One of the reasons how virtual reality become such a mainstream idea was through games. Remember those good ol’days when we played games on the PC that didn’t even require the internet?
Well, Google is working in that direction to bring our old memories back to life. Area 120, Google’s in-house incubator for experimental projects, launched GameSnacks last year. A venture that uses HTML 5 to develop games that can be easily accessible on web browsers, smartphones (Android and iOS), and PC.
What’s great about it is that these bite-sized games work on low-end devices on as low as 1GB RAM as well as slow network connectivity (1G, 2G, or 3G). Since it’s a gaming platform using HTML5, games such as Chess, Solitaire, Roadfury, etc., are lightweight and consume fewer data, resources and load quicker.
Ani Mohan, general manager of GameSnacks, told TechCrunch in an interview, “HTML5 gaming has been growing, especially outside of the United States. HTML5 is a great way to get games to users who have just come online and probably haven’t played games online before. These games are cross-device, work on a low-bandwidth connection, and are instantly playable as they don’t require users to install any files.” He further stated that the platform had garnered more than 100 titles and million users.
These lightweight, single-player games are readily available on the GameSnacks website. However, due to its growing demand, Google has decided to expand its horizon to increase reachability and integrate with other Google services. A few weeks ago, Mohan admitted that GameSnacks is now available for the New tab page on Chrome for users in Nigeria, Kenya, India, and Indonesia. On which Mohan said in the interview, “We view this as an early stage of experimentation. If it goes well, we will love to expand it.”
India is Google’s biggest market in terms of user-base. The company aims to promote GameSnacks with full enthusiasm as the platform will likely arrive on the Google Play store soon. The company is also experimenting with integrating the Platform with Google Assistant and the Google Discover Feed. Mohan added, “Now that few of these integrations are live, one of the things we are hoping to do is talk to developers and tell them that there is an easy way to get on Google.”
Currently, GameSnacks monetizes its games through a non-exclusive licensing model. However, it plans to help the developers roll in more money through next-generation AdSense for Games ad formats. “We want to help them build viable businesses over time, so we’re going to start experimenting with advertising on the platform,” said he.
Asia and Africa are the targeted markets for HTML5 games, and both of them have respectively seen a rise in this particular industry over the years.
Mohan further went on to say, “We don’t see these markets as our only option. These are just the markets we’re starting with because the need for HTML5 games… is especially compelling. We think the market size for this is much broader because HTML has users all around the world.”