Gaming has seen a significant change within the last few years and especially on the mobile platform realm. What was previously a fun activity that was meant to be played in short bursts of time has become an industry that has been able to challenge the traditional gaming industry. From the basic pixelated games to the jump of realistic and immersive games that are stretching the capabilities of smartphones, mobile gaming has without a doubt become an essential part of the gaming world.
The History of Mobile Gaming: From Snake to App Stores
Snake is probably the first mobile game and the one with the highest cult position in fandom. Snake was introduced on Nokia phones at the end of the 20th century. And allong the first batch of mobile games, they were created with the idea of being easily accessible, so that anyone can enjoy the game without having to own expensive equipment. The success of Snake led to the creation of other classic games like Tetris and Space Impact, which had somewhat more complexity but could be still easily adapted to the small screen.
As mobile devices improved in the early 2000s, Java and WAP games provided better graphics and more sophisticated controlling systems. There were other games that helped to demonstrate that there was more to mobile gaming than just the monochrome displays, such as Bounce and different mobile racing titles. However, the most dramatic change took place with the appearance of app stores.
The App Store Model and the Rise of Casual Gaming
The launch of Apple’s App Store in 2008 and Google Play (former Android Market) in 2011 has changed the face of mobile gaming for good. It also meant that developers now had a way of marketing their games to a larger population of consumers and this has lead to the advancement of mobile gaming. This era marked the popularity of casual games which include; Angry Birds, Temple Run, Flappy Bird and many others.
These games were easy to control due to the use of touchscreen and thus attracted many players. At the same time, the availability of the microtransactions and freemium models helped the developers to implement the in-app purchases and advertisements to generate revenue instead of asking for the payment from the start of the download or game acquiral.
The growth of the competitive and AAA gaming sector
As the smartphones industry changed the ‘mobile devices game’ in terms of hardware capabilities, with more powerful systems and the inclusion of the touch screen, it led to the integration of new elements into mobile games.
Competitive and multiplayer strategy games grew exponentially, such as Clash of Clans and Clash Royale. Not long after that, the appearance of battle royale games like PUBG Mobile and Call of Duty Mobile defined mobile gaming as a competitive category.
Cloud Gaming and Cross-Platform Integration
Cloud gaming has extended another level to mobile gaming where users are able to play high-end games without being limited by the device they are using. Other services include Xbox Cloud Gaming and NVIDIA GeForce Now, which allow users to play console and PC games on their phones through cloud computing. On the other hand, cross-platform play is making the gap between mobile and conventional gaming even narrower. Games like Genshin Impact are also integrated to enable the player transition from mobile to PC or console and vice versa, thus proving that mobile gaming is not a secondary form of gaming but a means of gaming.
Today, mobile gaming is most diverse and is for everybody. Hyper casual games like Subway Surfers are still popular while strategy and card games like Hearthstone and Clash Royale continue to do well. The industry has also benefited from the migration of traditionally physcal games into the digital real like online casino games. The shift from the land-based casino to the digital platforms has made the access to games way easier to the point that it is now possible to play real money slots in online platforms with the touch of a button in the palm of your hand. Players no longer have to visit a physical casino to play their favorite games as they can now access hundreds of slot games and other classic games on their mobile phones.
The Future of Mobile Gaming
As technology is improving rapidly, the mobile gaming is going to be more realistic and inmersive in the future. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning is helping to customize the gaming experience and make the in-game activities way more personalised.
The popularity of Augmented Reality was demonstrated by games such as Pokémon GO and experts predict that with the improvement in hardware, more intricate AR and VR experiences are likely to be seen.
