Videogames have been around for decades and we can trace the history of videogaming as far back as the 1950s. While most people would consider the Sega Master System or the Nintendo Entertainment System to be the first home gaming console, that honor goes to the Magnavox Odyssey, which was released in 1972. Fast forward to 2023 and people can play videogames using a smartphone. Mobile gaming has grown incredibly over the past two decades and there are many reasons why it has become so successful.
The History of Mobile Games
It is important to note that smartphones were not the beginning of the mobile gaming market. The first popular mobile game created was Tetris in 1984 and this was later released for the Nintendo Game Boy, a handheld gaming device. Just a few years later saw the introduction of the Nokia mobile phone and this device included a game called Snake. This game, although basic, has remained a popular choice for millions of people and even in the early 2000s, Snake was on over 300 million handsets. By the mid-2000s, mobile games could be downloaded from various platforms and the launch of the App Store in 2008 was a massive moment in the growth of mobile gaming over the past two decades. The Google Play Store quickly followed suit and this has led to the development of millions of new mobile games.
Internet Connections
The improvement and widespread introduction of fast and reliable internet connections has been a major reason behind the growth of mobile gaming in the last 20 years. Today, you can download and install a game using a mobile device in a matter of seconds. If you wanted to try several new mobile games, you could do it in the space of a couple of hours and in most cases, you could do it for free. However, one of the greatest influences on the growth of mobile gaming over the past two decades has been the introduction of online multiplayer games. Thanks to the quality of Wi-Fi connections, it is possible to play mobile games with or against other people, wherever they are on the planet. The live casino games at Casumo are a good example and you can play against other people and with a real dealer using a mobile device.
Virtual and Augmented Reality
One of the more recent introductions in the past two decades has been virtual and augmented reality mobile gaming. The best example of an augmented reality mobile game is Pokémon Go and this game uses GPS and real locations to make it look like Pokémon characters are in the real world. It can look like the Pokémon characters are hiding and peeking out from behind a fence or wall. The successful implementation of augmented reality into mobile games is arguably the greatest achievement in the history of mobile gaming. It shows just how far the industry has come since the introduction of Snake on Nokia devices.