This post originally appeared in my weekly discussion column on Geekadelphia, Coffee Talk. It's there where I discuss current topics and issues concerning the games and technology industries.
The future of video games isn't on consoles anymore, says Bioware co-founder Dr. Greg Zeschuk to Eurogamer. This is odd considering the developer has created some of the greatest console and PC RPGs to date.
What (I hope) Zeschuk seems to mean by this statement isn't that consoles are doomed to irrelevance, but that new services like Facebook's gaming platform and mobile games are where the expansion will take place. And I kind of agree.
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- This is Pocket Legends' UI on the iPhone. A little cramped, but impressive.
Whether we like it, mobile gaming is taking off (as if it wasn't there the whole time). Bioware, according to Zeschuk, sees a future in fully featured MMOs on the mobile platforms. To be honest, with games like Phantasy Star Zero and Pocket Legends, we're really damn close.
If developers like Square Enix can squeeze lengthy titles with quality visuals into the iPhone platform right now, imagine what developers could do within the next five years (not to mention we'll be holding at least sixth generation iPhones by then). However, there is one barrier to entry for Zeschuk's vision of rich MMO experiences on mobile devices: controls.
If you've ever played an MMO, there's no need for explanation. These types of games have some of the most complex user interfaces of any genre (well, maybe not). Unfortunately, this is currently a necessary evil. The breadth and depth of the features and tools within these online time sinks wouldn't be possible if not backed by UIs that equal them.
And to house a fully featured MMO, the platform requires a certain amount of screen real estate that mobile platforms simply cannot match. Jeeze, it's hard enough playing Doom on the iPhone with just two virtual buttons on the screen.
However, the only reason that a full-scale MMO hasn't appeared on the mobile gaming platforms is because no one -- aside from Spacetime Studios -- has tried it yet to my knowledge. It only takes one of these teams of genius programmers and designers to make it happen (hint: multi-touch and gesture controls) and since only one of us Geekadelphians is any position to create said game, I think I can wait.
