence, always search for experienced and reputed Android application development companies for developing robust and scalable Android apps. All the best!

One of the first things you’ll notice when you visit the Solar2D website is the Solar2D banner. That’s because Solar2D is a special product that helps you to develop mobile applications 10 times speedier.

You can incorporate complex functionalities with only few lines of code. It also allows you to see progressions immediately by utilizing the Simulator.

Let us discuss in brief about the advantages of Solar2D:

1) Single code base

You are not required to hire various designers and use diverse development situations for every gadget in Solar2D. You make a solitary code base that functions admirably well with Android, iOS, Nook and kindle with platform specific conditions.

A solitary cross platform application is the end product. Solar2D app also scales your content automatically across several devices.

2) Importance on design

Solar2D has features to include interactivity and graphic content into your apps and games. While working with Solar2D, instead of feeling like a developer, you will feel like a designer as it has a huge range of designing options.

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3) Community

Solar2D gives you an opportunity for developers like you to join under the Solar2D’s growing community of developers. It has a mutual code repository where developers can share their knowledge and code snippets.

It has 347 studios to help developers all over the world and there are third party tools with which you can redesign your app as well.

4) Quicker Monetization

Solar2D allows you to monetize easily and faster as it provides you integrated support for banner ads, apps s and a number of currencies.

5) Dominant APIs

Gaming APIs can be added easily to your app with only a few lines of human-friendly code. Even kids can create a chart with Solar2D as it is easy to use.

6) FPS

While comparing with other SDKs, Solar2D has a faster frame per second (FPS) making your application seem smooth and consistent with no slacking. It is the best platform for game development as it changes easily for several screen resolutions.

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7) Lua programming

Solar2D is based on this and it is one of the simplest programming languages to learn. It is cross-platform as it is written in ANSI C and has a relatively simple C API.

8) Rights to source code

Everything which you make with Solar2D is your own property written in Lua, despite the fact that the Solar2D game engine is a closed source. It gives you a chance to hold full rights to the Lua code that you used to develop your project.

Thus, with such advantages, Solar2D is one of the best cross-platform game engines available.

During a casual talk one evening,
a friend who owns a teaching institute told me excitedly

“Man, we’re launching an app for our institute”
I was surprised. “Wow! Technology sure is growing”
“heavy competition, our mobile app development team just sent the app in”,
he said and showed me the app

I eagerly looked at the app,
only to be disappointed

Why?

What greeted me upon booting the app was a pathetically design. I didn’t know where to click or how to navigate. This should not happen to you.

Here are a few things from my experience that might help you.

The educational field is developing fast these days, and so is technology. Making interactive apps for education through eLearning has therefore become one of the latest trends. It is a great way to combine education with fun and excitement.

The only thing is that designing and developing an educational app requires a lot of patience and effort. It is not like any regular app, as the expectations are high. Here are a few checkpoints to keep in mind before developing an educational app:

Research

One needs to do a great deal of research before designing an app. For instance, you need to keep the target audience in mind and develop according to their tastes and interests. You need to incorporate a lot of things like cultural values, correct usage of words, and so on.

Proper design

Before finalising the design of the app, you need to contemplate various factors including the age of the targeted audience. For example, you can add cartoons and vibrant colours for young kids, and may be a professional look with subtle shades for corporate learners. This one factor done effectively can grab a lot of attention to your app; eventually making it a huge success.

Interactive learning

Learning should be interactive to make it interesting. The learners’ attention needs to be captured at each stage to make the full impact of eLearning course. You can use tools to make it more interactive.

Challenge the learners

You could include challenges like milestones, puzzles, quizzes, or even small games to test the knowledge of the learners and build healthy competition among the users. High scores can be tabulated and friends could even challenge each other to make learning more interesting. This sort of gamification does help the students learn with more zeal, encouraging them to perform better.

Making the most out of technology can make learning more exciting. It is an interesting concept that can help improve the educational system to a great extent. After all, people perform better if they love what they do!

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