Why Java, Android and Games?

When Android first arrived in 2008, it was a bit drab compared to the much more stylish iOS on the Apple iPhone/iPad. But quite quickly, through diverse handset offers that struck a chord with both the practical price-conscious as well as the fashion-conscious and tech-savvy, Android user numbers exploded.

For many, myself included, developing Android games is the most rewarding pastime and business bar none.

Quickly putting together, a prototype of a game idea, refining it and then deciding to run with it and wire it up into a fully-fledged game is such an exciting and rewarding process. Any programming can be fun, and I have been programming all my life, but creating games, especially for Android is somehow extraordinarily rewarding.

Defining exactly why this is the case is quite difficult. Maybe it is the fact that the platform is free and open. You can distribute your games without needing the permission of a big controlling corporation - nobody can stop you. And at the same time, you have the well-established, corporate controlled mass markets like Amazon App Store and Google Play.

More likely, the reason developing Android games gives such a buzz is the nature of the devices themselves. They are deeply personal. You can develop games which interact with people's lives. Educate, entertain, tell a story, etc. But it is there in their pocket ready to play in the home, the workplace or on holiday.

You can certainly build something bigger for Windows or Xbox etc. but knowing that thousands (or millions) of people are carrying your work in their pockets and sharing it with friends is more than a buzz.

No longer is developing games considered geeky, nerdy or reclusive. In fact, developing Android games is considered highly skillful and the most successful are hugely admired, even revered.

If all this fluffy and spiritual stuff doesn't mean anything to you then that's fine too; developing for Android can make you a living or even, make you wealthy. With the continued growth of device ownership, the ongoing increase in CPU and GPU power and the non-stop evolution of the Android operating system itself, the need for professional game developers are only going to grow.

In short, the best Android developers – and, more importantly, the Android developers with the best ideas and most determination – are in greater demand than ever. Nobody knows who these future Android game developers are and they might not even have written their first line of Java yet.

So why isn't everybody an Android developer? Obviously, not everybody will share my enthusiasm for the thrill of creating software that can help people make their lives better, but I am guessing that because you are reading this, you might?