We will always remember those times in the early to mid-aughts where mobile gaming is limited to a snake chasing after a dot or a space ship destroying pixelated monsters but those days have long been gone.

Nowadays we have tablets and smartphones that allow us to play even the most complicated games. We've even reached the point where bigtime companies are already focusing on the transition to mobile gaming. We've seen that with the arrival of Call of Duty, Fortnite, and PUBG in mobile devices. Riot Games just recently created League of Legends: Wild Rift as their response to follow the mobile gaming trend. Even Blizzard Entertainment managed to pull one off with their upcoming game Diablo Immortal.

As a matter of fact, the most popular games nowadays are centered on the mobile device with Among Us and Genshin Impact leaving their respective marks. Though these games can be played on a PC, the gameplay and experience can translate in a mobile device as well.

These are signs that the mobile gaming scene should never be frowned upon and whether you like it or not, it is already the big thing that will change the scope of gaming in the next few years.

The numbers have already proven this fact and not even Dr. Disrespect and his online tirade could do anything to stop it.

MOBILE DEVICES ARE DOMINATING GAMING REVENUES

When Visual Cap published an infographic highlighting the revenues garnered in gaming, it revealed that mobile gaming trumped both PC and console in accumulating gaming revenues in 2020. Mobile devices racked $85 billion worth of revenues as compared to the PC's $40 billion and the console's $33 billion. What's surprising is that Mobile gaming only started in 1997 while the others have been involved since the 70s.

There are many contributing factors to this trend. The convenience of the smartphone has opened the doors for non-gamers to venture into the scene. If before, the populace is required to purchase a console or a PC to play a game, nowadays a tablet and a phone which we use in our everyday lives can be an alternative as well.

However it's the ability for these games to adapt to the needs of players that stood out. The free-to-play turned pay-to-access the full features mechanic, tend to attract more people to invest in the game more than the traditional buy the game first model. This even revolutionized gaming as non-mobile games started incorporating this concept.

In fact these transactions have opened the possibilities for game developers to diversify their market. For instance, Activation Blizzard forged a partnership with TiMi Studios for them to develop a mobile version of Call of Duty. This in turn gave an additional avenue for revenue growth for Activation Blizzard. And the results managed to pay dividends as Call of Duty: Mobile generated $327 million with 250 million downloads during its launch.

All of these are possible thanks to one revolutionary product.

 

THE RISE OF THE SMARTPHONE

When Steve Jobs announced his revolutionary masterpiece known as the iPhone, it opened a lot of possibilities for gaming to be accessible. Gone are those days when mobile games are limited to pixelated art as the graphics of these smartphones trumped the previous iterations of the mobile device. Smartphones aren't like your typical Nokia or Blackberry phones as they don't offer a restricted and small keypad that would ruin your gargantuan fingers. Steve Jobs even proudly announced in the auditorium that his device doesn't feature a stylus that can easily get lost which tends to spoil the experience of mobile gamers.

It was in 2008 when iOS and android app stores launched where gaming apps started to develop. Soon, titles like Candy Crush and Angry Birds started to dominate the market.

But things changed with the introduction of Vainglory where the possibilities for gaming to reach the next level can finally be answered. Will mobile gaming reach a pinnacle in the esports scene to rival Worlds and The International? Though the game is currently dead, there are still others that picked up from where they left off and they could possibly grow the scene to greater heights.

 

CRITICISMS ON MOBILE GAMES

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While trending, mobile games have been criticized for a lot of reasons but the main emphasis stems from the stigma that mobile gamers are considered to be casual gamers. Console and PC gamers would look down on them stating that these individuals don't have the spending power to acquire a PC or a console that can offer the best gaming experience.

Some would criticize the numerous advertisements that would pop out in the middle of a game.

There are those who would argue that the gameplay from mobile devices are simpler as compared to their rivals, a statement which is false as it isn't easy to transition from League of Legends PC to League of Legends: Wild Rift as compared to Arena of Valor to League of Legends: Wild Rift.

But these criticisms shouldn't bar you from being a part of the scene. There will be advertisements running amok, but it's the overall gaming experience that matters the most. In fact, these advertisements likewise contribute to the revenue spurt of mobile games.

Monument Valley, Transistor, League of Legends: Wild Rift, Genshin Impact, and all the titles I've mentioned earlier have proven that you can still get the best experiences from a mobile device. You might even end up being a professional esports player for some of the renowned multiplayer games.

As seen from Twitch and YouTube, mobile gaming streamers are slowly building their brands. In fact, this remains to be an underrated market with a huge potential. Sponsors and organizations have even invested on mobile game content creators.

If you're sick and tired of accumulating 5 viewers in your Twitch channel for two years then perhaps you might want to consider venturing to a mobile game. With your high skill level and a pleasing personality that could rival Valkyrae or Ninja, maybe you could end up being the next online sensation.