My friend who is a computer science major sent me an interesting article on mobile applications. He is currently taking a class dedicated to creating a mobile app. The article suggests that, “Soon, more users will access the Web using mobile devices than using PCs, and it’s going to make the Internet a very different place.”

I’m very interested to see how this changes the internet. The article did not expand on that claim, but being an iPhone user I can see how my relationship with the internet has changed. I now spend shameful amounts of time on my email and “Facebooking.” Recently I had an interesting encounter with a mobile game called Shadow Cities.  Shadow Cities is a multi-player game that uses your actual location as the backdrop. I thought this was both interesting and extremely creepy. The game knew exactly where I lived and the streets surrounding my house (ideal for stalking). I considered playing Shadow Cities for this class, because of its accessibility. Smartphones and tablets allow their users more convenience than PC’s. I could be walking to class (although I do not recommend this) and playing Shadow Cities. I was not convinced that convenience was the only perk of mobile technology, so I did more research.

A New York Times Article about Shadow Cities supports the idea that mobile games are the future, “Shadow Cities fully employs the abilities of the modern smartphone in the service of an entertainment experience that feels almost impossibly exciting and new.” Both articles left me with more questions than answers. What implications will mobile apps have on educational games? Will mobile technology help or hinder learning? How will mobility change the gaming world? Being enrolled in two learning and technology courses, I hope to answer at least one of these questions by December.

http://thejournal.com/articles/2011/09/12/mobile-to-surpass-wired-internet-connections.aspx

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/16/arts/video-games/shadow-cities-a-new-iphone-video-game-review.html