Here are the results from the mobile gaming survey I sent out a few weeks ago. The response rate was fairly low so I won’t regard this as absolute but good to get some feedback from my audience section on the types of games they play / look out for.
Questions:
Q: In what country do you live?
Q: What type of mobile games do you play? (select any that are relevant)
Q: How long do you spend on average playing mobile games per week (7 days)?
Q: Where do you play mobile games most?
Q: What is your favourite mobile game at the moment?
Q: Which do you prefer? (options)
Q: If you knew a game intended to be educational, would it effect your desire to play it?
Q: Have you ever played an ‘educational mobile game’ i.e. one that aimed to teach you more about an issue, or subject? If so, what was it called and what was it that you liked about it? Did you learn anything?
Q: What is the main thing(s) that keep you coming back to a game? What keeps you engaged?
Review of answers
Q: In what country do you live? Â 100% of contributors were from Ireland.
Q:What type of mobile games do you play?

Of all the options, the majority of contributors enjoyed puzzle/strategy games as well as arcade and brain training.
Q. How long do you spend on average playing mobile games per week (7 days)?Â

The contributors to this survey were not big mobile gamers unfortunately, the majority of them playing for less that an hour a week. This does bring to light though that perhaps the game should be fairly simple in structure and therefore easy to play in short bursts when it suits the player?
Q. Where do you play mobile games most?

I read in quite a few places that a lot of mobile gaming happens while on the move, so good to see that confirmed in the survey results. It may be problematic with a mobile AR game that relies on location, but I think then it will essential to include a non-AR element that allows the game to be picked up anywhere – making it more accessible to a wider audience.
Q. What is your favourite mobile game at the moment?Â
Good Blocks
Pokemon Trading Card Game
Mario
Attack the Light
FM
Wordalot
I asked this question to get a little more insight in to the type of games people are actually playing. This mix is quick varied but most are forms of puzzle games.
Pokemon Trading card game is a funny one, traditionally a physical game, they’ve recreated it for screen and it seems to be quite popular. Maybe to do with the strength of the Pokemon brand but also I remember even in my house collecting cards (Pokemon, Yugio etc.) was very popular, so its bringing a nostalgic element to contemporary technology.
Attack the Light is a funny low-fi RPG game for mobile, the aim its to attack monsters who have light sources built in to them.
Good Blocks is a mental health, self-esteem game – very simple design. Its designed for use between child psychology sessions, I’ve sent the link on to Matt as it seems to be in tune with his Art Therapy project.
Wordalot is a re-skin of the classic crossword, including picture prompts to make it more up-to-date. Some bad reviews saying its too simplistic, but I think that might the point? You can play it at any time rather easily without having to think too much.
Q:Â Which do you prefer? (options)Â
- Fast-paced, shorter games that don’t require too much thought (but are still fun/well made, for a short term reward. )
- Slow, more intricate games that require more time to work them out (potentially greater long term reward).Â
-
I like both depending on where I am / what I am doing.Â

Fairly self explanatory – but interesting to note that the game has be to structured in a way that suits the condition that the player is in.
Q:Â If you knew a game intended to be educational, would it effect your desire to play it?Â

Nobody seemed to be bothered by playing an educational game, as long as it was engaging!
Q:Â Have you ever played an ‘educational mobile game’ i.e. one that aimed to teach you more about an issue, or subject? If so, what was it called and what was it that you liked about it? Did you learn anything?

Answer:
“I played ‘good blocks’ recently. Its a game to train you to screen your thoughts and attempt to dismiss the negative thoughts in your head. Its works on repetition to try make the behaviour second nature. Its more of an exercise than a game and so it has simple mechanic within the app. Maybe a little too simple but again its not a game as such.’
Answer:Â
“Well I played brain training for a bit on my DS…”
Most contributors felt like they’ve never played an educational game – the question is if that is true or did they just not realise? I think a better educational game will be one that doesn’t focus too much on the learning aspect and more uses it as an underpin to the game.
One player mentioned Good Blocks again, which uses repetition to get the message across, persuade action. The game is designed by clinical psychologists which is interesting.
Q: What is the main thing(s) that keep you coming back to a game? What keeps you engaged?
Answers:
– Fun. Playability.
– If its Competitive and against another user.
– Functionality, design, playability, story, engagement.
– Story, smooth gameplay, difficulty, replay-abilIty (value for money), aesthetics and design.
– Time invested.
– Attainable challenges and worth while rewards.
I left this question as an open answer field so as not to prompt a user’s response. The answers are much in line with what I would have expected, which is reassuring. Playability/function comes up a few times as does the storyline so I will regard these as important aspects to consider in the game.