You are more than likely aware that mobile game is big, but you probably do not realize just how big an industry it is. That is in terms of gaming in general, but also in its ability to drive the continued improvement in smartphone technology. And every expert in the field is predicting that it is only going to get bigger.
Incredibly, it is a mobile game that is pushing forward the global video gaming market, and already half of the worldwide video gaming revenue comes from smartphone games. When you come to think about it, maybe it is not that incredible when you understand that approximately 80% of the world’s population owns a smartphone, with that figure rising nearer to 90% for developed nations. I don’t have the figures for how many people have owned a games console, but it does not take a genius to see that the number would be miniscule in comparison. The sheer size of that potential market is what games manufacturers find so alluring.
According to the Global Mobile Market Report published in September 2021, the global mobile game revenue in 2019 was $68.3 billion. It is expected that 2021 will top $90 billion with more than $116 billion expected for 2024.
The increase is coming from two different directions, which is music to the ears of game developers. Not only is the market increasing and more people are buying – literally – into mobile gaming, but 70% of existing mobile gamers are playing more than they have done before.
Another reason for the industry’s success, and why it doesn’t look like it is going to change anytime soon, is the huge range of game genres available on smartphones. As well as the role-playing, arcade, simulation and sports titles that make up the vast majority of the console market, there are puzzle, casino, and card games, and in fact puzzle games are the most popular smartphone games sold, by a distance.
Mobile gaming taps into several different demographics, ones who would never buy a game console. Those who play casino games are a very good example. Online casinos are a huge subsection of online gaming. Such is the popularity of online poker, roulette, and other traditional bricks-and-mortar casino games, that there is a whole new industry spawned around recommending top online casinos in the US, based on your preferences, where in the world you live, and your skill level.
Online casinos cater for experienced players topping up their skills on the go, as well as those who are not able to go to an actual casino. The reasons for this are numerous but don’t forget that not everyone feels comfortable enough to stroll into a casino or onto a poker table, some live hundreds of miles from their nearest one, and still, others live somewhere where casinos are illegal.
There are games that not only lend themselves perfectly to the mobile format but actually are only really viable played on a smartphone. Pokémon Go heralded a new type of gaming experience and became one of the most downloaded games in history.
On the other side of the coin, there are more and more games that are pushing smartphone capabilities to their limits. Games of this type, complexity, and scope just would not have been viable in the very recent past, but as smartphones become more and more powerful, games designers are taking full advantage. It is a two-way street as well. When people are shopping for their next smartphone, there are three aspects that are going to sway their decision. How it looks, the quality of the camera, and its ability to handle the biggest and best games. Smartphone manufacturers understand that only too well, so will constantly work to keep a little ahead of the game designers, which is a good thing, not just for mobile gamers but for everyone with a smartphone.
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