The gaming industry has changed dramatically over the past 20 years. Mobile gaming has become big business and gone are the days of playing Snake on a Nokia device. Snake was actually a hugely popular game and helped Nokia sell millions of devices but fast forward to 2023 and mobile gaming is massive. Why is mobile gaming such a growing hobby?
The Statistics
Before we look at the reasons why mobile gaming is a growing hobby, we can assess the statistics surrounding mobile gaming. In the final quarter of 2022, it was estimated that the global mobile gaming industry was worth over $300 billion. There are now over 3 billion mobile games from which to choose and this includes all the games on the Google Play and App Store plus real money online casino games. In terms of spending on mobile gaming, the public expenditure was more than $40 billion come the end of 2022 and is continuing to rise. If we combine both the Google Play and App Store, over 14 billion mobile games were downloaded across the world. These numbers underline the growing popularity of mobile gaming, but what makes it such a growing hobby?
Convenience
We cannot underestimate how big a role convenience plays when it comes to mobile gaming. We live in a world where convenience is high on the list of priorities, whether it be turning the lights on at home using a voice command or playing a game on a mobile phone rather than turning on a computer. In addition, it is possible to play mobile games outside the home, meaning games can be played anytime and anywhere. This adds to the number of people playing mobile games and millions of people use their breaks and lunch times at work to play games on a mobile phone. People traveling to work on public transport also play games on a mobile phone to pass the time and convenience is one of the major driving factors behind the growing hobby.
cost
There are thousands of mobile games available to play for free. Some of the top games in the Google Play and App Store charts are free to play, which is something you rarely see from console-based titles. There are mobile games that charge a fee to download but the cost is often minimal compared to console games, which can often be over $80 for the big titles. Some aspects of free mobile games require a payment to progress in the game but for the casual gamer, it is possible to play many of the top mobile titles for free and that is one of the key reasons mobile gaming is so popular.
The Device
Most people who live a regular life own a smartphone and that means access to mobile games. Many people do not own a gaming console and the latest consoles can cost a lot of money. However, owning a mobile phone is enough to access hundreds of great games, without the need to spend money on a console and the number of people simply owning a device is what makes mobile gaming such a growing hobby.