1. A system comprising: a virtualization module configured to execute a first virtual instance of a first application based on a version of the first application in a virtual computing environment on a first cloud-based server, the virtual computing environment being generated by a virtual machine on the first cloud-based server, an interface associated with the first virtual instance of the first application being presented at a first client device in network communication with the first cloud-based server; a gesture input module configured to receive, from the first client device, gesture data about a gesture input signal received at the first client device, the gesture input signal being recognizable by software on the first client device and received from a user of the first client device, the gesture input signal being associated with a request for a desired function affecting performance or behavior of the first virtual instance of the first application; a gesture mapping module configured to map the gesture data to application control data that is recognizable by the first application, the application control data operable to initiate the desired function affecting performance or behavior of the first virtual instance of the first application, wherein to map the gesture data to application control data comprises translating gesture data that is not native to first application to an alternative data that are compatible with the first application; and a gesture emulation module configured to use the application control data to initiate the desired function affecting performance or behavior of the first virtual instance of the first application and configured in response to execute, in the virtual computing environment, a set of one or more events for causing execution of the desired function affecting performance or behavior of the first virtual instance of the first application, thereby enabling the first instance of the application to respond to non-native input gestures received by the first client device and otherwise not recognizable by the first application.