Virtual Worlds to go Mobile?
Mobile connectivity to virtual worlds already exists for specific phones and a handful of applications, but more mobile virtual worlds are on the horizon. With the evolution of mobile technology becoming more and more popular over the past decade, virtual worlds may be a natural fit for the ever popular cell phone. According to Pew-“ The mobile device will be the primary connection tool to the internet for most people in the world in 2020.” With the fast growing popularity of PC based virtual world applications, it is only a matter of time before virtual world browser-based applications become commonplace. Once this transformation takes place one can assume that the migration to phone apps would be the next logical step. We look forward to the day when mixed realties become a reality! Think of it: walking down the street looking at your virtual world enabled cell phone seeing a real-time geo accurate view of the world you are, well…experiencing. With overlays and filters you could at a glance hone in on targets of importance, like the REAL Ray’s Pizza in the Big Apple.
There are currently a handful of virtual world apps that are tailored for mobile phones. One example is Mini Friday by Sulake which hit the 1 million user mark in late 2008. Mobile Virtual Worlds could be the next big thing, but my belief is that they are still a few years out from becoming commonplace. Obviously screen size is a factor in this as well as the much needed processing power in keeping up with what it takes to run a virtual world app. Many service providers are cautiously embracing the idea of mobile virtual worlds and I am sure that more developments will come on this topic in the near future. Is mobile the next platform for virtual worlds? Maybe…I sure hope so!
