Mobile first strategy creates design challenges

Creating games specifically for mobile phones has become essential to success in Asia, which has been quick to adopt new technology, though differences in the quality of internet speeds can prove to be challenging. 

Smartphone penetration in some Asian countries, such as South Korea, ranks among the highest in the world, while elsewhere growth rates have been impressive. Thailand, for example, has doubled since 2014 to reach just under 56 percent last year, according to a GSMA report.

It’s not surprising therefore that for many users in Asia, their first contact with any online gaming product will be through their mobile phones. 

Evoplay Entertainment says in the first quarter of this year, three quarters of its total traffic came from mobile phones.

“Mobile is rapidly becoming the default channel for the new generation of players,” says Vladimir Malakchi, Chief Business Development Officer at Evoplay. “That means players now want to stay fully updated and socially active wherever they go and whatever they do. For that reason, a mobile-first approach is absolutely essential. To stay ahead in today’s iGaming market, it’s vital to ensure that content is optimised for the full spectrum of different smartphone models and internet connection speeds. In an ever-changing technological landscape such as Asia, nothing less will do.”

However, the Asia market is highly varied and has large discrepancies in economic development, requiring an approach that is able to supply both emerging and developed infrastructure. 

“When operating across Asia’s unique environment, we need to be able to satisfy markets with slower internet, which means we also need to reduce the memory requirements (the weight) – requiring every animation, 3D model and graphic to be optimised. We also add the option of HD mode on and off for our 2D slots, so that we can be sure that users with a new smartphone model can enjoy our graphics without alienating the players with older models and the trade-off between game time and the life of the phone battery, Malakchi said.

Game developers need to ensure that all the symbols, characters and buttons can be clearly seen, without interfering with other elements that appear on the screen, while the game experience needs to be seamless.

“Slow loading times, cumbersome technical specifications and needlessly complex UIs are not a recipe for success,” he adds.

Software solutions provider Digitain says there is no doubt that Asia is in a leading position when it comes to mobile gaming growth, with phones being used in all aspects of daily life.

“As to the reason why, I believe it’s a combination of demographics and their natural approach to technological adoption that we’ve seen over the past few decades,” said Tigran Sharafyan- Lead Sales Manager Asia. “Most tech is usually adopted in Asia first ahead of the rest world (which we’ve seen in both gaming and consumer electronics) – so much so that much of Asia’s developed markets can arguably be called a testing ground for the next generation of innovation.”

While designing for mobile first does have its own set of challenges, in some ways it’s easier to adapt a game created for a smartphone to a desktop than the other way around.

“When desktop was king only a few years ago, developing games required a significant amount of adaptation between PC and mobile to ensure both bases are covered. However, with smartphones now dominant, it is far easier to develop games with mobile as the preferred channel, enabling us to get far more creative when designing UX, with desktop then adapted accordingly.” 

“As more and more operators begin to adjust to this change, I envision this challenge to cease being an issue entirely,” Sharafyan says.  

Evoplay recently introduced a role-play based slot, which it says created its own challenge when it came to mobile first.  In development for over a year, Dungeon: Immortal Evil takes advantage of the latest HTML5 and mobile technology. The game has an immersive story and design and the player spins slots to fight the bad guy and collect the loot. 

“While packed with unique gaming features and the ability to shift to portrait mode on mobile, developing it came with real challenges. The usage of complex polygonal modelling was particularly hard, as well as resource-intensive animation requiring the correct optimisation for smartphones that can suit multiple devices.”

The current crisis has seen a reported spike in igaming across the globe, as people are trapped in their homes and hungry for entertainment, although ultimately, the initial spike in activity may have flattened as consumers have become more concerned about their jobs. 

Digitain said the crisis is a good chance for other gaming verticals to perform. “Products such as e-sports and virtual sports can be good alternatives to get people busy with something at home.”