The Android as a Viable Gaming Platform

Nathan Krott, Associate Writer

March 6, 2010

Gamevil recently announced they are blessing Android users with their hit selling Zenonia, which is a truly great RPG. The question remains is if Android, as a platform, is a viable gaming device? There are some interesting facts developers should take into consideration with the Android.

First, let's look at the Internet usage of each phone and which one dominates that market. Surprisingly enough, it's the Android, and not the iPhone. According to new data collected by Nielson and compiled by eMarketer, owners of Android phones are more likely to use their device's Internet functionality. Approximately 92 percent of Androiders say they use their phone's Web connection, compared to 88 percent of iPhone owners. Both devices are well above the curve for smartphone owners in general, however, where the overall Net-use is 71 percent.

It appears that Android users are on the Internet more often, however, the iPhone owns the social-activity market. So, what does this mean? Should Android developers create single-player games while iPhone developers focus on the social functionality of the iPhone and create games that involves two or more people?

The Android is capable of doing just as much as an iPhone and is backed up with some impressive applications with some ports, such as Zenonia. Surprisingly enough, even with the enormous number of applications that are available, according to Nielson, only 76 percent of Android users actually utilize their applications on a daily basis while 74 percent of iPhone users utilize theirs'. You might think those percentages would be in the 80's or 90's. Even so, it appears that the Android is neck-in-neck with the iPhone in terms of usage. If developers can take this research and move some of their stuff from the iPhone market and move it over to the Android, it seems the money is there just waiting for the first person to grab. And vice versa, Android developers might as well do the same towards the Apple market. So back to the question at hand, is the Android a reliable mobile gaming platform? That answer is a solid, Yes.