Chapter 5. All About Games

In this chapter, we will cover:

• Planning your game around touch

• Control techniques that are optimized for touch

• Heads-up displays and designing with limited real estate

• Accounting for the lost Status Bar

Introduction

Games make up an exceptionally large proportion of all iOS applications, with 15 to 20 percent of all apps falling into the category. The top ten grossing applications list is consistently flooded with games, as users look for entertainment on their iPhone or iPad.

Whereas users have few expectations as to what a typical mobile application should feel like, there is often an expectation with regards to what a game should play like. Mobile gaming platforms have been popular since the Game Boy's rise to popularity in the early 90s, and users have an idea as to what games work well when on the go, and iOS games are expected to match or exceed these preconceived notions of what is possible.

However, it isn't necessarily easy to produce a game on iOS, as...