You want to play games on your mobile phone and snake isn't good enough for you any more. There are a variety of new phones with preinstalled games and the ability to download games 'over the air' to your phone.
There are many different gaming platforms for your mobile so you need to make sure you aren't buying the 'Betamax' of gaming handsets. Lets have a look at the options.
MIDP
This is based on Java and is by far the most popular platform at the moment. There are many MIDP1.0 handsets out there and MIDP2.0 devices are comming soon and should be backwardly compatible (MIDP1.0 games should work on MIDP2.0).
Currently most mobile games use MIDP so a device supporting MIDP is a good bet for downloading games.
Brew
Brew is used for Operators who use Qualcomm technology, and is the norm for many North American Network Operators such as Verizon. The games should be quick because it's C based rather than Java. MIDP has the head start at the moment but with Qualcomm behind it brew could do well.
DoJa
A Japanese technology which is now entering Europe. This is also Java based and was the technology used for network operators using i-mode technology. Now isn't the time to jump to DoJa but it shows promise.
Symbian
This is more of an Operating System than a gaming platform. Several device manufacturers have joined up to produce a standardised operating system for mobile phones. If your phone supports Symbian you can download Symbian applications which can include games. Most Symbian devices also support MIDP so you can't go wrong if you get both (e.g. Nokia 7650, Nokia 3650).
Mophun
Mophun is C based like Brew and is designed with gaming in mind from the ground up. Sony Ericsson phones were the first to include Mohpun support, even though the technology was right developers didn't jump on board so there isn't as much Mophun content out there as MIDP content. Again there are some devices that include MIDP and Mophun support so you get the best of both worlds.
Conclusion
If you are buying a phone and want to play games go for MIDP support. If you have the budget try and get a device with Symbian or even better MIDP, Symbian, and Mophun. I'd also look for a phone with a D pad (directional pad) so you don't have to fiddle with an awkward keypad layout and keep in mind that not all phones will detect 2 buttons at once so games where you need to move and fire at the same time or move diagonaly could be a pain to control. Good gaming phones I've used are the Sharp GX10/GX20 and the series 60 Nokia devices e.g. Nokia 7650 and Nokia 3650.
