I'm Not So Sure The First Apple Watch Game Rules!

Touch Arcade is reporting that, according to App Store update notes, Rules! is the first “official” game for Apple Watch. Obviously, there are going to be a slew of games available for download come April 24, but kudos to Rules! for leading the charge.

Still, there’s nothing particularly bold about it. All this seems to be is a scaled down translation of the iOS game, which is a simple, short-play puzzler you can check out in action over at Christine’s AppAdvice review.

The wearable version, being so much smaller, seems limited to four cards, and IGN describes it as a “brain workout mini game” meant for short bursts of engagement when you’re momentarily fresh out of literally anything else to do. Rules! for Apple Watch looks to be very much a direct port to the smaller screen, and that’s not particularly compelling. I’ll allow that it’s going to take a long time for clever developers to really exploit wearables and build unique experiences around their new control metaphors, but I’m not convinced that gaming will get much of a foothold on Apple Watch at all.

Instead, I think Apple Watch will primarily make its gaming mark as an ancillary input mechanism and enhancement device for iOS and (hopefully) console and PC games. In that context, it would be useful in moving much of the standard HUD clutter offscreen, opening up your racing (out of boost!) and FPS (out of bullets!) experiences. You could get touch- or audio-based in-game alerts on your wrist — just as you’d get them in real life — in the form of Glances or notifications. Remember your cell phone in GTA? Or your tiny inventory in Zelda Whatever? Nintendo is finally coming to mobile, after all.

Speaking of mobile gaming, Apple Watch could act as a haptic feedback module for smartphones and tablets that don’t have that capability built in. And going in the other direction, certain developers in the industrial push towards VR could implement Apple Watch as yet another positional sensor in their efforts to maximize the accuracy and heighten the reality of whatever’s happening right in front of your face. As a peripheral, Apple Watch has real potential to augment your gaming experience. But as a dedicated platform itself?

I’ll be happy with an updated Tamagotchi.