Cell phone games have become increasingly social, and many of these new games involve community-oriented elements. After all, a cell phone is meant to bring people together, not isolate them. For example, San Mateo-based startup Digital Chocolate Inc. has developed a mobile league version of the classic card game “Solitaire” where players can compete for rank and post scores to share with other players. Another recent game that has sparked discussion is “Geocaching,” a socially-oriented game that lets players compete with other users for high scores in an online community.
Another cell phone game classic is “Snake,” released for the Nokia 6110 in the late 1990s. It’s considered one of the earliest successful mobile games and reached 350 million cell phones. It also ushered in a generation and launched the Nokia 3310, commonly known as the “brick.”
The wireless industry has benefited greatly from the growth of cell phone gaming. In 2003, wireless carriers generated $91.3 million from cell phone games, which is expected to rise to $204 million by 2004. While most cell phone game revenues come from one-time downloads (typically $2 to $5), there is a small, but growing segment of games that are subscription-based. In fact, some carriers, including Verizon Wireless, are promoting subscription services for cell phone games.
As a gamer, I find it a bit frustrating that the mobile game industry lacks standardization. Xbox games can be played on any Xbox, but cell phone operating systems vary widely between manufacturers and carriers. A game for one phone won’t work on another, and a game designed for a numeric keypad won’t work on another. The same is true for a game for a touch screen. This makes cell phone game development a highly competitive industry.
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