作者：Mark Langshaw

手机设备自20世纪80年代问世以来已有很大进步，最初呈粗糙砖块样式。如今的时髦手机比原始样式小很多，但功能却更强大。手机的沟通作用意义深远，但其还有许多其他应用。现代设备能够支持更加复杂的软件、创新界面和交流功能，游戏行业就是其中一大受益者。

mobile gaming from digitalspy.co.uk

从早期诺基亚模型的黑白游戏至今，手机游戏内容发生巨大变化。通过若干App Store和Android marketplace的高价位应用，我们就能发现该领域如今已取得巨大进步。索尼Xperia Play的问世进一步模糊沟通工具和娱乐附件之间的界限，本文将阐述手机游戏的发展历史。

Nokia's Snake from lisisoft.com

首款备受全球用户青睐的手机游戏是诺基亚的《贪吃蛇》（游戏邦注：这款游戏1997年开始预装于诺基亚6110设备）。和其他同期手机游戏一样，这款迷宫通关游戏不过由若干动态圆点和线条组成，但游戏可谓是继Game Boy《俄罗斯方块》以来最具沉浸性的掌上游戏。虽然游戏采用简单抽象形式，但其彻底颠覆手机设备的功能。大量类似内容随后纷纷涌现，但此时的设备硬件极大限制程序员的发挥。黑白屏幕和数字键盘所能呈现的内容非常有限，但有些开发者极力挖掘设备潜力，制作纸牌游戏、射击游戏，甚至是赛车游戏。

WAP（无线应用协议）的问世是手机游戏领域的一大进步。这个服务不仅允许用户将基本游戏下载至手机设备，还支持多玩家模式。早期WAP游戏通常采用主题探险模式——这非常适合这个时期的手机设备，虽然不过是诸如Jamdat多人战斗游戏《Gladiator》和nGame骇客题材游戏《DataClash》之类的内容，它们已是黑白画面时代游戏内容的最大可能。自此之后，手机技术发展迅速，手机游戏也受到极大促进。

WAP很快被J2ME、BREW以及诺基亚自己的Series 40和Series 60操作系统所取代。这些平台令手机设备得以植入更加复杂的程序，引起大型游戏工作室的关注。千禧年之际，彩色手机设备开始涌入市场，支持Java和flash技术，植入更强大的功能。世嘉、Namco、THQ、EA和Gameloft等工作室开始转向这些尚未开发的资源，专门瞄准手机用户制作内容。早期彩色游戏（游戏邦注：例如《俄罗斯方块》、《吃豆人》及其他众多益智游戏）相比如今的主流掌机内容依然非常粗糙，但随后逐步涌现许多更具规模、品质更佳的游戏作品。

世嘉的《超级猴子球》是首款由掌机转移至手机设备的作品，这款游戏的风靡给其他热门作品的移植铺平道路。Gameloft浓缩育碧的《分裂细胞》，EA调整其热门运动主题游戏系列，世嘉将部分Genesis内容转化成Java语言。整个发展过程极其迅速，但手机游戏依然受到硬件设备的限制。数字键盘无法变成游戏界面，Java内容无法掳获休闲玩家以外的群体。

2003年诺基亚尝试通过推出N-Gage消除手机和游戏设备之间的差异。此设备采用诺基亚Series 60系统，旨在吸引Game Boy Advance玩家的眼球。虽然设备更加强大，提供沟通和在线支持，但却不是个成功商品。《古墓丽影》、《使命召唤》和《音速小子》等杰出作品的支持无法改变设备按键操作不尽人意，设计糟糕、缺乏吸引力的事实。但N-Gage也从中收获自己的忠实粉丝，设备如今成为收藏家的收藏品。此外，诺基亚所推的、旨在支持该设备的在线服务在当时也非常先进。很多服务后来都都与诺基亚的Ovi Store相绑定。

nokia-n from gallery.techarena.in

诺基亚N-Gage是个失败尝试，但随着这个设备的结束，紧随其后的智能手机则意味着手机游戏新时代的到来。黑莓和诺基亚N5等手机的问世将设备带入新阶段，这些设备支持3D画面，包含突破性界面，具有广泛连网能力。2007年苹果推出首代iPhone——此设备将手机游戏带入新高度。该设备的触屏和加速计功能令开发商得以植入运动控制装置，重新设计界面。虽然虚拟方向键和和倾斜界面已取得不同程度的成绩，但该设备的高度灵活性给开发商植入各种类型游戏铺平道路。

令iPhone成功变身游戏平台的一大因素是App Store。这家数字商店于2008年问世，商店如今包含各式各样的作品。从复古作品《太空入侵者》、《战斧》和《毁灭战士》到AAA游戏《刺客信条》、《Rage》和《FIFA》，这个服务平台极大方便游戏发行商发行作品。但并非只有大型工作室才从iPhone硬件和广泛用户基础中受益。独立开发者也给自己的免费平价作品找到大量用户。《愤怒的小鸟》开发商Rovio就是个典型例子，该公司凭借iOS市场取得突出成绩。该公司的这款经典之作自去年发行以来已达数亿次下载量。

angry birds from 2.bp.blogspot.com

iPhone不是唯一服务游戏内容的智能手机。谷歌Nexus One、摩托罗拉DEXT、微软Windows 7 Phone和三星Galaxy系列与苹果设备一样都支持高端游戏内容。2008年Android软件组合和Android Market的问世给程序员们带来新希望，Android Market的灵活性远胜苹果商店（游戏邦注：开发商能够通过自己所期望的平台发行游戏）。去年12月Android Market应用达到20万款，这对该商店而言颇具里程碑意义。

手机游戏自《贪吃蛇》来已获得极大发展。触屏界面、连网功能和在线服务的出现使手机游戏成为游戏行业中发展最迅速的领域之一，各工作室开始纷纷踏入这片市场。通讯工具和游戏平台之间的差异自游戏内容入驻手机设备以来便逐步缩小，Xperia Play的问世更是使得其中差异变得微乎其微。手机技术发展如此迅猛，谁能预测手机游戏的未来前进方向？此时该领域也许已诞生许多大型工作室，但此时我们大多忙于体验《愤怒的小鸟》而无暇注意到这点。

游戏邦注：原文发布于2011年4月10日，文章叙述以当时为背景。（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）

Feature: The History Of Mobile Gaming

By Mark Langshaw

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.（Source：digitalspy）