App Store’s Best Apps and Games of 2020

Among the winners: Zoom for best iPad app. I’ve given Zoom a fair amount of grief for their sketchy Mac app and its installer, but credit where credit belongs, their iPad app is pretty good. When people ask me what I do when I need to use Zoom — and like everyone in 2020, I need to use Zoom — I tell them I use it on my iPad. (I get a better camera there than on my Mac, too.)

Boo-hiss, though, for awarding Genshin Impact iPhone game of the year. It does look like a beautiful Breath of the Wild-esque game — but it’s a free-to-play gacha game financially. It’s a gambling mechanic, and I wish Apple wouldn’t hold one up as their iPhone game of the year. Estimates peg Genshin Impact’s revenue at $400 million and counting after just two months. Their App Store top in-app purchases currently list (1) a $5 “Blessings Bundle”, (2) a $5 pack of 300 “Genesis Crystals”, and (3) a $100 pack of 6,480 of those crystals, presumably intended for those who like to buy in bulk, not for those who have a gambling problem.

★ Thursday, 3 December 2020