Why Apple Will Move Into Gaming [Game On]

Apple has continued blurring the line between our information and their closed (though beautiful) ecosystem.  Regardless of whether you are for or against this process, one thing is clear; they aren’t done yet and their entry into gaming is simply a question of when — not if.

Apple is becoming synonymous with digital entertainment.  Whether or not you’re buying digital content through iTunes or rolling your own, odds are good you’re experiencing it on one of their  idevices and if Apple’s success in music, video, apps, and the forthcoming iCloud is any indication, I see no reason why they wouldn’t eventually pursue gaming as well.

The groundwork is already there.  With iOS providing a uniform platform across three different highly successful  idevices, its already proven to be a magnet for developers both large and small.  From colorful and lightweight sidescrollers to fully realized 3D adventures that are graphically on par with consoles, the only piece missing is the ability to play on your massive living room display — oh wait, that’s right, you’ll be able to do that when iOS 5 comes out this fall with wireless mirroring.

You can’t have a runaway success like Angry Birds on your platform and not raise an eyebrow.  Granted, Angry Birds could be construed as more ‘casual’ but what does that even mean anymore?  Can a gamer not be ‘hardcore’ if he or she only plays games on a phone?  For that matter, how phone-like do you even consider your smartphone to be?  If you’re anything like me, it’s more of a portable internet device that I can occasionally talk to people on for outrageous, unwarranted monthly fees.  The point is, gaming is transcending living room entertainment centers, desktop PCs, and even dedicated portable units to just about any device capable of running a game.

Don’t just take my wild speculation as gospel though, Apple’s already made it clear that they’ve taken more of an interest in gaming. At their most recent keynote speech, they  made sure to bring gaming more into focus when they proudly announced that the iPhone is the most popular gaming device in the world. Granted, that may sound like a bit of a stretch to those of us still toting around PSPs and 3DSs, but the sheer number of people playing games on their iOS devices speaks for itself.

Apple’s dominance hasn’t come purely from its devices, but rather the tight grip on our consumption of entertainment.  Gaming isn’t something to be ignored, they just haven’t quite sorted out how to go about it yet or more likely they have, but all of the pieces aren’t in place yet.