The need for mobile testing of gaming applications has long been apparent. With app stores for Android and iOS devices more or less overflowing with games of all different kinds, it stands to reason that a lot of developers are rushing the process. That is to say, there are a lot of cheaper or less refined games reaching the market in this category, and testing will reveal as much. As one article put it in an overarching write-up on the very concept of mobile testing, app store halls are now littered with thousands of one-star reviews that tell a tragic tale.
This is largely due to frantic developers hoping to be first to market with a given idea, or simply hoping to flood the market with multiple ideas, without worrying much about quality. However, it’s also because the coding languages that serve as the foundation of mobile games are varied and can be inconsistent. Certainly, a capable and creative developer can always find a way to design a beautiful and intuitive experience. But as technology improves and evolves, newer design methods will improve the overall quality of the mobile gaming market to a degree.
One thing to watch in this regard is HTML5. Hailed as a borderline revolutionary cross-platform design option for games, it has been somewhat slow to emerge in the mobile market in a big way. Casino games, in particular, are beginning to show its potential. As a popular gaming platform puts it, there are plenty of developers out there who are more than happy to indulge gamers’ craving for new experiences. In doing so, one method they’ve embraced is the use of HTML5 to put together slot games that exist at online casinos but can easily be downloaded as high-quality apps also. It’s a subtle but smoother version of a game being adapted from scratch to suit mobile devices.
We’ve seen this same process occur with some one-off arcade games as well. Bejeweled, for instance, made such a seamless transition from browser mobile devices because it was actually one of the earlier major HTML5 games. In fact, the same can be said of Angry Birds. Those are probably the two most high profile examples, though there are other mobile games that are recognized for high quality and built on HTML5 as well.
This should gradually be leading to a better selection of high quality, high-performance mobile games, and while it’s difficult to make any kind of overarching statement about mobile game testing, one article, in particular, indicated that HTML5 has had an encouraging effect. Discussing a focus on mobile, the writers declared that they weren’t even bothering to test desktops because performance had been so consistently strong. They referred to this as a positive sign for the maturity of HTML5.
By extension, that means good things for the mobile gaming market.
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