Wow, I am absolutely thrilled by the reception of the Mobile Games video. Just wow. Oddly, the videos I feel like I put the least work into editing are the ones that end up doing well. That's just YouTube roulette for ya, I guess. And also – apologies to all of the Android users who want to play Device 6.
I’ve been going through the comments, and wanted to thank you all for your kind words and feedback. There have even been quite a few game recommendations that I’m intent on trying (SIMULACRA, Bad North, Sneaky Sasquatch, Fran Brow), and I was even reminded of some other gems from days past that I had forgotten about (World of Goo, Monument Valley, Dumb Ways to Die).
Some things I could have improved on – I would have loved to compare mobile games to other handheld platforms like the DS. The DS would have really made for an interesting comparison, considering how much special consideration had to be given when putting together a game for two screens, but it may have made the video a bit too bloated…idk.
Also – I realize now I should have shown a bit more discretion when choosing b-roll at some points. RAID: Shadow Legends would have been far more apt to showcase instead of Crossy Road, e.g., but I think my points still stand.
I also think I should have ruminated a bit more about ways to fix the incentive structures in place for mobile game developers, so that different sorts of games have a chance to shine, but that could also end up being a video in itself. Maybe getting AAA studios to port games to iOS isn’t such a bad idea, if it shows that studios can have financial success with games that aren’t “forever games.” Better curation systems definitely need to be in place, too, but I'm unsure what those would look like.
I also wish I talked about the one time I’ve seen ads in a game “done well.” There’s one game I played a long time ago called Skiing Yeti Mountain that has held a special place in my heart. At the end of some levels, you occasionally run into a businessman character accompanied by a billboard that shows you a video ad. However, the game played everything very tongue-in-cheek. The businessman’s dialogue was always super cheesy, and he always had a game-show host smile plastered on his face before showing you the video ad. Eventually, I paid a buck to get rid of the ads. But, funnily enough, paying the dollar doesn’t get rid of this businessman character altogether. He still occasionally shows up, but in ghost form. Hilarious.
Simogo (developers of Device 6) also recently released a rhythm game called Sayonara Wild Hearts back in 2019 to wide acclaim. It’s on my everlong list-of-games-I-need-to-play, and I’d be curious to see how the iOS version stacks up to the console/PC versions, considering their history in the mobile game space.
Anyway, thanks again for your support and critique. Until next time!
1C2
// “Mobile Games” Video Postmortem //
Wow, I am absolutely thrilled by the reception of the Mobile Games video. Just wow. Oddly, the videos I feel like I put the least work into editing are the ones that end up doing well. That's just YouTube roulette for ya, I guess. And also – apologies to all of the Android users who want to play Device 6.
I’ve been going through the comments, and wanted to thank you all for your kind words and feedback. There have even been quite a few game recommendations that I’m intent on trying (SIMULACRA, Bad North, Sneaky Sasquatch, Fran Brow), and I was even reminded of some other gems from days past that I had forgotten about (World of Goo, Monument Valley, Dumb Ways to Die).
Some things I could have improved on – I would have loved to compare mobile games to other handheld platforms like the DS. The DS would have really made for an interesting comparison, considering how much special consideration had to be given when putting together a game for two screens, but it may have made the video a bit too bloated…idk.
Also – I realize now I should have shown a bit more discretion when choosing b-roll at some points. RAID: Shadow Legends would have been far more apt to showcase instead of Crossy Road, e.g., but I think my points still stand.
I also think I should have ruminated a bit more about ways to fix the incentive structures in place for mobile game developers, so that different sorts of games have a chance to shine, but that could also end up being a video in itself. Maybe getting AAA studios to port games to iOS isn’t such a bad idea, if it shows that studios can have financial success with games that aren’t “forever games.” Better curation systems definitely need to be in place, too, but I'm unsure what those would look like.
I also wish I talked about the one time I’ve seen ads in a game “done well.” There’s one game I played a long time ago called Skiing Yeti Mountain that has held a special place in my heart. At the end of some levels, you occasionally run into a businessman character accompanied by a billboard that shows you a video ad. However, the game played everything very tongue-in-cheek. The businessman’s dialogue was always super cheesy, and he always had a game-show host smile plastered on his face before showing you the video ad. Eventually, I paid a buck to get rid of the ads. But, funnily enough, paying the dollar doesn’t get rid of this businessman character altogether. He still occasionally shows up, but in ghost form. Hilarious.
Simogo (developers of Device 6) also recently released a rhythm game called Sayonara Wild Hearts back in 2019 to wide acclaim. It’s on my everlong list-of-games-I-need-to-play, and I’d be curious to see how the iOS version stacks up to the console/PC versions, considering their history in the mobile game space.
Anyway, thanks again for your support and critique. Until next time!
-----
More reflections available on my Patreon at www.patreon.com/1C2
11 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 44