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[jsepia]

According to the research I've seen, mobile audiences tend to be more casual and prefer repetitive arcade games that can be played in short bursts. These games don't have complex storylines and often offer a one-dimensional game experience that always feels the same (this is not to say that these are negative things).

Does this mean that a deeper, more time-consuming game just wouldn't be suitable for mobile platforms at all? Or do you guys think there could be a niche waiting to be filled for that kind of mobile games?

[xhunterko]

I love Adventure Bar Story right now. It was fairly successful and reached the top something one time. So I don't see why not.

[eigenbom]

I never played it, but I think Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP was a successful story-driven game..?

[baconman]

So long as it's made with touch-screen interface in mind, and not clunky psuedo-controller stuff. TBH, I think a lot of the GOOD untapped potential here lies in adventure/RPG titles; specifically because you're NOT limited to traditional controllers.

[Fankadore]

I've started having to get the train to work and back. I see a hell of a lot of mostly women reading books or their kindle. Those are pretty indepth stories they're reading, for only about 10-20 minutes at a time.

If you could write a story with casual puzzles involved you're onto a winner. Women love stories and puzzles.

[EdgeOfProphecy]

So a tablety version of Professor Layton?

[s0]

So a tablety version of Professor Layton?

there are tons of layton clones on the iphone appstore

[ஒழுக்கின்மை (Paul Eres)]

almost all games are story-driven, some games just aren't linear plot-driven. e.g. what do you remember most about ghost and goblins, the double jump, or the guy in armor throwing a spear at demons? i remember the latter before the former

but anyway, i think linear plot-driven games can work just as well on mobile as anywhere. they work on game boy and psp, which are also "mobile". final fantasy 4: the after years started out as a mobile game, as did that ff7 mobile game sequel, so they seem to sell well in japan

i think the problem is more that they *take longer to make*. most people developing games for mobile platforms have the get rich quick gold rush mentality. they want to release a game in 3 months, preferably 6 weeks, shove it out the door and get rich. from what i gather, the average development time for mobile games is probably around 5x as short as the average development time for traditional downloadable games, and is close to the average development time for flash games

the reason this happens, besides the gold rush, is also how fast those platforms are evolving. why spend 2 years making a game when the platform you are making it for will be obsolete by then? new versions of mobile devices are released and become trendy and then fade away so quickly that you can't easily have long development times for them. so necessarily game developers learned to make games quickly

[Hima]

Surviving Highschool is like a visual novel and it's doing really well, in my opinion.

[Poya]

I've been thinking about this issue a lot lately. I'm developing a children's game and planning to have a more complex storyline for it. The more I make progress with the game though, the more I realize how much time it actually consumes. Given I still want to finish the game within 4 months, I find myself thinking of ways to cut corners, especially in terms of the artwork required for the story segments. I think there are many ways to tell a story and a developer on a budget needs to get creative.

At the end of the day though, I mostly enjoy games that have an interesting plot, so I can't see myself making a game that has none.

[XRA]

I think so, a game could even explore handling it in a way that pairs well with the natural use of the device (as a communication device)

[Capntastic]

I never played it, but I think Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP was a successful story-driven game..?

It is, and it has a minimalist style that means one isn't spending an overly huge amount of time reading things.  It conveys its story through the art direction, music, more than anything else.  It's why the musical imagery is so important.  I also don't think it'll let you play it without headphones.

[Irock]

I think there's a market for less casual story-driven mobile games. I know there are people who like games like that.

The Zelda DS games are touch controlled, so I don't see why they wouldn't work on an iPad or something. That could potentially be really awesome.

[RAMINATION]

almost all games are story-driven, some games just aren't linear plot-driven. e.g. what do you remember most about ghost and goblins, the double jump, or the guy in armor throwing a spear at demons? i remember the latter before the former

Ghosts n Goblins didn't have double jump. Ghouls n Ghosts had.
Just to nitpick a little.
 


EDIT:
oops, I was wrong. Not even Ghouls n Ghosts has double jump. Super Ghouls n Ghosts has.
 

[Chromanoid]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cell_phone_novel is interesting in this regard too...

[initials]

I recently released a story driven game for iPhone and received very mixed reactions.

Everybody has an opinion on whether they liked the story, or whether it wasn't engaging enough or whatever.

In the end, is Super Lemonade Factory a success? Well, I can't really say. Everyone will have their own opinion of it. Touch Arcade and 148apps did give it 4/5 stars.

[stevesan]

No. The gaming gods forbid it.

End sarcasm. I am of the belief that anything is possible in the flexible world of entertainment and art. You just gotta do it right. Anyone who says "no it's impossible" just didn't do it right. It's hard.