Did you know that mobile games represent the largest segment of the gaming market? With statistics showing a 59% share of total gaming revenue by 2021, it's no surprise that developers are scrambling to create unique and captivating experiences. To stand out from the competition, mobile game design must incorporate cutting-edge technology, such as AI in mobile apps.

To achieve this, experienced developers focus on crafting engaging games with fantastic ideas, striking art, flawless user experience, and more. However, there's much more to successful mobile game design than meets the eye. In this article, we'll dive into the essential components, professional tips, and useful services that will help your project shine.

Mobile Game Design Essentials and Tips

Mobile game design is the art of creating a user-friendly gaming system with attractive visuals. At its core, it involves five main components: mechanics, economy, logic, art, and user experience. However, this description doesn't scratch the surface of what goes into making a mobile game design flawless.

To reach outstanding results, we've compiled a list of top 5 mobile game design tips that incorporate AI in mobile apps:

  1. Mechanics: In mobile video games, players rely on touch screens to manipulate characters and objects. To create an intuitive experience, designers must consider user behavior, screen sizes, and OS features.
  1. Work on Mobile GDD: The mobile game design document is a crucial set of agreed rules, requirements, and workflow for a project. This often-underestimated step ensures well-thought planning and avoids mistakes during the development process.
  1. Add Seasonal Features: Updating a game with thematic design and functions on holidays (like Christmas and Easter) can enhance user engagement. For example, the Subway Surfers game offers seasonal content that players adore.
  1. Update Features and Content Carefully: While refreshing content and adding new features can be exciting, updates often cause bugs that affect user experience. To prevent side effects, prioritize quality assurance throughout the development process.
  1. Choose a Free Ad-Based Monetization Model: With 50% of mobile gamers preferring free ad-based games, this monetization model is an attractive option for targeting a broad audience. Additionally, 72% of users voluntarily engage with rewarded ads.

How to Design a Mobile Game: A Guide to the Primary Steps

If you're new to mobile game development, understanding the primary steps will help you achieve your goals. Let's explore how to design a mobile game and what stages will be part of your project:

Pre-production

The preparation stage is crucial in ensuring you target the desired goal and achieve a flawless workflow. Start by analyzing the market and competitors, highlighting strengths and drawbacks of popular products. Next, work on game concept art, which visualizes content and details well.

Then, based on collected data and agreed visuals, develop a mobile game app design prototype. This demo version doesn't require complex coding, allowing you to test your idea. After approval, the preliminary work begins.

2D Art Design/3D Modeling

Depending on your game format, you'll choose between 2D or 3D art design:

  1. 2D Art: Creating mobile game graphic design for a two-dimensional world is often easier and faster than working on 3D models. Sketch game scenes, paint them, and animate them with your chosen technique.
  1. 3D Modeling: In contrast to 2D art design, 3D modeling is a complex development process. Start by blocking out and shaping your model, then move on to sculpting, mapping, texturing, and animation.

Game Level Design

Any video game has its structure and logic. Define gameplay through open-world exploration or linear storytelling, depending on your game genre. This process of defining gameplay structure is called game level design.

By incorporating AI in mobile apps and following these steps, you'll be well on your way to creating a captivating mobile game that stands out from the competition.