Since the early 2000s, there have been some serious advances in the mobile gaming world. The once pixelated monophonic game is now a thing of the past. The evolution of casino gaming entering into the mobile scene allows you to play with people all over the globe from the palm of your hand.
To see how mobile gaming has changed since the early 2000s, you have to step even further back in time. Remember the old Nokia bricks with the basic black text on a green background? At this time, the height of mobile gaming came from the iconic Snake. A simple game of manoeuvring around the screen without colliding with yourself. As it ate more, the snake grew, giving you less space to move. Snake was one of the first of its kind and would capture the hearts of many, with nostalgic feelings extending as each year passes, but this was just a glimpse of things to come for mobile gaming. Only two decades have gone by, and Snake looks as retro as pong and space invaders compared to the modern smartphones we seem to be fixated by on a daily basis.
The link between Snake and the latest Call of Duty Mobile game is anything but straightforward, but the technology to push for multiplayer mobile gaming has helped create the backbone of the smartphones we know and love today. The first downloadable content was released for mobiles back in 2000, but handheld gaming only truly took off in 2008 with the introduction of the Apple Store. Before the Apple Store, handheld gaming was dominated by the likes of Nintendo and Sony with the DS and PSP handheld consoles. However, with pocket-sized gaming and access to mobile technology coming together, the world of phone games changed at an alarming rate!
Mobile games blew up practically overnight with the app store launch, allowing third-party game designers to turn their hand to development with various gaming channels. As a result, both game fanatics and more casual gamers could enjoy gaming on the go without having to wait for more significant titles to be released. Mobile gaming is much faster-paced, with new releases, DLC packages, and regularly introduced updates. With mobile gaming becoming so accessible, even the uninterested have found themselves indulging.
To begin with, the only thing that really let the mobile gaming revolution down was the actual games. Although phones and tablets were evolving at a rapid pace, the playability and graphics of these early games didn’t change all that much. The thought of mobile gaming becoming the multi-billion dollar industry, rivalling that of dedicated consoles, that it is today would have been laughed at a few years ago, but the enhanced graphics and advanced playability have turned this industry into a giant. Powerful graphics processors and more responsive screens combined with other phone technologies have allowed mobile games to run just as smoothly as the retrospective consoles.
This growth of mobile technology has suddenly given smartphone games comparable qualities to 6th generation consoles. With longer playtimes, amazing graphics, and a new sense of smoothness, many users see mobiles and tablets as their primary gaming devices. In previous years gaming consumers have been primarily male, but the new world of smartphone gaming has seen a considerable rise in female players making up a large proportion of the industry demographic. In addition, with the advent of big data, gaming companies are experimenting with various titles that will appeal to much bigger audiences and bridge the gap between games and social media.
The convenience that comes with mobile gaming is another plus that has seen developments over the years. For example, passing the time waiting for buses, trains, and other modes of transport is easier than ever, with a miniature game device sitting in your pocket all the time. Additionally, Multiplayer aspects of mobile gaming have seen major advancements allowing you to connect with other players from around the globe in games like Words With Friends, Clash of Clans, and casino based titles such as Zynga Poker.
The gaming industry is seeing a shift, with download numbers not as significant as they once were, while player retention is becoming more important than ever before. Technology is developing, and it will continue to do so, creating an exciting time for the world of mobile games, especially with the recent introduction of VR and 3D worlds. Oversaturation is already becoming a problem, with so many third-party developers releasing new titles every week. With this, the level that game developers need to reach is much higher, only pushing the quality of this industry even further.
With such a growing industry, it is no surprise that other business giants want a piece of the pie. Over $155 billion was generated in revenue during 2020, which is expected to grow to a massive $260 billion by 2025. As a result, business moguls such as Google, Facebook, and Apple are all looking at ways to further streamline their companies within the gaming scene.
Will mobile gaming make consoles obsolete? We don’t quite know for sure, but consumers worldwide are becoming more in favour of the world of mobile games due to their convenience and great time passing abilities. One of the main factors is price. Having an all in one device will always be a favoured choice, significantly when most games on the app store only cost a couple of pounds, if they aren’t free. Mobile gaming will continue to grow with a shift in scope and quality that does not look like a distant phenomenon.