Feature: The History Of Mobile Gaming

Mobile phones have come a long way since the unsightly bricks of the 1980s. The sleek handsets of today are a fraction the size of their ancestors, yet exponentially more powerful. While the implications for communication have been profound, there have been many other applications for this technology. Modern devices are capable of supporting increasingly complex software, innovative interfaces and networking capabilities, and the gaming sector has been one of the biggest benefactors of this.

Much has changed since the monochrome titles of early Nokia models. One only need look at some of the high-end fare on the App Store and Android marketplace to see how much we've advanced. With the launch of Sony's Xperia Play further blurring the line between communication tools and entertainment accessories, we delved into the history of mobile phone gaming to trace the movement back to its roots.

The first mobile phone game to find a worldwide audience was Nokia's Snake, which came preinstalled on its 6110 model in 1997. Like all mobile phone titles of its generation, this maze negotiation affair consisted of nothing more than a few animated dots and lines, yet it was arguably the most addictive handheld title since Tetris on Game Boy. Despite its minimalist approach, Snake changed cell phone functionality forever. A slew of similar games followed, but programmers were severely hampered by the hardware of this generation. There was only so much that could be done with monochrome and a numeric keypad interface, but some developers maximised the potential of these specs, delivering card games, shooters and even racers.

The advent of wireless application protocol (WAP) technology was a significant development for mobile gaming. Not only did this service allow users to download basic games onto their handsets, it enabled multiplayer support. Early WAP titles usually took the shape of text adventures - which were a great fit for mobiles of this era - though it was titles like Jamdat's multiplayer combat fest Gladiator and nGame's hacker sim DataClash that pushed the boundaries in the monochrome age. From this point, portable technology advanced rapidly and the mobile gaming gained serious momentum.

WAP soon gave way to services such as J2ME, BREW and Nokia's own Series 40 and Series 60 operating systems. These platforms enabled significantly more complex programmes to be distributed to handsets, catching the attention of major gaming studios. Around the turn of the millennium, colour handsets flooded the market, replete with Java and flash support and more robust online capabilities. Studios such as Sega, Namco, THQ, EA and Gameloft leaped upon this untapped resource, developing exclusive content for mobile phone users. Early colour titles - such as Tetris, Pac-man and various other puzzlers - still looked primitive compared to mainstream handheld consoles of the day, but bigger and better things were just around the corner.

Sega's Super Monkey Ball was the first major console to mobile conversion, and the game's popularity paved the way for many other high-profile franchises to make the jump to cell phone. Gameloft scaled down Ubisoft's Splinter Cell, EA delivered tailored editions of its popular sports series and Sega rendered some of its Genesis catalogue in Java. Although things were moving forward at an incredible rate, mobile phone gaming was still addled by hardware constraints. Numeric keypads were never intended as gaming interfaces, and Java-based offerings had limited appeal to anyone outside of the casual demographic.

In 2003, Nokia attempted to bridge the gap between mobile phones and gaming devices with the launch of the N-Gage. Based on the Nokia Series 60 platform, the device was launched as an attempt to lure gamers away from the Game Boy Advance. Despite being considerably more powerful and offering communication and online support, the system was a commercial failure. Support from major franchises including Tomb Raider, Call Of Duty and Sonic The Hedgehog didn't change the fact that the console's buttons were poorly suited for gaming and its design clunky and unappealing. However, the N-Gage did attract a cult following and is something of a collector's item today. Moreover, the online service that Nokia launched to back the device was ahead of its time. Many of its services were integrated into the firm's Ovi Store in the ensuing years.

Nokia's N-Gage proved to be something of a failed experiment, but as its lifecycle drew to a close, the generation of smartphones that followed heralded a glorious new age for mobile gaming. Handsets such as the BlackBerry and the Nokia N5 took things to the next level, supporting 3D graphics, groundbreaking interfaces and extensive networking capabilities. In 2007, Apple launched its first generation iPhone - a device that would take mobile gaming to lofty new heights. The system's touch-screen functionality and accelerometer support enabled developers to harness motion controls and devise interfaces from scratch. Although virtual d-pads and tilt interfaces have been implemented with varying degrees of success, such flexibility has paved the way for developers to bring titles of all genres to the platform.

One of the biggest factors behind the iPhone's success as a gaming platform is the App Store. Launched in the summer of 2008, the digital storefront now hosts games of all shapes and sizes. From retro revivals such as Space Invaders, Golden Axe and Doom, to triple-A franchises like Assassin's Creed, Rage and FIFA, the service has made it easy for gaming publishers to distribute their wares. However, it isn't just the major studios that have reaped the rewards of the iPhone's specs and user base. Indie developers have found a vast audience for their free and budget titles. Angry Birds creator Rovio is a good example of a company that rose to prominence thanks to the iOS market. Its flagship release has sold over 100 million copies since its launch last year.

The iPhone isn't the only smartphone equipped for gaming. The likes of Google's Nexus One, Motorola's DEXT, Microsoft's Windows 7 Phone and Samsung's Galaxy line are equally capable of handling high-end titles as Apple's device. The unveiling of the Android software stack and the Android Market in 2008 opened up new possibilities for programmers, offering more flexibility than Apple's store since developers could distribute their games via any platform they desired. Last December the Android Market reached the 200,000 app milestone.

Mobile gaming has come a long way since the days of Snake. The emergence of touch-screen interfaces, networking support and online services have helped it become the one of the fastest growing sectors of the industry, and studios of all sizes have capitalised on this. The gap between communication tools and gaming platforms has been narrowing since the day service providers decided to include games on their handsets, and it pretty much closed completely with the recent launch of the Xperia Play. At the rate that technology is advancing, who knows where the discipline will head next? Major developments are probably happening at this very moment, but most of us will be too busy playing Angry Birds to notice.