Back in 2009, we wrote a story on crack mobile developer Larva Labs lamenting its inability to make a living off top-rated games in the Android Market. Well, to put it lightly, it ain’t 2009 anymore: the Android ecosystem has expanded exponentially in every conceivable direction, the Market has taken on tens of thousands of additional apps, and — according to one research firm, anyway — Android has now overtaken BlackBerry to become the most prolific smartphone platform in the US.

To that end, Spacetime Studios — the company behind mobile MMORPG Pocket Legends, which brings in revenue through in-app purchases — was shocked to discover that it’s making some 30 to 50 percent more from its Android users than its iOS ones. Furthermore, they’re spending more time playing and downloading the app with far greater frequency, which might be a testament to the fact that really great apps still stand out in the Market better than they do in the more mature (and more populated) App Store. The in-app purchase disparity is a little more difficult to explain, though — especially since iOS has a slick, integrated purchase mechanism that Google won’t be rolling out in Android for a little while yet. At any rate, the online mobile economy — regardless of platform — clearly still has some growing, maturing, and stabilizing to do.

[Thanks, Michael]

Profit shocker! Android brings home more bacon than iOS for Pocket Legends developer originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Mar 2011 03:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Online games are supposed to be fun. People would avoid them if that was not true. Even though it’s fun, many people do have a tough time getting good at gaming. This is especially true when you are first starting out in the world of online gaming. The good news is that figuring out the lay of the land doesn’t have to be difficult. Naturally the right tools are helpful, for example – if you’re left-handed, then a left-handed mouse will help a lot; plus having a no-quit attitude will also help. What we want to do now is discuss a few proven tips and tricks for more victorious online gaming.

Those left handed mouses need to be given a break for a while. Take a much needed brain break from gaming once in a while. Taking good care of yourself is difficult to do if you are constantly playing video games. When you are sleep deprived or haven’t eaten in a long time, you aren’t going to play very well. Of course we all know how addicting the sheer number of worldwide MMORPG’s can be. It is imperative to give yourself and those around you a break from time to time. It is better to go back to the game feeling refreshed than to keep playing and get burned out.

An adequate net connection speed will help. Probably the hardest situation to deal with is if you’re forced to use a dial-up modem. It is hard to have fun if the computer you are using is very old or has a slow processor. So check-out the spec requirements for whatever you’ll be doing and try to get yourself there. If you are unsure about your computer’s ability (or the internet connection’s ability) to keep up, check the specs of the game. Be careful because you won’t be happy if you buy, install, and then it’s not working as it should.

When you play, have goals. Don’t let your characters get stuck, but keep them leveling up. You should strive at collecting as many valuables as you can in these games, such as trinkets, gold, rewards or whatever is awarded. Having goals in these online games keeps you focused. When you do this, the game becomes more enjoyable. The idea is to keep moving forward, as this keeps you interested in the game. If you aren’t accomplishing anything, it won’t be much fun after a while. Tracking down treasures and going on quests with end goals in mind is a lot better.

The whole point to online gaming is to have fun. Little did you know, but that is how they are designed to be – fun. Of course, if you want to have the best time possible there are some things that you need to do. For our lefty brothers and sisters – do be sure to do the shortcut thing, and please get a left-handed mouse. Don’t forget to be a humble gamer who takes advice well and treats people in a cool way. It’s all much more fun when there are no “people” issues.

Are you a left-hander and want more online gaming fun? Here’s a place for you to check out:
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Video games are America’s new car industry. I recommend that earlier than you continue to insult both me and the gaming group, that you just truly take the time to PLAY one. Games are an excellent source of leisure for the whole family. It will be important, nevertheless, that folks spend time to coach their kids about on-line gaming and train them to make the best choices while interacting with folks online. Games are artwork because they inspire us and make us really feel and provides us experiences unreachable inside the realm of the real. It would not matter if it is the fantasy of Pokemon and taking pleasure in caring for one thing because it grows or immersion in Runescape as a place with politics and economy and social conflicts all its own.

Games are a wonderful solution to relieve stress. For the typical non-gamer, in actual fact, spending 15 or 20 minutes a day playing an easy to be taught, although troublesome to overcome, game like Tetris or Minesweeper will do wonders for stress relief. Video games are arising with some creative ways of designing their interface. Whereas being inventive, they still operate the identical and are simple to navigate.

Mother and father enable the television to be a babysitter versus being really invested of their child’s lives. Flip your judgmental views on the individuals who actually deserve it, the failing dad and mom that sit idly by as their youngsters see motion pictures and video games which are clearly not supposed for their age group. Mother and father typically see their youngsters as becoming obsessed with enjoying, and the mother and father are capable of see firsthand just how pervasive and powerful this gaming force is. One potential direction of this force is that it immerses children in ineffective, repetitive play that has the power to have an effect on the methods in which they develop both emotionally and physically. Dad and mom cannot settle for the fact that they failed their duties as mother and father as they attempt to place the blame on games. If they’re such an enormous affect just do away with them.

Studies present that ninety two percent of children beneath age 18 play regularly. In response to the Media Analysis Lab at Iowa State University, about 8.5 percent of eight-to-18-year-outdated avid gamers can be thought-about pathologically addicted, and practically one quarter of young folks-more males than females-admit they’ve felt addicted. Studies have shown that these games, are quite efficient at instructing our children abilities that they will want after the apocalypse. You know, the sport Fall Out 3 has taught us that it is easier to kill cyborgs with a grenade then a machine gun.

bit.ly Check the link for more vids! We got a nice inside’ish look at Lego Universe while it is still in it’s alpha phase! Also got a nice look at one of the GirlGamer ladies…

OK, I’m addicted, I have to own up to it. I am going on about the MMORPG game World of Warcraft. I started participating a several weeks ago now I can’t seem to get an adequate amount of the game. Now I’m quite possibly expending lots of precious time peering at my laptop but it really appears as if I can not really help it.

Just like everything else, I at all times desire to try and do the finest I am able to. I suppose a person could express that I am ultracompetitive. That being said, I noted that some other game enthusiasts happen to be leveling up a great deal quicker than I was in my guild and I decided to discover just how players had been performing it. The response, oftentimes, had been an Alliance leveling guide.

Once I went on the internet I questioned a few gamers on the server precisely how that they had the ability to realize the accomplishments they were experiencing. It felt as if they were leveling amazingly fast whereas I’d been grinding. It didn’t matter if I played characters from the Horde or the Alliance factions. I still had not been able to compete with these people. This grew to be fairly frustrating.

Luckily for myself I ended up being in the position to get to know several of these experienced WoW characters and many took me under their wing, as the saying goes. These people told me that using a Horde or Alliance leveling guide is considered the smart strategy to have fun with WotLK. There was no question that they have been finding success therefore I thought I would follow their recommendations.

I bought my outstanding leveling tutorial and managed to nearly immediately lower the quantity of grinding I have been undertaking. I started off concentrating specifically on quests which made my gaming encounter a whole lot more pleasurable. Along with that I was in the position to increase the number of gold and experience points considerably quicker when compared to the past.

What the guidelines did was, for all intents and purposes, give me a very good quest path meant for me in order to pursue. The E-book covered in a straightforward fashion how to complete the mission under way. It absolutely was, in effect, a electronic coach that guided me through the quests. It turned out to be incredibly useful as well as convenient. It unquestionably did raise my play and due to this it was even more entertaining in addition.

The add-on that created the in-game manual is truly the most significant piece of the Alliance leveling guide. It is really an on-screen tutor that displays plainly what I should do. And equally important it helps me to avoid wasting time and making problems. I can certainly see why our WoW counselors endorsed it. It offers a player a decided advantage. I unquestionably love it.