Gaming on smartwatches: Break through or stop

Editor's note: I always think that making games for watches is just a way of attracting attention. In the first half of 2014, if it was just for the sake of publicity, then it is undoubtedly a stupid act to insist on developing games for smart watches now. Remember the Apple Watch pictures at the Apple conference? I think this is just self-mockery. Forget about games.

[[126219]]

As wearable devices increase in number, developers are beginning to explore new applications and even consider developing games for them. At the PG Connects conference held in London, Andrian Hon, CEO of Six to Start, said that smart watches provide a great opportunity for developers, but game applications will not become popular immediately. The Guardian reported on his speech.

In fact, Six to Start's Zombies Run! game is well suited to wearable devices because players need to immerse themselves in the real world. "When we designed the game three years ago, there were no popular smart watches or things like Google Glass, but we saw smartphones as wearable computers," he said. "When they go out for a run, a lot of people put their smartphones on their wrists: it's like a big smartwatch, it looks stupid! If they wear headphones, they can interact with the game or consume content."

Many manufacturers have released Android Wear devices, but not many people use them. Six to Start hopes that Apple Watch will be successful and Android Wear devices will also become popular. Andrian Hon believes that developers face many challenges in developing applications for smart watches. "It's hard to focus on a small screen when you're walking, let alone running. You might try to use a smartphone while walking, but it's even more difficult to do so with a watch. And it may not be safe."

It's even more unrealistic if developers try to make money from games. "I think at this stage, most gamers won't buy smartwatches. They're not cheap. An Apple Watch costs $350, an Android Wear device costs $200. And everyone needs a smartphone, but not everyone needs a smartwatch," he said.

Therefore, despite the great potential of smart watches, developers should still take a cautious approach. "I think it will take many years to figure out what kind of applications are popular," he said. "There is no reason to believe that there will be a gold rush like the iPhone and Android in the development of games for smart watches. We don't even know if people will spend money to buy applications on smart watches."