For games developers and marketers, playing on a mobile device like a tablet or, more commonly, a smartphone, is the new frontier.
More games are being designed with this platform in mind, while popular console game franchises are increasingly seeing new instalments being released that are fully optimised for mobile.
Increasingly, people are choosing to play games on their mobile phones more than on any other device, including consoles, laptops, and PCs. What is the reason for this unprecedented shift?
Smaller size
On the surface, mobile gaming doesn’t seem to have much going for it. Everything is smaller, from the screen size to the buttons you have to manipulate to get through the game.
Phones generally have less processing power and a shorter battery life than other gaming platforms, like the latest console.
Of course, you’re not going to get comparable sound quality to your HD TV or full-surround home speaker setup.
Convenient and portable
The first reason for the growing popularity of mobile gaming is convenience. In this case, the small size of mobile phones actually works in their favour.
You can stick them in your pocket and carry them everywhere, and we all usually do. Whether we intend to be playing games or not, few of us these days would think of going anywhere without our phones.
Always having your phone to hand means it’s easy to just pick it up and play, wherever you are.
Casual gaming
Mobile phones are the perfect platform for casual gaming – when you haven’t the time to get stuck into a lengthy campaign but just want to kill time for a few minutes or a few hours.
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A whole genre of casual games has also sprung up around mobile, aimed at a wider market than hardcore gaming enthusiasts.
Puzzle games like Candy Crush Saga are free to play, easy to understand and can often be played over social media sites like Facebook.
These appeal to players of all ages and backgrounds and make money for developers from in-game advertising or ad-free, paid-for premium versions.
Pocket computer
Mobile phones are becoming more powerful and sophisticated at a rapid rate. The latest model smartphones are more like a pocket computer than just a mobile phone with a few add-ons, and that means that they have the processing power to handle increasingly sophisticated games.
Because so many of us like to play games on our phones, this is no longer just an afterthought for developers.
Today’s smartphones are designed with gaming in mind. With the creators of the phones and the creators of the games working together to give the best possible mobile gaming experience, it’s little wonder that more new players are being recruited every day.
Mobile games are getting more sophisticated all the time, but for many people, their relative simplicity is a big part of the appeal.
The games are often free to play or download and can be easily enjoyed anywhere at any time. So great is their popularity that some experts suggest that soon mobile gaming could eclipse console gaming altogether.
