Not all mobile apps are the same. There are many types of apps. But without a doubt, the most downloaded and the ones that obtain the highest return on investment are the games. There are many companies that want to bet on creating mobile games as a business. Although they don’t quite know where to start with game development…
At Yeeply we already proposed a guide on how to create a successful mobile app, a step-by-step guide for mobile app development. In this case, although the process is similar, it may be slightly different in some aspects. This is all you will find in this guide on how to create a game !
DO YOU WANT TO CREATE A MOBILE GAME? TELL US ABOUT YOUR PROJECT ✌️
Index – How to create a mobile game
- STEP 1. Ideas to create your mobile video game
- An original and different game
- Game dynamics
- Design for mobile games
- STEP 2. Monetization of our game
- STEP 3. What technology are we going to use to create a mobile game?
- STEP 4. Find developers to make our game
- STEP 5. Test usability
- STEP 6. Time to promote your game!
- What are the differences between creating apps and creating games?
STEP 1. Ideas to create your mobile video game
The most important thing when making mobile games is to start with a good idea . In this, creating a successful mobile game is a lot like creating a successful app. Without a good base, an idea that we know you’ll like, we won’t get anywhere.
It is also the most complicated part in the process of creating mobile games and applications. All the ideas are practically invented and also there is no exact formula for success. You need a good idea to make such an idea succeed and not fail. Getting income and benefits with a mobile game is difficult, but we can give you some clues to get you on the right track.
An original and different game
The idea is the basis . That is why it is essential that it be unique, original, different. And we know that it is complicated, that it is difficult to make a difference when making games because there are millions of them: the stores are full of games.
So what can we do? The trick is to distance yourself from what has already been done . Although there are games that are similar to our idea, if our idea is good we have to work to make a better proposal.
There are many cases of games that have repeated an existing idea and have succeeded. A clear example can be that of diamond puzzle games or ‘bubbles’ type games , a lifelong classic within mobile phones and classic video consoles.
For example, King, with its Candy Crush -a version of the game diamonds but with candies- and its Bubble Witch , is the mobile game creation company that has managed to reinvent an idea and make it successful, eliminating the competition and gaining customer loyalty. players to the extreme.
Game dynamics
When in doubt, a simple game whose game dynamics are easy to understand will be more successful than one that is complex to understand. This is not to say that the game has to be easy to beat. Rather, it should present challenges to the player.
The gameplay dynamics that we’ve seen succeed in mobile games are as simple as ‘drag’ and ‘tap’ . A clear example would be the game Flappy Bird . That working simply by tapping on the screen of the mobile device, has achieved unparalleled worldwide success.
In the event that your game needs a more complex game dynamic, we recommend that you gradually introduce it through good ‘onboarding’ .
It is also better to use the first steps of the game as a tutorial and explain how everything works than to launch the user into the game without further ado. The type of games that use this type of technique are usually inspired by video console or desktop computer games. An example could be the Clash of Clans game or the Jurassic Park Builder game .
Design for mobile games
If game dynamics are at the heart of a game development project, app development itself must revolve around it. The story that drives the game, the characters, and the final appearance are all key to the game designer.
That is why the design of your game can be key to differentiating yourself from the rest , so that you can take advantage of this process to create Android or iOS games that are unique. From minimal styles, flat design, realistic, comic style, etc. The possibilities are endless when it comes to choosing the design.
STEP 2. Monetization of our game
Creating Android or iOS mobile games can be just as expensive and costly as game development for any other platform. That is why one of our objectives should focus on having a business plan that indicates how we are going to recover the investment.
A monetization strategy is one of the most important parts of the game. Let’s see which are the most common in mobile games:
- In-app purchases: In- app purchases are the most widely used method for monetizing Android and iOS games. Although these are only done by around 2% of Android users (a little more on iOS) it is one of the most effective ways to earn income.
- In-app ads: There are many apps that combine this technique with in-app purchases. You have to be careful with the content of the ads because if it is not related to or bothers the user, it will be counterproductive.
- Premium Versions: Offering a trial version and charging the user to continue playing is a risky option. It is used mostly by high quality games.
- Pay per download: This strategy is usually put into practice by games with a very high investment. Although the payment per download is not usually very high, there are some games that were born for traditional video consoles that have been adapted to mobile devices and charge a lot.
Mobile screen with pokemon go app. Source :pxhere
STEP 3. What technology are we going to use to create a mobile game?
Currently there are many technologies for programming mobile games , although not all are suitable for all projects. Choosing the right technology for your development will directly affect the performance and usability of your game in the future. Let’s see which are the most used technologies:
- Programming in HTML5 . Programming applications with HTML5 has its advantages. In the case of creating games with this language, one is that it saves a lot of development and testing time, in addition to the fact that with a single development you can create a game for several operating systems.
- Programming games in native language. With this development you make the most of the capabilities of the phone or tablet. In addition to squeezing the power of the phone in a much more efficient way, the user experience will be noticeably better. This type of development is always more expensive because you have to create one for each operating system and we will need expert professionals in each subject.
- Unity 3D. There are examples of games developed with Unity that don’t really look like it, such as Assasin’s Creed Infinity for iOS. This is a great tool that we have already told you about on more than one occasion. It is a very useful tool to create games for Android , one of the great beneficiaries of Unity, or any other platform.
- Others. There are many other tools for programming native, hybrid, and cross-platform games. Some are Xamarin, Marmalade or Cocos 2D . But each developer is an expert in one of them.
STEP 4. Find developers to make our game
If you want to create a good game you will need good professionals . It is possible that you do not know anyone who can take on the heavy workload of a project like the one you have in mind. You have several options for this mission.
- Freelancers . Recommended if your project is not large, since the workload they can assume is limited . If you search a freelancer website, you can also take a look at the professional’s score.
- Agencies . It can be a marketing agency that also offers this service or a specific development agency/company. The budget will be higher , surely, but they will usually be more reliable.
- Developer marketplace. In these cases, platforms like Yeeply can help you find the right team for a project like yours . The first step is to fill in the details of your project and the platform will take care of finding the perfect team of certified professionals to carry it out.
Game screen. Image by Pexels via Pixabay
STEP 5. Test usability
Another great challenge that you must prepare to overcome if you want to create apps for Android or any other system is to make your game simple and easy to understand, that is, to be usable . We talk about it being intuitive, that we don’t need a long tutorial to be able to play. Check the following points!
- The method and game dynamics must be very clear.
- One factor to take into account may be the language : having the game in multiple languages is much better than just having it in English.
- Use close language. It will always be more pleasant and easier to understand than if we use technical terms. But be very careful, we do not end up using jargon or incorrect words that do not match the spelling rules.
As advice we can tell you that it is very useful to ask people outside the project and the sector to try the mobile game before launching it to the stores. Test it with users who could be like the real ones. This way we will know where the game fails, what is understood and what is not. Do all the tests that are necessary during the development process of the app so that the final version does not have bugs.
STEP 6. Time to promote your game!
The last big challenge when creating apps for Android and any other system is to make it a success. Getting our mobile game not to get lost in an ocean of games in the stores is not easy. It is necessary to have a mobile strategy that allows us to be successful over time and continue to grow:
- Position the game in the stores. To achieve this, we resorted to ASO, the app store optimization, which consists of the optimal wording of the title and description to appear first in searches within the application markets.
- Make it known in every possible way. Send press releases to the media, both general and specialized, to blogs, etc. Both in digital media and traditional media if necessary.
- App Indexing. One of the novelties that Google brings us is that the content of our app appears in the results of searches carried out from Chrome on mobile devices. Analyze if this option can help you get more users.
- Get downloads. There are different ways to get new users and downloads of your app. Apply the appropriate strategies for your type of game to create a community. It is very important especially in the birth of the app.
- Loyalty to the user is also essential. Because if the users who arrive leave, it is of no use to us. You must create a strategy, via gamification, through notifications, rewards, or whatever you want, so that the user gets hooked on your game and is faithful to it.
What are the differences between creating apps and creating games?
Something to remember is… Although mobile games, whether Android or iPad, could be considered applications, they do not follow the same creation process as the normal applications we have in mind.
The reasons are many but they have to do with the creation process, the game development itself and with the construction of all aspects of the game.
Let’s see the main differences:
- Choice of technology: It is very important to choose the right technology to develop games, especially if they require high performance or depending on how complex they are going to be. We have many options to make mobile video games. We have even talked to you about how to make a game with Unity 3D , with Marmalade and even with Cocos 2D. But we can also create them with HTML5 and in native code.
- Design and weight of graphics. App design in general is less complicated than that of a mobile game. On many occasions, if the game is in 3d , it will require the development of complex settings and realistic characters that are not always easy to animate. The weight of these graphics also matters a lot. Since they must be of good quality but at the same time they must weigh little together. We need the game to run correctly.
- Performance. Another particularly important aspect is the performance of mobile games versus applications. For example, if our Facebook takes three seconds to load the information, it doesn’t matter. But if the same thing happens to us in a game, it is possible that we will not be able to overcome a level, we will lose a life, etc. In short, it makes it difficult for us to play.
Ready to create your game?
Now that you know everything about mobile game development, you can start to put that game idea you have on paper and define it well. That’s the first step in this guide to creating successful games, remember? Now… Shall we give you a cable to look for professionals ?
Yeeply is the digital team platform where you can find experts in any area related to mobile game development. Only 1% of professionals pass our certification process , which guarantees a very high quality.
Do you want to receive a personalized budget for your project? Tell us a little about what it’s about and we’ll get going.
