Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Cell Phone Games - Market or Mirage?

Posted by Zonk on from the big-market dept.

Rimbo writes "One popular view of the cellphone gaming industry is that it's the place where they exile people who couldn't cut it in the console and PC game industry. The other popular point of view is that with the huge volume of handsets everywhere, it's a market primed to explode. Today's Hit from the Wireless Pipe takes a look at some little-noticed details of the buyout that suggest that this is not the sign of the market maturing that many want it to be." Relatedly, that buyout was finally approved by the Jamdat Shareholders this past weekend.

3 of 82 comments (clear)

  1. Let's relive the 80's by 88NoSoup4U88 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    From a gamedesigner's view I think the mobile platform makes it possible to relive the 80's: A game can once again be made by one person, or very small teams.
    With this, and the shorter development time, it makes it less risky to try out experimental concepts, and the limitations of the platform itself can also lead to some very original games: I've seen some great one/two button games out there, that are easy to be played on a mobile.

  2. Code signing? by tepples · · Score: 3, Interesting

    A game can once again be made by one person

    How is this feasible for hobbyists if the major carriers require that one have a code signing license from a CA trusted by the carrier in order to test a program, and such licenses cost at least $500 per year?

    1. Re:Code signing? by jonwil · · Score: 4, Interesting

      My Motorola e378i phone has no such requirements.
      I can make whatever java applets I like and download them to the phone (although being an i-mode phone, I have to write the applets with the DoJa SDK and put them on a web page somewhere instead of writing them with the normal SDK and uploading them with MIDWay)

      Even if you live in america, you can still get a phone (either one that doesnt require signing or one that can be modified to not require signing). Some carriers (generally GSM carriers) dont require signing. Plus, you can always buy an unlocked non-carrier GSM phone and a GSM sim cart from the carrier of your choice and use that. Or you can buy a phone (from a carrier or otherwise) and modify or replace the software (either hacking it to remove the signature check or replacing the whole phone software with something that doesnt check signatures). Motorolas are particularly good when it comes to modifications (I should know, I own one :)