If you’re reading this, you probably call yourself a ‘gamer’ and you’re by no means alone. The gaming industry is one of the biggest and most successful in the world, and in the US alone, it is estimated that 60% of people engage in gaming regularly.
The constantly increasing popularity of gaming is largely due to the consistent technological advancements taking place in the gaming world.
Gone are the days when games could only be accessed at entertainment complexes like arcades. Now, you can enter the wild and wonderful world of gaming simply by unlocking your phone.
With this in mind, let’s take a look at some of the most significant ways the evolution of mobile gaming has influenced the gaming industry as a whole.
Increasing Accessibility
One of the biggest effects the rise of mobile gaming has had on the gaming world stems from how much it has increased accessibility for a variety of different users.
One of the clearest examples of this comes from a look into casino gaming. Back in the day, the gambler could only enjoy their hobby at a brick-and-mortar casino, which presented them with a number of different challenges.
Firstly, casinos are often scattered around and require travel to access; on top of that, many casino settings are not suitable for those with various disabilities. However, the whole world of the casino is now available within mobile casino options.
As such, many casinos now have apps or websites that can be accessed on a mobile device, meaning players can immerse themselves in the casino world from the comfort of their own home.
On top of this, due to their nature as mobile casinos, a lot of these sites are able to offer additional benefits for their users that simply cannot be matched by more traditional settings. One example of this comes from the emergence of crypto casinos.
These are online casinos that can be accessed through a mobile device and allow their users to wager and withdraw funds using cryptocurrency, which often leads to quicker transaction speeds and greater security than what can be experienced in a traditional setting.
Prompting Evolution
As mobile gaming has risen in popularity, it has forced the whole of the gaming sector to rethink its strategies and evolve, for the betterment of all players. Game developers are learning from the success of mobile games and incorporating many of their aspects into their own creations, or even crafting mobile games themselves.
One of the most famous mobile games out there, Call of Duty: Mobile, for example, emerged in 2019 when mobile games were experiencing an unprecedented boom.
This now means that fans of the Call of Duty Franchise are not only able to engage with it when they are at home and in front of their console or PC, but can jump into the game on the bus or while on their work break, simply by taking out their phone.
On top of this, many video game developers have begun to incorporate newer aspects of gaming that were popularized by mobile options. Aspects such as ‘free to play’ modes and the ability to make ‘in-game’ purchases were made popular by the mobile gaming world.
Engaging New Audiences
One of the greatest effects mobile gaming has had on the gaming industry as a whole is its ability to attract people from whole new audiences and demographics to the gaming world.
For example, although gaming used to be a traditionally male-dominated hobby, a recent study has revealed that 74% of women surveyed play mobile games. Before mobile games, you had to be certain that you wanted to commit a decent amount of time to gaming before purchasing a console or PC to facilitate it.
Now, though, most people who don’t call themselves gamers have a phone. Meaning they already have the tool necessary to start gaming, and don’t need to make any big purchases to begin doing so.
This has led to a massive cohort of people who might not have otherwise tried gaming, to give it a go, with many finding that they greatly enjoy the mobile games they own and so going on to purchase tech to expand their gaming activities, such as consoles.
An Awareness of Time
Many people report that one of the biggest reasons they lose interest in gaming or are unable to keep up with the hobby is due to time constraints. As we get older, we tend to gain more responsibilities and more commitments, and so we can find it difficult to carve time aside for gaming.
Mobile gaming, it appears, has emerged as the antidote for that. Not only does the accessibility of mobile games mean they can be accessed at any time and from anywhere, but most are also built with respect for the player’s time in mind.
Mobile games thrive when they give us quick fun that we can keep returning to. Games like Candy Crush, where observable progress can be made a little bit at a time, are dominating the mobile game industry.
As a result of this, many more people are being drawn to these kinds of games, and games that offer fun casual play sessions are in active development. Consequently, the evolution of mobile games has led to a whole new genre of gaming emerging, and one that has appealed to more people than any other single genre ever has.
