The Rise of Mobile Gaming??

Our earlier article shared some insights about the gaming community. Understanding the intricacies of the mobile gaming community is important yes, but it begs the question: “How did it get so big?”??

There are many factors to consider, namely accessibility, cost, quantity, technological advances, and then some. But what we want to focus on are the milestones that changed the face of mobile gaming suddenly bringing the device head-to-head with established legacy consoles.??

Let’s start there. Consoles. I was six years old when I received my Sony PlayStation. It was 1997 and my parents knew nothing of gaming but they thought it might be a nice addition for a single child. Since then, I’ve been obsessed with Sony. I dabbled in PC gaming for a short while but that came to a halt when consoles picked up the pace. Fast forward to 2015 and suddenly, I find myself getting immersed, even if for a shorter while, in these indie mobile games like Lifeline, Lara Croft Go, The Room, and so many others. Come 2017, I start using my phone during commutes, grocery trips, work breaks, and travel abroad to catch Pokémon. Come the infamous year of 2020 and I’m sucked into the world of Genshin, no idea the impact (see what I did there?) it would have on my peace of mind during the pandemic.??

So, how did mobile gaming do it? When did it succeed at taking a piece of my console gaming time pie???

Let’s explore a few milestones in the last decade.?

The supercomputers in our pockets we call ‘smartphones’?

The smartphone was developed long before mobile games (as we know them today) landed into our palms. But what made the biggest shift was the iPhone in 2007 with its revolutionary touch screen and user-friendly interface. It provided immediate access to the internet and allowed users to find what they needed almost instantly. With a smartphone in one’s pocket, keeping in touch with loved ones, trends, and local and international news became a sinch.? Connectivity and information accessibility have been at an all-time high. And today, in 2023, there are 16.8 billion smartphones (Statista, 2023) in circulation worldwide. That means there are 16.8 billion opportunities to connect with a mobile gamer.?

App Store and Google Play??

The App Store (Apple Inc.) became disruptive. It was designed with the user in mind, ensuring anyone can have access to new software at their fingertips right from their portable device. With the ability to house thousands of games, the app store turned the smartphone into a gaming device almost immediately. There’s no denying the potential this would bring to the gaming industry. Everyone carrying a smartphone was now a potential gamer. And with over 400 000 games available (most of them free) in the App Store alone in 2023, you can bet there’s something for everyone.??

Bombastic Games That Changed the Landscape?

At first, mobile games were more arcade focused, smaller in size, and limited. But today, mobile games go anywhere from Idle RPGs, to Multiplayer Online, to classic arcades and more. There is no genre of gaming that hasn’t shown up on the stage and some have even left a massive impact on the industry. For example, only five years after its release (2009), Angry Birds had 2 billion downloads and 263 million users per month (Wired, 2014). Games like Candy Crush that are considered mobile legacy are still leading in the industry with 250 million monthly users and seeing a 15% increase in revenue year-on-year (Business of Apps, 2023). And one of the most impressive successes comes from PUBG Mobile who has a consistent 50 million players online each day and generated 2 billion in revenue in 2021 (Business of Apps, 2023). Here are some of the most influential games across mobile genre:??

Looking at the above, it totally makes sense that mobile gaming has stolen a very sizable piece of the gaming pie. I, myself have played at least 98% of the games on that list… for hours. The quality of these mobiles games sometimes surpasses what I experience on console and can successfully immerse me into the world. At times, gaming on my phone also feels more intimate and private because it’s a device I share with no one else in my household.??

There are many reasons why mobile gaming has surged to the top in the last decade and I’ve only just grazed the surface of a handful.??