In an era where high-end graphics and complex animations dominate, we are seeing a very interesting trend emerge. Ten years ago, games put a major focus on sprawling skill trees and endless button combinations, but now things are changing. Nowadays, games are relying more and more on retro, minimalistic button combinations, with mobile games playing a huge role in changing gamer preferences.
Is Less Actually More?
Modern games are demonstrating time and time again that less can be more. Games that have simplistic button combinations, such as move, jump, and attack, are the best way to go with mobile titles. With that said, developers have shown time and time again how even with simplistic controls, it’s still possible to create complex experiences.
One example here would be Gwent. The game, which is taken from the Witcher books, is a spinoff game that can be downloaded on mobile. The game was downloaded 100,000 times within the first two days of being launched.
Players use cards inspired by the story to bluff opponents, with simple drag-and-drop mechanics. A tutorial was built into the game to guide players through, which results in more rewarding experimentation rather than having to memorise complex sequences. Examples like this help to show that sometimes, less can be more, especially as players now have less time in the day to learn complex strategies.
Minimalistic Controls Result in Faster Playing Experiences
By adopting more minimalistic controls, gaming experiences can be improved as well. The online chess boom illustrates this perfectly. Even though chess has very simple mechanics and inputs, the depth of strategy is endless.
Digital platforms, including Chess.com, host ten million games a day, with Netflix shows like The Queen’s Gambit spurring its popularity. New features are continually added to online chess platforms, like the option to use 3D pieces or play against more complex AI, but the core mechanics and controls are as simple as they ever have been.
This trend is also evident in iGaming. The slot machine global market is set to grow from $11.42 billion to $16.8 billion by 2029. Megaways casino titles in particular show how this trend is being adopted. Megaways titles introduce new ways to win, including bonus mechanics and cascading reels. The core interaction, however, is simple in the fact that you simply press a button and wait for the result. This shows that returning to the drawing board doesn’t mean sacrificing engagement and how advancing tech can improve game quality, without adding more complex button controls.
Across multiple genres, it’s clear to see that we are now witnessing a full revival of games that are able to do more with less. Minimalistic controls are making a comeback, and the explosion of mobile gaming has certainly had a big part to play here. Either way, it’s evident that complexity doesn’t always require more complexity in input, and as developers find ways to do more with less, gamers stand to benefit significantly, as more can be done in less time, which appeals more to the modern market.
