Adapting a game can be a strenuous activity, especially since it requires making a game designed on a platform playable on another. This process is commonly used with mobile devices and helps get millions of people onboarded onto a new game franchise.
For gamers, this can be a way to access their favourite titles conveniently from their mobile devices. However, making this happen can be challenging, so one may ask, how does it work? This post will look at the process involved in making this happen, the benefits, and the challenges that might be faced in the process.
What Game Content Adaptation Entails
Adapting game content to work on another device requires careful consideration. It typically involves changing various aspects of the game, such as graphics, sound effects, gameplay mechanics, and user interface elements. Here are the actions involved in this process in terms of mobile devices:
- Adapting games for mobile devices
- Optimising game content for mobile platforms
- Designing games for mobile gamers
Adapting Games for Mobile Devices
When it comes to adapting games for mobile devices, the process usually requires a developer moving the concept of an existing game and ensuring it is playable on a mobile device without issues. The process isn’t what one can undertake without proper preparation, as a variety of tasks are involved.
A developer would have to undertake actions such as porting the game’s mechanics and making it compatible with a mobile device. They would also optimise the function on a mobile device properly. Since the game was probably designed to work on PC, hardware and software compatibility is considered to ensure the operating system of the mobile device can run the game.
To appropriately adapt games for mobile users, you can check the various games that have been successfully adapted by various websites and developers on credible review platforms. You can also find a list of compatible features that competitors use for their games. Ultimately, changing the game’s user interface, input methods, and hardware capabilities all play a role. When properly put together, the whole process can be essential to the users’ experience.
Optimising Game Content for Mobile Platforms
The optimisation of game content for mobile platforms is vital and a necessity for a game’s adaptation process. This has to do with ensuring that the game performs well on the device it is intended for and is properly optimised.
This is the next line of action during the planning process as the essential parameters involved in running the game, such as screen size, memory, processor, and resolution, are the perfect fit. After the adaptation has been done, testing the game’s animation, sounds, and looks would be tuned to fit perfectly.
Designing Games for Mobile
If the intent is to design a game best suited for mobile, then lots of thought and consideration are usually required. This is because keeping gamers engaged can be a tough task to undertake, and the whole concept of the game needs to be exciting and easy to understand.
Most gamers wouldn’t want to spend time that could be used making money in learning the ropes of a difficult game unless more money needs to be made. Since this process is the blueprint, it might not require you to follow the steps from above since you are building from scratch. However, you would need to come up with a concept, design the game and optimise its mobile usage during the creation process.
Benefit: Improved User Experience
Nothing beats user experience when offering services to a customer base you are intent on keeping interested. So, it is essential to adapt your game to provide a more engaging and enjoyable user experience. With a wider overview in mind, more players would be able to access your game regardless of any disabilities or even newbies who are just learning the ropes of your game.
You wouldn’t want a game that would not be confusing and frustrating since this would mean many users would drop the game and look for much better options. As such, utilising difficulty levels can help ease the players into the whole mechanics of the game based on their experience and skill level.
Benefit: Increased User Engagement
If you want to increase your user engagement, then a fair amount of focus should be directed toward mobile adaptation. This is because user engagement notifies you of how well the game is suited to the player’s interest and preference, making it more enjoyable. Developers can do this by introducing a new element that’s probably not on the original version and making it geared towards mobile users.
This can include the addition of new levels, storylines, characters, or even difficulty levels. This way, the hype around the game is more felt, and players can itch to try out the new addition. What you get in return is a bunch of players that are sold to the story and would get more immersed in your game.
Top Games Adapted for Mobile Devices
With the increasing popularity of mobile devices, game developers have been adapting some of the most popular video games for mobile platforms. From classic console games to newer titles, many top games have made the transition to mobile devices in recent years.
| Name | Genre |
| Grand Theft Auto | Action Adventure |
| Minecraft | MMO |
| Call of Duty | FPS |
| Fortnite | FPS |
Challenges of Game Content Adaptation
Game content adaptation comes with several challenges ranging from controllable to manageable. Here is a list of challenges one may face during this process:
- Technical limitations
- Cost of development
- Security concerns
Technical Limitations
Technical limitations could be a significant challenge in a game’s adaptation. This could come in several forms and may hinder adaptation progress, especially when the porting process to another platform is hitched. Sometimes, issues like hardware and software compatibility, storage capacity, and the best-suited processor might play a pivotal role in this process.
This is why adaptation may take a longer period. However, if the above reasons are not an issue, challenges such as compressing large amounts of data into one compatible with mobile may take time and resources.
Cost of Development
Cost of development is another major challenge to look out for due to the significant time and resources required to adapt a game seamlessly. To ensure that the target audience gets an engaging experience, developers might need to create new content and optimise it several times before it is best suited to be released.
For games that would be released on several platforms, the adaptation process has to be tailored to each one. This will require more time and resources to undertake efficiently. If the game is also designed to target gamers regardless of their location, language barrier, translation, and localization services would all be merged into the process.
Security Concerns
The adaptation process requires that security concerns are factored in, as there can easily be a breach. This is especially true for games that would be adapted onto different platforms. This is because, during the whole process, the risk of malicious code being introduced into the game is easy.
In such cases, data and a total overhaul of the game’s database are possible, and if this happens, the integrity of the game would be questioned. This is why the need for experienced and trusted developers is required in this process which would, in turn, raise the cost of the process.
Final Thoughts
Game adaptation for mobile users is not an alien concept. However, getting the process right is of utmost importance since a poorly adapted game will not fulfil the intended goal. With several factors to consider when adapting a game that works for mobile, one must weigh them against each other. Consider the cost of the process and if your budget would be enough to tackle any security concerns that might occur. With the factors provided in this post, you should be able to answer the question of if it’s a task you want to undertake.
