mobile games

Animated avatar with pictures from your webcam!!!

2008-09-11T14:05:00.000-07:00

Create your animated avatar with pictures from your web cam. This is really cool! Your short video in animated gif image that you can use anywhere: as animated avatar, image for forum signature, your blog and Myspace and Blogger profile.
Web camera and Adobe flash player required.
Absolutely free!

iPhone background with your name on it

2008-04-13T08:45:00.000-07:00

Try this cool feature.

You can generate online your own unique iPhone background with your name on it.

Nice interface, free download.

Your animated zodiac sign on your mobile

2008-03-01T13:32:00.000-08:00

Nice personalized mobile screensavers with you horoscope sign on it.

Just select the resolution of your phone and enter your text

Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces

BTW. It's Absolutely Free.

Real casino games on your mobile phone.

2007-11-08T09:55:00.000-08:00

Check out mobile casino for free: each game has has a "Game Tour" so you can play and try the games for free!

- Sign-up bonus
- Safe and secure
- 24/7 support

Black Jack, Double Magic Slots, Video Poker, Tomb Raider™ Slots, 3-reel progressive slot, Roulette, Baccarat, Keno, Scratch Card, 5-reel progressive slot.

How to generate personalized animated mobile screensaver with your text on it

2007-02-12T00:35:00.000-08:00

Cell phone wallpaper

Flash Lite 2.1 Standalone Player

2007-01-24T08:17:00.000-08:00

Adobe® Flash® Lite™ 2.1 for Symbian lets mobile developers to make Flash Lite applications and content for Nokia Symbian S60 devices. Mobile developers can now enjoy from cross-platform development since Flash Lite 2.1 is also available for BREW and Windows Mobile 5.0 devices. This allows repurposing of content and applications with minimal changes for other platform.

Flash Lite 2.1 is based on the Flash 7 standard for content and contains the following features:

XML Sockets
Inline text support
Dynamic XML data
Device video playback
Persistent data
Powerful and dynamic media
Text enhancements
Action Script 2.0 support
Synchronized device sound
Compressed SWFs

Free wallpapers for your mobile phone

2006-10-22T12:35:00.000-07:00

Here the new site, tons cool wallpapers and animated screensavers.
Abslolutely free. For all the popular handsets: Sony Ericsson, Nokia, Motorola, Samsung.

Flash lite development. Remember good-old-days :)

2006-09-06T05:41:00.000-07:00

If you are known with Flash, it is simple to begin developing a Flash Lite program. The simply differences in the Flash development kit are that the document size are fixed (to, for instance, 176 x 208 pixels) and that some classes and functions in the ActionScript suggestion are special. However these sound like not big issues, in practice the effects to development are very big.
This is the first thing you can fall in to: It is cool and easy — even too simple — to make a Flash Lite program if you are familiar with Flash, as long as you make it on your computer.

The serious challenges begin when you begin testing your program on different phones with different displays, memory capacities, and CPU. Thus, rule number one is: Work hard on optimization at all times and your program will more most likely work tremendously on more phones. If you have an experience from the good-old-days of the 1980’s with C-64, Sinclair, and Atari or other computers with less than 32 kB of memory, you will feel like coming back to old home: It really makes a variation to make tight and clean code while keeping your program cool and good. For Flash Lite Player 1.1 the ideal file size is about 100 kB, but it can be also bigger. For Flash Lite 2.0 the preferred file size is about 4 times larger, about 400 kB. These principles can and will vary from phone to phone, these are just rough guidelines.

Starting Flash Lite development

2006-07-31T04:03:00.000-07:00

Besides a lot of overwhelming eagerness, visual talent, and intercommunication skills you will definitely require different commercially accessible programs. Flash Lite 1.1 applications can be developed with the Adobe Flash IDE. If you need to build applications utilize Flash Lite 2.0, you have to download an update from Adobe’s Web site. This edition is only appropriate to Flash 8 Professional.
Before transferring your Flash Lite masterpiece to your Nokia N100, you can test it on an emulator included in Flash 8 Professional. For Flash Lite 2.0 there are originally no phones (except for the generic device) available in the emulator, but you can place a set of phones by using a phone profile update .
To make the regular start as a Flash Lite developer easier for you, Adobe has created a Flash Lite 2 Content Development Kit (CDK) that contains critical documentation, examples, and code .
Especially if your Flash Lite application use external files, such as .txt or .xml files, it is highly advised that you produce a .sis file out of everything that is included in your Flash Lite program. Creating a .sis file is further recommended if you are utilizing just a unique .swf file. Here are some advantages of the .sis compression:
1. You can put an icon to your file.
2. You can install multiple files at a time.
3. The user can easily uninstall all of the content.
4. You can temporarily designate a version number to your content.
5. You can select a non-default area for your content.
6. You can further install .txt files to be used with loadVariables.

To be able to create a .sis file of your Flash content you requires a Software Development Kit (SDK) for Symbian that is downloadable from Forum Nokia. You also need to order a set of UIDs (Unique Identification Number) from Symbian. More information on this can be located at the Symbian Web site

Flash lite developing. Performance

2006-07-05T06:59:00.000-07:00

The performance of your program is one of the main things that will affect the user’s experience. Thus you need to think about it all the time when you create your game. Here are some trics on how to make your program run smoother:
1. Shortening variable names can help if you are using hundreds of name/value pairs. It will not make a big difference with 50 or so variables.
2. Changing vectors to bitmaps can help not in all cases. You need to test both formats on the actual handset to see if the performance improves. It has been noticed that bitmaps work better for static content. If you are using bitmaps, remember the resolution and scalability problems. With Flash Lite 2.0 images can be easily loaded during run time to a specified level, so even though it requires some work, there is a solution to it.
3. Dont do a lot of vector gradients, alphas, and curves.
4. Keep the amount of action-script loops and the amount of code executed in each loop to a minimum.
5. Keep the amount of simultaneous animations on the screen to a minimum, and animate only a few objects at a time.
6. Try to use only event sounds if possible.

Mobile games usability methods

2006-05-09T05:36:00.000-07:00

Usability testing
The only certain way to verify that a user interface works is to test it with real end users. Ultimately, without testing, refining, and retesting the user interface, a developer takes a big risk and will almost certainly produce a final product with serious or even critical usability flaws.
There are several ways to find out how well the UI works and how to improve it. Listed below are some of the most important and useful ways. Their costs, the work they require, and the results vary, and certain methods are more suitable for particular situations.

Guidelines
Usability guidelines are a list of recommendations concerning the concept, user interface, and information architecture of mobile games and devices. They have been developed through extensive user testing and provide a way of creating appropriate and consistent products. With guidelines, the most typical usability problems can be avoided.

Expert analysis
In expert analysis, a usability specialist evaluates the product from the user’s perspective. The result is a list of potential and existing problems and concrete recommendations for how to develop the product further. Expert analysis can reveal problems that are not covered by the guidelines.

Single-user testing
In single-user testing, real end users use the product and are observed by usability analysts in order to find out where they encounter problems and if they use all the features. Single-user testing provides valuable data in a natural context and reveals problems that end users experience.

Group testing
The games are tested with a group of users, permitting multiplayer games and more competitive play situations, as well as a more relaxed environment. Group testing is a fast, cost-effective way to test with several users, but it lacks the personal approach of single-user testing.

Satisfaction survey
Satisfaction surveys provide statistical data in a standardized form, which can be used to evaluate the users' attitudes towards playability, feel of control, and mobile game interest in general. The effect of usability problems on the use experience can be assessed. If used in different phases of development, the impact of changes in the product can be estimated.

End-user analysis
End-user analysis consists of researching market data and user base segmentation and interviewing developers and end users of the product. This helps developers design mobile samsung games to fill the market’s needs and locate possible openings for new product ideas. User groups should be identified at an early phase of the developing process. When the user groups are known, their demands for game development can be specified.

Consulting
At times, developers may encounter usability issues about which they hesitate to make decisions. A usability expert can provide valuable insights and help the developer avoid a wrong decision that might prove costly.

Mobile game navigation and user experience

2006-04-30T01:42:00.000-07:00

Some developers may have questions about the importance of navigation as part of the game experience. After all, users don’t spend that much time in the game menu — they spend most of their time playing the game. And that is exactly what we are trying to accomplish with these guidelines.

If the navigational structure of the game is usable, users can concentrate on playing the game. In actual practice, our user tests revealed that users spend a considerable amount of game time trying to navigate. In these tests, navigation emerged as one of the greatest sources of frustration and a major cause of bad user experiences. To ensure a good user experience, developers should commit to making navigation so intuitive that users don’t even notice it.
When playing a game, users should not feel that they are simply using the device; rather, they should experience the game world. The game navigation structure should support this experience, which is why the use of high-level UI components should be avoided. Game menus should look and feel like the game, not like the rest of the device. If high-level UI components are used, they should support the game user experience. In practice, this means that the user experience should be seamless; high-level UI dialogs should be used only in the game menu, not in the mobile game itself.

The figure below represents three different implementations of the same game. In the first example, the game menu and game are implemented with custom graphics in full-screen mode. Here, the game experience is not disturbed by device graphics. This kind of seamless experience should be the goal when designing a game's navigation structure.
In the second example, the game's main menu is implemented with standard device UI components, but the game itself offers an undisturbed experience. This implementation can be used if necessary.

In the final example, some events in the game itself are represented to the user with standard UI dialogs, which easily disturbs the game experience. This implementation should be avoided.

Even if game menus are implemented with custom graphics, this does not mean that the interaction style should be custom. On the contrary, the style of interaction should be consistent, even if custom graphics are used. The user should encounter familiar controls in navigation, and custom graphics should have some familiar characteristics. This way, users can transfer their existing knowledge about UI style to the game. In the optimum situation, users would know intuitively how to use game menus, although they look different from the rest of the device. To achieve this goal, developers should consider preserving the following characteristics in the game UI:

Use the navigation key as a primary control. Users are likely to be very familiar with a five-way navigation key. Users should be allowed to move focus with the navigation key and select items with it. Also many users are used to conducting default actions with the navigation key.
Display softkey labels on the screen. Users are likely to be very familiar with the concept of softkeys, and this familiarity should not be wasted. Softkey labels should always be used, even in full-screen mode. A minimalist solution for a softkey label is a simple symbol that tells the user which softkey opens the game menu.
Use the left softkey as an Options menu and also as a secondary selection key. The pop-up Options menu is familiar to users. However, it might be a good idea to avoid using pop-up menus with Series 60 graphics to maintain a coherent user experience, especially in J2ME games. Similar functionality can be used in more complex games if the pop-up menu is implemented with custom graphics.
Use the right softkey for Exit / Cancel / Back. Note that in the UI styles for the Series 60 Platform, settings are saved when the settings screen is exited with the right softkey. As a general rule, users should be able to exit an application by repeatedly pressing the right softkey from any game menu, except from the game itself. The only exceptions are situations where the user may risk losing information.
Provide automatic saving and loading of application states. Normally in Series 60 applications, saving and loading are handled automatically when opening and closing an application. Also, multitasking replaces the functionality of save and load in its own way: If an application is interrupted or the user exits the application with the End key or the Application key, the application is not terminated but is switched to the background instead. This allows the user to return to the application later, after dealing with the interruption. This functionality works even if users are not aware of the multitasking capability of their device.

Cost justification

2006-04-23T03:41:00.000-07:00

The product development cycle as a whole must be profitable. This means that eventually usability research and implementation must pay off in increased sales, increased productivity, decreased support, and so on.

The user's experience
If users feel stupid, incompetent, or frustrated when using an application, they most likely will not touch it again unless they have to. With mobile games, the user never has to play — this means that a positive user experience is a necessity. The whole point of a game is to provide a positive user experience.

Companies that invest in ease-of-use enjoy increased sales and a positive image. Good usability as a result of user testing, usability research, and implementation of these guidelines will yield at least some of the following results:

Shorter learning curve for games
Increased likelihood that the player will buy the game
Developers can focus on the game instead of user interface details
A harmonized user interface of Series 40 and Series 60 games
Decreased number of changes in the final stages where they are the most expensive to implement
Increased sales through reliable company reputation
Shorter development cycle for games and reduced number of necessary iterations

These benefits have been established through research, some of it via Web sites rather than applications. Investing in usability can be summed up as follows:

Return on investment in usability for a typical project is between 200% and 800%.
Average percentage of development budget required for usability is just 2.2%.
Key cost metrics (such as support calls, use of help features) fall by at least 10%.
Conversion ratios (sales) increase by an average of 16%.

Case studies are too numerous to be listed, but a few examples make the point:

For developers and manufacturers, the advantages of creating usable products far outweigh the costs. The rule of thumb: every dollar invested in ease of use returns $10 to $100.
Systems designed with usability engineering have typically reduced the time needed for training by around 25%. Big Five User-centered design typically cuts errors in user-system interaction from 5% to 1%.
Revenues for one Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) product that was developed using user-centered design techniques increased 80% for the new version of the software, and usability was cited by customers as the second most significant improvement.

Usability requirements

2006-04-16T03:23:00.000-07:00

Different usability attributes are usually weighted differently. With games, satisfaction is probably the most important criterion. However, measuring usability requirements can pose problems. Some attributes are somewhat subjective, such as satisfaction, but their target levels can be set and evaluated nonetheless. The table below lists possible metrics for defining and evaluating the usability standard.

Satisfaction - Anonymous questionnaire
Efficiency - Time to perform certain task(s)
Learnability -Time to reach certain stage(s)
Errors - Number of errors, while using a system, in certain task(s)
Memorability - Number of correct answers (a memory test)

How to set the requirements
Different levels of usability can be specified for each attribute evaluated. For example, let’s assume satisfaction is measured on a scale from 1 to 5. Optimal performance is 5, but the target level may be set at 4, which is still difficult to achieve. The minimum acceptable level could be set at 3 and the current level assigned a value of 2.5.

Other attributes, such as the number of errors, are more straightforward to evaluate. Identifying them may, however, require experience and expertise. A fairly simple method is to evaluate an existing user interface with real users and use that as a basis for new requirements.
When no competing products exist to use as a benchmark, usability goals are very hard to establish. However, projects rarely start from scratch without any kind of prior knowledge or experience. The minimum level of usability should be set to what it was on a previous project.

When to set the requirements
Usability requirements should be defined when the other requirements of the mobile game have been established. At that point, it is not usually possible to define the exact numerical values for the evaluation, especially since the questionnaires have not been drafted and the final mobile game user experience of the game has not been implemented. However, the requirements can be established in a less detailed way and the weight of each usability attribute can be assessed. Typically the usability requirements are defined after the technical requirements have been set.

If the usability requirements are defined too late in the process, it may be too expensive to implement them, even if it turns out that the requirements are not being met Nokia N110. Therefore, the requirements must be laid out before programming begins, and usability should be evaluated against the requirements at different stages of the development cycle.

Mobile game usability 1.

2006-04-11T02:50:00.000-07:00

Definition of usability
Usability is not a one-dimensional property. It has many overlapping components; some even contradict one another. In most cases, usability is associated with the following attributes:

Satisfaction - A subjective feeling of contentment
Efficiency -A minimal amount of time wasted
Learnability - Degree of ease when starting to use the system
Errors - Number of errors the user makes and degree of seriousness
Memorability - How well the user remembers the system when returning to it

Game usability needs to be differentiated from playability, which refers to a user's overall experience with a certain game. The most comprehensive definition of playability states: The degree to which a game is fun to play, with an emphasis on the interaction style and plot-quality of the game; the quality of gameplay. Playability is affected by the quality of the storyline, responsiveness, pace, usability, customizability, control, intensity of interaction, intricacy, and strategy, as well as the degree of realism and the quality of the graphics and sound.
The importance of the usability factors mentioned in the table above varies — for example, in a flight-booking system for expert use, efficiency and lack of errors are very important, but for an information kiosk, learnability, memorability, and satisfaction are higher priorities.
Game applications are not terribly complicated when compared with word-processing applications, for example. Mobile games are typically played for quite brief periods of time. They are played for enjoyment or challenge, which pose different usability needs. The special nature of games, especially mobile games with their small screens, creates special needs for their user interface.

Care must be taken to ensure that the game interface and concept are pleasing to the user. This also means lack of distress and irritation. The key to usability is simplicity — a complex solution is itself a problem. Efficiency is not a particularly important usability attribute for games, at least not in and of itself. In the end, of course, efficiency produces satisfaction and it must not be ignored; however, the user is not usually trying to leave the game as soon as possible
The most important of all usability criteria is simple: Know the user. In order to design a product, a designer must know the audience pottery barn kids. Making guesses about the age or education level of the users is a risky foundation for a business.

Even with demographic data at hand, it is not always clear what conclusions to draw. With mobile games, it is essential yugioh card to know where they are being played, for how long at a sitting, in what situations, how they are paid for, what the function of playing is, and so on. All of these factors need to be considered in the design.

Google Extensions for Firefox

2006-04-10T03:06:00.000-07:00

New Firefox extensions. It wasn't that long ago that I was eating Vegemite on toast back in my homeland of Australia, idly wondering what my future employer Google might have in store for me. Now, five weeks after arriving in the country and being exposed to the Firefox codebase for the first time, and thanks to the array of geniuses sitting around me, it gives me great pleasure to announce the launch of my first project

Context

2006-04-06T00:17:00.000-07:00

Context issues are especially relevant to mobile game applications, since the game-playing environment can vary substantially. Typically, mobile game sessions last less than ten minutes and take place when the user is waiting for something — for the bus to arrive, for a lecture to begin, and so on. Even so, there is great variability: The game can be played outside or inside, under different lighting conditions, and so on. In short, context is the essence of mobility.

Time

In general, mobile games (both single- and multiplayer) should be designed for relatively short sessions, since a game can be interrupted at any time, for example by an incoming call. With single-player and two-player mobile games, it is possible to simply save the soccer bet, but with games that have more than two players, it is not, since other players may want to continue after one player departs. As a result, multiplayer mobile games should be designed either to be played to completion in a relatively brief period or to be playable in short sessions over time.

Place

Based on user interviews, the typical scenario for playing a mobile game is when users are waiting. However, users may not remember or take into account all possible situations. Moreover, multiplayer mobile game, games might bring up new use situations that we are not yet aware of. Even if users do not play in certain places, it may not be because of the environment but, rather, because of the game. If the game uses sounds that can’t be turned off, then game play is limited to places where it is acceptable to make noise.

A small screen size may make the game difficult to play in certain locations, or the correct keys may be difficult to hit when the user is wearing gloves. A user may not be interested in playing a mobile game at a sports event, but if the game is about the same sport as the event, user motivation may change. A variety of factors affect the environment where games are played.

The concept of location awareness is beginning to emerge, and it offers numerous possibilities for combining the game world with the real world. Multiplayer games utilizing location-based technologies may give a whole new meaning to "place" in mobile gaming.

People
Social interaction can be one of the factors that motivate people to play. Mobile devices are predominantly well suited for social playing because of their portability and connectivity. It is easy to pull out a portable game phone and start playing while hanging out with friends. soccer bet, In these situations, the importance of device interconnectivity increases because the challenge and excitement is much greater when playing against a friend than when playing alone (Paavilainen, 2004).

A high-score list that allows users to compare their own performance with the performance of others can be very rewarding and motivating. However, an awareness of how other players are performing during the actual game is as important as after the game. When people play together over a wireless network it is very important that they are aware of the game situation, including the status of others. In single-player games the status of the mobile game is easy to communicate to the user, but when more players join the game there is a greater need for the user to know the status of others. Several guidelines in this documentation package address this issue.

tanning lotion

Several items are necessary in order to play a game. Naturally, there must be a device to play on and a game to play. There must be sufficient power in the battery or a power supply. If the game is played outside and the weather is cold, the battery will run down much more quickly. If the game is intended to be played outdoors, this must be taken into account.

There must be a SIM card with certain settings in the device for it to work, and there must be a connection open to use the network all tanning lotion. The light must not be so bright that it obscures the screen, and the ambient sound level can’t be higher than the game sounds.

Action

2006-04-04T23:46:00.000-07:00

Game design is about action (Designing Single-Player Mobile Game). Thus, the important question for the game developer is, “What do the players do and how do they do it?"

Single-player actions

In single-player games, users struggle with challenges provided by the game. Basic challenge types in single-player games are physical challenges, puzzles, beating Artificial Intelligence (AI) opponents, and the learning of game-world mechanics. These actions are usually connected to learning (see the table below).

For example, when players are beginning to play an action game, they first learn the basic controls. After this, they continue to learn how to use controls efficiently. The players learn which actions are efficient against certain opponents in certain situations, and their reaction times become faster and more reliable. This learning of physical controls is also connected to learning the mental model of the game, since correct use of controls is only possible when the player knows how to correctly interpret the game world and anticipate game actions.

Users overcome game challenges with different actions:

Moving
Moving player: jumping, running, crouching, moving focus
Moving objects: transferring, giving orders
Doing
Attacking, blocking
Manipulating objects
Manipulating the game world
Thinking
Guessing
Making decisions
Solving
Remembering

Learning to overcome challenges with these basic actions — that is, trying, sometimes succeeding, and sometimes failing — is an essential part of game design, and has a great effect on the game experience. To ensure a good user experience, basic actions should be intuitive, but they should also be hard to master. For example, game controls should be relatively simple, but mastering them should be difficult. If the challenges are too tough, players will get frustrated. On the other hand, if there is no real challenge, they will be bored.
Game experience and actions should be designed to help players perform these actions and give them the feeling of beating the challenge.

Multiplayer actions

In multiplayer games, other players provide the main challenge for the game, by acting with the player. Players beat the challenge cooperatively or try to beat each other. Although the basic actions — moving, thinking and doing — are the same, players need to understand how their own actions affect other players, and how the other players’ actions affect them.
In addition, a player may act with other players outside the actual game. Game communities, high-score lists, or discussions with other players about game strategies and tactics can be an essential part of the game experience. The presence of other players has a great effect on the game experience; even simple games like Paper-Rock-Scissors can become interesting if played with a human opponent whose actions other players try to predict.

Examples of possible actions outside the actual game include:

Communicating with other players
Commenting, chatting, discussing
Sharing knowledge
Competing with other players
Comparing scores and achievements
Challenging, accepting, and denying challenges
Sharing
Uploading scores
Uploading ghosts

Designers should design multiplayer game actions that give players the feeling of beating the challenge in interaction with other players.

Motivation

2006-04-03T13:59:00.000-07:00

Motivation refers to things that direct and energize human behavior. So, why do people play games and what keeps them playing? It is often stated that a good game is fun, challenging, and entertaining. Thus, we presume that these are the motives for playing games: to experience fun, challenge, and entertainment. But what drives people to these three elements?
Human motivation can be classified into three categories: physiological, cognitive, and social (Wagner 1999, 4). Motivation to play mobile game can be found among the cognitive and social categories, because playing games doesn’t fulfill some physiological need like thirst or hunger. People play games to be thrilled (curiosity), to succeed (achievement motivation), and to interact with others (social motives). Multiplayer games supply additional social motivating factors: interaction, competition, and respect.
Curiosity is a simple motive at first glance — avoiding boredom. However, curiosity is related to seeking the optimal level of arousal for each activity. The level of arousal may be too low or too high. A game continues to arouse curiosity as long as it provides something new. When a game is fully explored, it doesn’t raise the player’s arousal level and playing becomes boring. If the arousal level is too high, it can result in anxiety, irritation, nervousness, or restlessness, and these psychological states may hinder performance. Striking a balance between a challenging game and a frustrating or a boring game is one of the greatest challenges for game designers. The following usability guidelines can help designers minimize needless arousal, so that the game itself provides the challenge.
Achievement motivation (advancing, succeeding) and competition are closely linked. An individual sense of achievement is often reached when competing against others, and a social sense of competition can be reached in a fierce battle against one’s own previous score. The universality of high-score lists indicates how obviously achievement and competition are related to playing games. Games are an excellent channel for gaining a sense of achievement quickly, which is rare in real life. Studying, working, and exercising may provide greater senses of achievement, but only after greater investments. Achievement motivation and competition can be viewed as motives to energize playing and to make people keep playing.
Games fulfill social motives by letting the avatar enjoy respect, love, or power, which the player will feel when really immersed in a game. Multiplayer games bring social concepts into play. Humans are such social beings that the mere presence of others is rewarding. Interacting with others makes people feel they belong to a group and that they get respect from others. Cooperation and competition are two sides of a coin. Being a member of a group requires friendly cooperation, but at the same time there is a constant competition for status within the group. Playing against real people means that power and admiration are at stake.
Curiosity, achievement, and sociality are such broad motives that they can be responded to in many different ways. Garneau (2001) has presented Fourteen Forms of Fun in Gamasutra. These are excellent and concrete examples of how games can respond to the motives presented above. In the table below, these 14 forms of fun are classified according to the motive they respond to. A player's level of arousal can be increased by providing variable game settings to explore and getting emotions involved in playing. Players have a sense of achievement when they see results for their efforts. Sociality can be virtual (love, power) or real through multiplayer mode (competition, social interaction).

Mobile game user experience

2006-04-03T13:44:00.000-07:00

These articles and guidelines have been written from the user-experience point of view. User experience is the result of a motivated action in a certain context. The user’s previous experiences and expectations influence the present experience, and the present experience leads to more experience and modified expectations.These articles and guidelines have been written from the user-experience point of view.
Motivated action always happens in a certain context, and this defines the present experience of the user. The context of an experience means the time, people, place, and things that surround the user. For example, watching a good movie in a theatre with good company is very different from watching the same movie at home, alone, in front of a lousy TV.
A motive is understood here as a need that is driving the user to interact with the game. This need is often emotionally directed. The user has many needs in any situation, but not all of them prompt the readiness to act. Some needs arise from physiological states of tension such as hunger, thirst, and pleasure, and some arise from psychosocial states of tension like the need to enhance self-esteem. A need becomes a motive when it has gained a sufficient level of intensity.
Besides motivational level needs, people have action level needs. Motivational level needs address “why people are doing what they are doing”; action level needs address “how people are doing what they are doing.” Action level needs are cognitive level needs that are related to a mental model of how to conduct an action.
Satisfying the need that motivates a user to interact with a mobile game is not enough to guarantee a positive user experience. Game performance must match or exceed the user’s expectations. User expectations are based on previous experiences, advice from friends and associates, and information and promises from marketers and competitors. If game performance does not match the user’s expectations, the user will be dissatisfied with the product. If performance matches expectations, the user will be satisfied. If performance exceeds expectations, the user will be very satisfied.
Not all product features cause great satisfaction or delight among users, although their absence might be experienced as negative. Moreover, when features that provide great satisfaction become familiar to users, their value may increase. However, in some cases these features may eventually be taken for granted and cease to exceed expectations — these features face value erosion.
Previous user experience can also be a basis for expectations about product performance; therefore, they are mentioned as a separate factor affecting user experience in this conceptual model. This is because previous user experience might increase the user's inclination and readiness to utilize the possibilities of an application in richer ways than in previous use situations. In other words, previous user experience can affect the learning curve for using an application.
The following sections will discuss the three elements of user experience — motivation, action, and context — in more detail, and from a game-developing point of view.