The thing about ad-funded mobile games is they have to be good. If they're not good, you won't play them, and so won't see those ads.
So, an ad-funded games portal with hundreds of rubbish titles won't prosper, while a more focused site that cherry-picks good stuff might. That's our theory, anyway.
123play.com seems to be taking the latter route. The site is currently in beta, and only available to UK users. It features games from THQ Wireless, RealArcade, Digital Chocolate, Hands-On Mobile, and Indiagames.
As far as we know, it's the first time THQ Wireless has gone down the ad-funded route, incidentally. Anyway, you enter your number on the site to get a game sent to you over-the-air, with no registration process required.
There's a decent selection of slightly older games, including ace titles like Playman World Soccer, Worms 2007, Cake Mania, Stuntman Ignition, Sushi Mania and FotoQuest Fishing.
We tried it out, and our WAP-links arrived within a few seconds of entering our details on the website.
We saw ads for eBay, NME, News of the World, and Drench bottled water. When you see an ad, clicking brings up a pop-up menu, where you can choose to move on, or click through to the advertiser's WAP site.
We've encountered no problems, although it's worth remembering that you have to connect each time you load the game so it'll cost something if you're not on a flat-rate data tariff.
Still, we're impressed with the quality control that's seemingly at work, so will be keeping an eye on 123play.com as it develops.
News
Contributing Editor
Stuart is a freelance journalist and blogger who's been getting paid to write stuff since 1998. In that time, he's focused on topics ranging from Sega's Dreamcast console to robots. That's what you call versatility. (Or a short attention span.)
Related Articles
Top Stories
News
4 hours, 7 minutes ago
PocketGamer.biz Podcast Week in Mobile Games E14 -Supercell's Squad Busters goes global and why Steam does discoverability better than mobile
News
May 31st, 2024
Week in Views - Squad Busters goes global, broken app stores, and Hill Climb Racing gets the LEGO treatment
News
May 31st, 2024
Mobile Movers: All the latest appointments and job moves from around the industry
Events
Indie Game Fest & Indie Campus 2024 | Europe | May 31st |
Indie Craft K-Game Festival 2024 | Europe | May 31st |
BostonFig Online 2024 | Jun 1st | |
GameSummit Summer 2024 | Jun 1st | |
Gotland Game Conference 2024 | Nordic | Jun 3rd |
Games Mental Health Summit 2024 | Europe | Jun 3rd |
Dev Play Conference 2024 | Europe | Jun 3rd |
Tribeca Games Festival 2024 | North America | Jun 5th |