The mobile phone. What once was a giant brick, with the capability to make bad phone calls, and cost a fortune, is now a handheld computer. They are, in fact, faster than the atari from back in the day. So it is little wonder that the mobile gaming market has been racing along the rainbow road of the gaming market – and leaving consoles in the dust. 

The global gaming market, as a whole, is worth more than $120 billion. Mind-boggling – but what is even more of an achievement is the mobile gaming market accounts for $55 billion. 

Big numbers.

Roots

The roots of mobile gaming can really be traced back to those handheld mini-games we all had as kids. Then, we moved on, and Nintendo was ready for us with the Gameboy. Fast forward a few years, and we have the PS Vita, the DS (the 2DS and so on), Retro Arcade release, then the Nintendo Switch made a grand entrance. 

We are so used to having a device to play games on, in our hands, it is no wonder that the mobile phone feels like the combination of both worlds. 

Easy Of Use

Those of us who enjoyed playing warcraft, League of Legends, or console-based games like Zelda, Mario Kart and even Jade Cocoon have always had to make the compromise – after all, you can’t carry your computer out into the real world now. Well, you can in laptop form (shout out to the companies who gave us gaming laptops), but it isn’t as easy as a download on your phone. 

Most mobile gaming apps are easy to put down and pick up later. Designed to make short playtimes work perfectly well. They fill the gap on the commute or those toilet breaks you get at work. 

Due to the limitations of the controls, the instructions, and how you play will never be too difficult, if you like a challenge, there are a few games that are well known for their difficulty. 

• Hundreds – puzzle games, sweet till level 30, then becomes frustrating.
• 10000000 – If you like Candy Crush and Castlevania, then this is a game for you. It is a dungeon run game, but a lot is going on.
• The Room – an incredible puzzle game that takes you on a journey of hyper-realistic 3D rooms. 

All apps are in one place. It doesn’t matter if you are on Android, Windows or Apple – all of the games will be found inside their corresponding apps stores. There is no guesswork involved, and a considerable percentage of these games are free – bonus. 

Options

It no longer matters the kind of gamer you are. There is something for everyone on now. The most popular mobile games right now are:

• PUBG Mobile
• Brawl Stars
• RWBY: Amity Area
• Holedown
• Evoland 2
• The Room: Old Sins
• Dissembler

And that isn’t even touching on the massive popularity of mobile gambling apps. It’s easy and enjoyable to spend a few dollars and win a few more on things like phone bill casino. 

Everyone

This becomes something very exciting, mobile gaming has managed to snag in people that otherwise wouldn’t be playing games at all. Moms who sit playing candy crush while their little one naps, grandparents who are sending you invites to give them a pancake maker for their kitchen, and it doesn’t end there. 

Gamers used to be considered more as basement-dwelling hermits, who wanted nothing more than to beat the current level and avoid the sun. But, the mobile gaming market couldn’t have exploded to epic proportions without the people who don’t consider themselves as gamers. Which is pretty remarkable. 

Issues?

Some games are released too early, in a bid just to push them to market. Pokemon Go was and still is a fantastic game that managed to combine the great outdoors, with a mobile game. And, made pokemon feel like they were almost real. Jurassic Park released something not too dissimilar, and both had many issues with servers, people trying to cheat, and so on. 

Storage. You really need to pay attention to how much storage your phone has, it is very easy to littler your phone with so many games, and fill it. 

Finally

Mobile gaming, when done well, is starting to bridge the gap between the real world and technology in a unique way. Using inbuilt phone features to improve the gameplay, like the camera for VR/AR and the microphone for giving commands. The advantages of mobile gaming are that it is cheap, accessible, and it gives indie developers the same chance as the big names to be popular.