17 January 2007

Mobile Game Graphics
Overcoming the Small Screen Challenge

Designing graphics for mobile games is very different from designing for PC games. This article presents some best practices and visual examples of graphic design for mobile games. It also focuses on overcoming some of the main usability and user experience limitations: the small screen size (with portrait and landscape modes) and the mobile context.

Great graphics provide great experiences! With games, graphic attractiveness is a key element in creating an enjoyable user experience. In fact, the first impression and the entire mood of a game session are created in the first few seconds after the user has launched a game. Providing a WOW! effect right at the start sets a positive tone for the whole session.

The main restrictions a mobile device imposes on graphics and artistic freedom are the available memory size, the processor capacity, and, most obviously, the limited display size and resolution. If a game runs slowly or a device freezes, this is not a good gaming experience. Additionally, a game application should not use up other system resources, such as battery power. The overall user experience is not good if, for example, the battery dies shortly after an intense gaming session while the user is traveling on a train.

Performance issues can be addressed with good design, proper planning, and testing. Use only graphics that are meaningful, limit the use of large graphics, and consider carefully which animations are really needed. Check to see if there are alternatives; for example, find out if some animations (such as sparkling stars) can be implemented with a few lines of simple code.

Lock’n Load 2 is a good example of a 3D game that expands the game world outside the screen limits. (Images courtesy of Blaze)

Finding a balance between good graphics and device limitations is an iterative process — test early, and test often!

Download:

Mobile_Game_Graphics_Overcoming_the_Small_Screen_Challenge.pdf