Do you have a smart mobile phone? Of course, you do. The total number of people owning smartphones worldwide is nearly 6.6 billion, according to Statista.
The Abundance of Smartphones
Smartphones have become a basic part of life for almost everyone. Especially nowadays, people don't even carry cash and use their phones to pay for simple things like groceries and vegetables.
Talking to people has also never been easier, no matter how far you are. You can talk to your friends anytime with a few taps on your phone. You need food, but you don't want to go out? Just order food on your phone, and it will be delivered to your door.
Since all aspects of our lives are already available through our phones, how can we leave out entertainment? Entertainment sources can include movies, pictures, games, etc. The main thing we will discuss in this blog is gaming on smartphones.
The Origin of Mobile Gaming
Mobile gaming has taken a wild turn since it was introduced in the 1990s by games such as Tetris(1984) and Snake(1976). These games became a worldwide phenomenon after their release. They had simple controls and gameplay that almost anyone could understand and play. People who used phones back then have surely played these classics.
Afterwards, in the early 2000s, games like Alien Fish Exchange(2000) and NBA 2K1 (2000) further dwelled into new gaming experiences for people.
Evolution and Growth
The next leap in the mobile gaming platform took place after the iPhone was launched in 2007 along with its App Store. The App Store had 500 applications, including some games based on touchscreen control.
Right after that, in 2009, the game Angry Birds took the world by storm when it reached out to the global market with its popularity. In a short time, it redefined what a mobile game could be about with its better graphics and enjoyable gameplay. In the same way, another game, namely Plant vs Zombies, was released in 2010.
Afterwards, in 2012, a game was released, which amassed a massive audience then and still has billions of users; Candy Crush. This game is the highest-grossing mobile game of all time. After that, another game with massive fandom, Clash of Clans, was released. These games were the epitome of mobile gaming then and are still played by many people.
Introduction of Interactive Games
As mobile games continued to multiply, many games incorporated new technologies such as AR, like Pokemon Go. Big AAA Companies also saw the market in the mobile gaming industry and jumped the ship by releasing mobile games such as Genshin Impact and PUBG. These kinds of games give users PC-like gameplay on their mobile phones.
Although phones with very low specs cannot play these smoothly, in 2022, average mobile phones can play these games well enough to be entertaining.
But why are the big AAA game companies investing in the mobile gaming platform? This can be easily understood if we look into how much the game industry earned last year in 2021.
Impact of Mobile Gaming on the Economy
According to a post on newzoo.com, the total number of smartphone users globally reached an astonishing amount of 4.6 Billion in 2021. The same article mentions that the mobile gaming industry's total revenue reached 93.2 Billion dollars, which is more than half of all the gaming industry revenue combined, i.e. 180.3 Billion dollars.
Since the mobile gaming industry has such an impact on the total economy of the gaming industry, the jumping of all big AAA companies into the mobile gaming platform is not unexpected. Rather, we can say that mobile gaming is the new trend and whoever gets big first will get the biggest share in the mobile gaming market.
Future of Mobile Gaming
Since the present is so prosperous for mobile gaming, what does the future have in store for mobile gaming?
Well, I am sure the future of mobile gaming is nothing but greater than what it is right now. Don't believe me? Then please continue to read the following point on why I think so.
Meaning of "Mobile" in Mobile Phone
Mobile phones are "mobile", meaning we can carry them wherever we want without discomfort. Anything on our mobile phone is closer to us at any given time. So, everything that we develop for mobile phone users will always be available for people at any given time, unlike PC and Console games, which cannot be carried around as easily as you carry your mobile phone.
As per the trend where almost everyone has a mobile smartphone, almost anyone can be a targeted audience for the game.
Constantly Evolving Hardware for Smartphones
This is a well-known fact among smartphone users. Every year smartphones are getting more and more fast and powerful. The best phone 10 years ago can barely hold a candle to a budget phone now. Since mobile phones are evolving yearly, game developers can provide consumers with more immersive and high-end games.
A mobile phone may be as fast and powerful as the current best PC or Console on the market in the future. Then, the games we can play can be leaps and bounds beyond what the current phones can play. Who knows, mobile phones might replace all the non-mobile forms of computers.
Development of 5G
5G network, which has broken the current data transmission speed record, is on its way to conquering the world. Many phone companies are targeting their devices to be compatible with the 5G network.
After the further development and accessibility of 5G in smartphones, there will be a burst of high-quality multiplayer games on mobile phones. Players will no longer need to compromise better graphics for low latency, boosting the mobile gaming platform.
AR and VR in Mobile Games
Even though it is not perfect now, if games perfectly integrate AR and VR technology, they will have the potential to overtake the industry in the future.
So, this ends my analysis of mobile games' future by looking at their past and current turn of events in the technological market.
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