May 19, 2005
One-Thumb gaming could herald a revolution
Mobile games that you can play with just one digit could herald a revolution in the genre, writes Keith Stuart for The Guardian.
[...] One-thumb games make important concessions to mobile handset design. It is, after all, often fiddly and uncomfortable to play games that require two hands - or even two fingers. Demanding such dexterity breaks the ethos of mobile phone operating systems, which allow users to carry out complex functions such as photo messaging with a single digit.
[...] Last year, Korean developer Com2Us launched Skippedy Seed, a one-thumb rope skipping game featuring an array of cute unlockable characters. It has been a huge success, utilising a unique feature of the latest Korean handsets: pressure-sensitive buttons. The harder you press, the higher you jump.
If developers can learn to treat the mobile phone differently from games consoles, a Tetris-like explosion in casual gaming is possible. The future is just one button press away."
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