Getting started with Android Gaming

Beginner's Guide to Android Gaming

Lots of our readers change from Iphone gaming to Android gaming, just because it is so much easier to personalise your Android experience via emulators and so forth. Often however inexperienced Smartphone users find the jump to Android difficult for those same reasons that Android is so rewarding: There's too much freedom on Android! Being an iOS gamer you're confined to iTunes and the Appstore for your gaming needs, when a gamer buys an Android phone or tablet for the first time they're confronted with so much choice that it becomes bewildering.


Not only has the Android Market now changed its name to Google Play but an Android gamer can also choose a huge variety of other sources for their games and apps. Google Play is of course the first stop for downloads, but there are many other app sources too, Gameloft provides an Appstore of sorts, games can be downloaded from the Mighty EA itself. GetJar is another popular source and then of course there's Amazon's efforts at getting a rival to Google Play up and running. To complicate matters even more when looking for Android apps and games almost anybody can have links to an apk file on any file sharing website, we've even managed to find apk files on some blogs! 
Again some explaining is necessary: An apk file is the native file type for an Android app, with a file sharing program all that is needed is to set your Android phone or tablet to play non Google apps and install the Apk files straight to your phone after downloading them to your computer (useful as some small developers choose not to have their apps on the official market for whatever reasons, also if you're in a country with limited Google Play access then downloading apk files for your Android games might be the only route you can take) And that's how to install and find an Apk file for your Android device, very simple really. Of course when downloading the APK files make sure that the site you download from is trusted and not conducting any sort of APK piracy!
Well I hope that's cleared up a bit more about how to change to Android gaming after being a dedicated Iphone gamer. A little bit more complicated then Apple device gaming but very rewarding, especially if you're in the slightest bit tech minded. 
Of course if you've now made the leap to Android and are starting on the rewarding path to being an Android gamer you want to know where to start  and what should be your first games to start downloading for your new Android toy
Where to start off as a new Android Gamer
Firstly as we've already mentioned Google Play is your first stop but don't forget that
Amazon has a Free App of the Day that is  sometimes really spectacular.

You need some recommendations as to what apps are hot on Android so get AppBrain App Market. It's on Android Market and it just gives you a better way to catalog what apps you have installed. The best feature this has is a friends list where you can add friends and see what they are installing and using.

Many games on iPhone cost money but often developers will choose to have their games published as ad-supported games on Android examples of these ad-supported Android games are:.Angry Birds, Angry Birds Seasons and Angry Birds Rio and these can  all be downloaded for gratis from the Google Play.
There's thousands of great new games out for Android, and more arriving all the time, but if you're just starting out give these app suggestions a try, they've been around on Google Play (Android Market!) for a while but are a great way to start your Android Game collection:

Cordy is brilliant and works with the Play gamepad as well as being a superb game for the Xperia Play controls (if you're lucky enough to be an Android gamer with an Xperia Play phone). Abduction/Abduction 2 are great little Doodle Jump-alikes and filled with a lot of humour. Dungeon Defenders is a must have Android app, but you will need a fairly powerful Android phone to get the most out of it. Flying Turtle is a decent choice for an app that is like Tiny Wings-like. Fruit Slice is a free version of Fruit Ninja that is quite good.Geared and Unblock Me are both available for free . Meganoid is a good platformer-in fact check out any games from Orange Pixel, they're one of the funnest and coolest developers on Android and known for their retro pixel art games.. Netflix may work with your device and is now available (if you have a netflix subscription) and is a definite must have app for Android. Radiant has superb luminosity type graphics and as an Android Space Invaders clone is great. Robotek is very addictive with a great graphical style. Snes9x EX is a free snes emulator (Again emus on Android is something that iOS would never touch-another advantage of having an Android device as opposed to being an Iphone/iPad gamer. Songbird is one of the better music players available for Android. And finally for some relaxing Android puzzling try Enjoy Sudoku . Enjoy the freedom of being an Android Gamer!