I will admit, I never expected this to happen. There never was an understanding as to how mobile games could be that powerful, enough to worry the likes of Sony and Nintendo. Yet, with the decline of sales on the console front; for instance the Wii U, it slowly becomes apparent that mobile games are, in fact, rustling the feathers of these gaming companies. Considering I never really got into the smartphone craze until a couple months ago, I was pretty blind to the world of mobile games. My last phone didn't even really have internet access. I'm going to try and dig a bit deeper and justify that maybe mobile gaming is the way to go nowadays.
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Let's look at this issue a bit more. Console sales are on the decline, gamers are complaining that the latest games are just rehashes of older titles, and the more vocal groups are bashing the next generation consoles for lack of innovation, or for invading user privacy. In my rather isolated lifestyle, I never really hear huge complaints about mobile games. I stopped spending on my consoles and PC games. Steam never really got off the ground for me. Steam sales can roll around and I spend less than $30 on it. I haven't purchased a Nintendo 3DS game since Fire Emblem: Awakening. Even if I did not own a Gateway 3DS, there just have not been many noteworthy purchases, save for the new Pokemon games scheduled to hit October 12. My XBOX 360 sits and dusts on my dresser, with few games that actually engage me enough to go back to the console and play.
On the other hand, my Galaxy S4 is getting plenty of action daily. I've bought all sorts of things to deck it out, and these are not limited to accessories. I have made plenty of in-app purchases to turn a few heads around. I'm talking four figures here. What game could I be spending that kind of dough on? Look no further than the dungeon crawling RPG Puzzle and Dragons. This game is wildly popular enough to be making millions of dollars each day on in-app premium currency purchases. Yes, millions, according to the developers (GungHo Online Entertainment). The nice thing about mobile gaming is that it is always there, and yet it still allows people to communicate with others. I get endless requests to play a game of Candy Crush Saga (oh God), yet I don't get the same amount of requests for, say, XBOX or Nintendo games. Lately, I just do not have the time to really sit down and enjoy a console or PC game. I spend most of my time now poring over archaic textbooks and reading the news in my free time. When it comes to gaming, I do not have the time to spend those 45 minutes playing intense MOBA games. Any game that is willing to let me go at my own pace is much more preferable today, given the amount of studies I am currently undertaking. Mobile games are there for those short bursts of gaming, and I am still getting to connect with friends in a similar way.
This game here is the death of my wallet. It also made $113 million USD in April.
Critics of mobile games can call me naive and say that I am missing out. I have to disagree here, because I am still getting the same amounts of fun (entirely subjective definition), if not more, from playing these small mobile games. I'm tired of waiting six or seven hours to wait for a PC game to download with my slow internet. I simply do not have time to do long gaming bursts anymore, partly because I'm growing up and taking more responsibilities. Mobile games can be anything, from short slot-machine games to full blown RPGs. It is incredible. Phones are also getting more powerful with each new reveal. It is also very nice to be able to play or emulate older games such as Game Boy Advance or Playstation One games, and attempt to recreate that with a Blue tooth controller.
According to an article posted by The Guardian, Nintendo and Sony are starting to feel the effects of mobile gaming. I am going to take a look at Nintendo, as I do not have any recent Sony consoles and lack the information to make a solid judgment. The article estimates that in the United Kingdom, some 20 million players are participating in mobile gaming each month, with six million daily. The numbers are booming. Nintendo is facing backlash for their console decisions with the Wii U because not only is it expensive, but the communications used to "meet up" with other players is archaic. I absolutely despised the Friend Code system. Games on their 3DS eShop cost obscene amounts of money and do not have much replayability or lasting value. Even Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has admitted that the sales of the Wii U were less than promising. It goes to show that these gaming giants need to take into account the impact that mobile gaming sales are having on the gaming community, and make efforts to change their current business model. Admitting that there is an issue is one thing, but I would like to see how Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony react. Based on the next generation consoles, my hopes are not high. I cannot see myself justifying a $400-$500 console purchase.
I think I'll close with a remark about gaming lately in a broader sense. Games as of late simply haven't been "fun." I leave "fun" in quotations to say that I have a different definition of fun and amusement. I do not like how if I purchase a disk, some content is still locked up in the form of DLC that I would have to pay for to unlock. I'm looking right at you, Capcom. And I'm not giving you a happy look, either. I really wish to go back to the days of old, where you can simply go into a store, buy a game, and have full access to said game without having to be locked out with an online pay wall to purchase the remainder of content. I see games as art, and if they can't be fun, then they will not have a future. Sure, mobile games may have the controversy surrounding their "free to play" nature, but in the long run (depending on how strong you can resist in app purchases) it could be a lot cheaper. I have a weak will, apparently, so there goes that plan!
Do you guys agree with my points that I have brought to the table? Feel free to discuss or disparage my argument, but remember, again. I am just one voice here, who wants to look at things from another angle. I understand if my opinion doesn't mesh with yours, but even so I'd like a healthy discussion here, so keep it civil and leave the flaming to a minimum.
Thanks, everyone!