Mobile gaming has changed drastically over the years in terms of quality, trends and genres, but there is one thing that hasn’t changed: its continual spike in popularity. Year after year, mobile gaming becomes more popular and makes a larger impact on the whole gaming industry. While this is an evolving market and it will continue to change through the years, there are a few trends that are easy to spot when you look at the mobile gaming trajectory.
AR Influence
Pokémon Go made a huge impact on mobile gaming. Even though there are tons of articles and experts saying that it has lost a big portion of its initial audience, the truth is that this game is still near the top in terms of popularity. According to most lists, Pokémon Go is the second or third most played game in the world.
Few games have been able to replicate this success, but this shows the viability of AR as a gaming mechanic. Both Google and Apple have recently launched development kits that have AR implementation easier than ever, so expect to see this popping up soon in lots of mobile games.
Human Interaction
One of the driving forces behind mobile gaming popularity is that the games are easy to play. Unlike PC and console games where you have to be home, or portable games where you need a separate system, mobile gaming is on a device that everyone has with them at all times.
What has kept mobile gaming popular is that people are starting to interact with the games on a deeper level. We are using these games to gain a sense of progression in life. For example, when you start to play Final Fantasy 15 on Android or Apple, you completely interact with your kingdom. You get notifications when it’s in trouble and there are numerous ways to make your kingdom and players the best. It gives you the feeling that you are getting somewhere, that you are changing along with the game.
In contrast, if you play the console version of Final Fantasy 15, then it only stays with you as long as you’re sitting down and playing the game. It leaves you once you stand up and go about your life. Mobile gaming is there for you at all hours, whenever you’re ready for it. This level of human interaction is impossible to replicate with any other system.
New Ideas and Small Teams
Mobile gaming is profitable, there’s no other way of saying it. Smartphones and tablets have proven themselves to be viable platforms, which is a great thing because it finally has enough sway to pull in experienced game developers. Not only that, but mobile gaming doesn’t require huge development teams and massive budgets to produce games. A small team with big ideas can easily break into the market.
Each year, more and more development teams are coming up and improving the overall landscape of mobile gaming. This has been a trend for numerous years and doesn’t look like it’s about to stop. You can expect to see even more talented developers entering the fray and showing what they can do on these small devices.
Conclusion
Mobile gaming is changing the way people game and how they interact with apps in general. As Pokémon Go has shown, people are willing to walk and move in the real world for gaming. With more developers joining every year and the rise of AR, it’s impossible to guess what will be released in the coming years, but it’s sure to be fantastic.
