iOS/mobile games: are they "real games?"

General Discussion Off Topic
1

This discussion (in my opinion) leads back to the “are mobile games different from “real” games?”

My argument is that they are different from “real” games (no offense to any app developers out there), and thus live under a different set of rules compared to those you would find on a console or computer.

I’m quite sure I can easily make an essay outta this

RULES FOR THIS DICUSSION:

  1. EVERYBODY IS ENTITLED TO THEIR OPINION. DONT BE A JERK IF YOU DISAGREE

  2. RESPECT THE OPPOSING VIEWPOINT

  3. WALK AWAY IF YOU FEEL THE DISCUSSION IS GETTING TOO HEATED

  4. LET’S ENJOY THE NICE DEBATE

2

I think they are no different from real games. Games are games. There are more cheap and simple games on iOS only because indie developers are allowed to develop on iOS. AAA studios such as Nintendo would not allow indie developers working for them.

Should an AAA studio wish to develop for iOS, then it’s no different. There’s only been a new group of developers that have entered.

3

I dunno. I don’t think there’s a single hardcore mobile game, so for now I’ll have to respectfully think otherwise and agree with deadpool.

4

Um, plenty of AAA studios have ported console games to iOS and made their own new ones. I’m not sure how well you have looked for games.

5

Just like Ashley said, games are games if they are fun, full of promise then I don’t see why not to play or try it out :slight_smile:

6

I PMed Ashley earlier, lemme just copy paste now we have a thread (thanks btw)

What I mean is I don’t see hardcore games being made, not ported.

And I don’t really consider final fantasy or call of duty zombies “hardcore” per se

Console gaming even on casual games is unified, with wikis for even small niche games I’ve played like armored core, whilst ios and android gaming has an even bigger audience yet fails to do so.
It’s just not as serious or as real as console and PC gaming IMO.

There are physical games, trophies, and skills you can learn and show off. There are games with very high skill ceilings that dramatically reward skill over time played or ~money~

7

I stated this as well as a response to cullen:

Now of course though we have to take into consideration the lower memory and CPU power of mobile devices. You can only do so much. I was really talking about console quality games by AAA studios. The idea of hardcore is subjective. Many of the past console games in the era before iOS and android weren’t really hardcore, depending on your views.

8

I think games are games, I’m pro-game

But there are differences. The quality for consoles are better,but that’s because their console is more high tech than my iPad. Also yes most console games are more “hardcore” depending on ur definition of hardcore. I’ve never played these games but I’ve heard about them, but Dark Souls, bioshock maybe, and lots of other “hardcore” games u can only find on consoles.

BUT just because they r harder don’t mean it’s more fun. I like app games a lot. HI DIB pvz(I prefer the app version) and lots of others have a really fun game style and story. Not to mention app games are much much much much cheaper.

9

There are lots of what I would call hardcore games on iOS, they are just lost in a sea of less hardcore or more simple indie games which flood the market.

10

It’s not just hard games. Old 64 and atari games are hard. But that’s just artificial difficulty really.

Let me make an example of the game im very busy with and you mentioned; dark souls

Dark souls starts hard. You will think things are cheap. But there is no 100% failure rate. With enough skill you can do anything, it is not artificial difficulty.

At level one I beat the final boss; I’ve done speed runs etc

Everything can either be blocked, dodged with good timing, or if you have good timing and reflexes, parried.

Hunter island, there’s a 0% chance to beat the game at level 1, where even final fantasy you can beat final bosses at level 1 sometimes

The skill ceiling for say dark souls is infinite practically

And it rewards skill more than levels, or time spent, or gear. Even though those do definitely count a lot.

The lore in say hunter island is differently presented; very straightforward with not much room.

The lore in dark souls is contemplated, read through items descriptions, seen through cutscenes, implied through dialogue, through exploration. It has a story, and you can make it the direction you want.

I understand it’s very odd to compare something like hunter island to dark souls, but it is what it is, what I define as a “hardcore” game, to hunter island and IOS apps themselves.

11

The mistake is assuming all iOS games are similar in such a way. There’s great diversity in iOS games, from indie developers to triple A studios. You have games of all kinds, but, because games of lesser quality are simpler to make, you’re going to find far more of those. 

With hundreds of thousands of games on the app store, I don’t think we can really speak in too generalized of a way. 

12

There are always exceptions to almost Anything in a broad genre, but I’ve yet to see one, and even if I did, it’s a rare thing

13

Well, that’s because mostly the top charts are filled with the simpler stuff. Why is that? It could just be that the simpler/non-hardcore stuff to hardcore stuff ratio is such that there are far more simpler ones than hardcore ones, and so it’s more likely the non-hardcore ones will be seen in the sea of apps. 

It could also be that, of the amount of iOS users, not a large % are hardcore gamers. Being more casual gamers, they gravitate toward more simple games (they weren’t the people who would play console games anyway). 

And it’s probably a mix of both of those. 

14

This is like asking is digital art is different from “real” art, AKA traditional art. Of course it’s different, but art is still art.

game

gām/

noun

 

a form of play or sport, especially a competitive one played according to rules and decided by skill, strength, or luck.

synonyms: pastime, diversion, entertainment, amusement, distraction,divertissement, recreation, sport, activityMore

iOS games are a form of play. They can be competitive, they can have rules, and they can be decided my skill, strength (of your team, etc), and/or luck.

So yes, iOS games are “real games” in my opinion, but I’m not saying they are necessary better than other types of games.

15

Some mobile games are games some aren’t in my opinion.  It’s all based on the quality of the game.  Also another thing for me is; After I bought the app, do I need to keep paying to play ie. Angry Birds. Or can I play the game and don’t have to pay to play.

16

games are games

17

I’ve been thinking about this all day and I’ll be bringing up said points once I get food and do some errands

18

They’re real games. That much is factual by definition. That’s the wrong argument, really.

19

I believe the question is really “Are mobile games good games?” not “Are mobile games real games?”

Because, as Ashley said, it’s a fact that mobile games are… well, games.

However, whether or not they’re good games is a straight-out opinion. No one will be able to come to a solid conclusion because it’s pretty much asking “Which is better, cake or pie?” A lot of people will like cake and a lot of people will like pie. Heck, some people will like both equally.

Me, I really love mobile games because 1) they’re mobile 2) I prefer not to look across a wide screen and 3) they usually take less time to download.

But, PC games are higher quality and have more stuff. I can’t say anything about Wii, PS3, or whatever people are using nowadays because I only game on the PC and my iPod/iPhone. : P

1 Like
20

Casual gamers love the simpler mobile games. Hardcore gamers might not like them as well (but would like the more hardcore mobile games that are smaller in amount). Really depends on your view on games.

I wouldn’t say that all PC games are higher quality and have more stuff. There are a huge amount of simpler ones for that platform, too. And there are a lot of hardcore games. There’s not a whole lot that’s different…