It's All in the Wrist, er, Thumbs...

Filed from my desk...

Despite our name--as many of you have pointed out--our initial content offering has leaned more towards news and services than games. But we're actively trying to put the "play" back in Mobileplay! A half-dozen or so game developers are currently or will shortly be integrating with our ad-supported network. When you have 5 or 10 to kill waiting for that bus, sometimes a wee Tetris goes just as far as the latest smear from ValleyWag to relieve the tedium. Since my mind has been on games lately, I was pleased to see a column from Pocket Gamer's Chris James with 10 Tips for improving the quality of mobile entertainment. One I particularly liked, which goes for any mobile app, was "Provide the player a reward within the first 30 seconds." Since the likelihood is high that a mobile gamer has spent a hefty slice off life struggling to get the darn thing onto the phone that's advice well-heeded. The other was to add a dash of "madness or humor." It is just a game after all. We'll definitely keep his advice in mind and maybe just maybe we can help get the other 97.7% of the U.S. public engaged in one of our favorite pasttimes.