Is Mobile Gaming Taking Over the Gaming Industry?

Is mobile gaming a serious competitor to the gaming industry?

  • Yes

    Votes: 29 29.0%
  • No

    Votes: 71 71.0%

  • Total voters
    100

Ryukouki

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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.

[prebreak]Continue reading...[/prebreak]

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.

108267-puzzle-dragons-screenshots.jpg
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!
 

Öhr

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Imo, those mobile games are casual games* with very few exceptions.

Nonetheless, is the mobile market is a competitor to Nintendo, Sony and the likes. But does one replace the other? No. While I don't care much for those mobile casual crap, lots of FB loving thumbing Smartphone crazies do. One cares more for the other and the other way round.

I don't see the end of PROPER (mobile) gaming with this movement, but it will certainly hurt varity, quantity, quality and so on unfortunately.

* I define casual games as games that lack immersion, depth or/and complexity.
 

Ryukouki

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Imo, those mobile games are casual games* with very few exceptions.

Nonetheless, is the mobile market is a competitor to Nintendo, Sony and the likes. But does one replace the other? No. While I don't care much for those mobile casual crap, lots of FB loving thumbing Smartphone crazies do. One cares more for the other and the other way round.

I don't see the end of PROPER (mobile) gaming with this movement, but it will certainly hurt varity, quantity, quality and so on unfortunately.

* I define casual games as games that lack immersion, depth or/and complexity.


I would seriously recommend Puzzle and Dragons then, if you're looking for immersion and depth. Has over 800 monsters with INSANE combinations of teams, and there's a ton of content that you can still play without paying a dime.
 

DinohScene

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Success of mobile games is largely due to them being free.
That along with simple games even little kids from 4 and up can play.

Personally I dun care about android nor do I care about android games.
I'm pretty sure I'm the only one that never played Angry birds.
And I'm proud of it as well.
 
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gamefan5

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I would seriously recommend Puzzle and Dragons then, if you're looking for immersion and depth. Has over 800 monsters with INSANE combinations of teams, and there's a ton of content that you can still play without paying a dime.
That's funny because I did try the game. Honestly, I was impressed. There are very few mobile games that manage to interest me that much. Some could be even be in the same calibre as console games.
Like the Zenonia series for example. XD
 

Ryukouki

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That's funny because I did try the game. Honestly, I was impressed. There are very few mobile games that manage to interest me that much. Some could be even be in the same calibre as console games.
Like the Zenonia series for example. XD


Yeah... I'm pretty sure I have blown close to a grand on that game and its Godfests. :cry: It was so worth it though. LOL. I've played other games, as well, and they just do not come close to the caliber that this particular game has. ;P Not to mention, their customer service is superb.
 
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Ethevion

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I think mobile games are taking over as time wasters. There's no need to load up a quick fun game on a console if you can play something similar on your phone or tablet. In my opinion, consoles and PCs wont be kicked aside by mobile games, at least for now.
 
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Relf

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It's possible that mobile gaming isn't taking over the industry but that you're just getting older. It's not that console video games aren't fun anymore, you just don't have the time to appreciate them. And as the people who started off with NES and SNES get older with more kids and responsibilities yet still love video games, casual will keep gaining popularity.

But a sizable population still loves console/PC gaming and still have time for it. And amazing, blockbuster games are still coming out, mostly recently GTAV.

I don't think mobile gaining is really at the expense of the gaming industry at large with the mild exception of handhelds which, even still, maintain popularity. Other than the Vita. Because it has no games. So much regret.
 
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KingVamp

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But a sizable population still loves console/PC gaming and still have time for it. And amazing, blockbuster games are still coming out, mostly recently GTAV.
Was going to edit in a similar statement.

Also, maybe some companies need away to lower their game budgets for consoles.
As for handhelds and phones, maybe a full merge can happen. A design that works for the majority.
 

Obveron

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If my phone had some buttons and a d-pad I'd be all set. It's more poweful than the vita, but I'll never be content using a touchscreen to play anything but the simplest casual games.
 
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The Catboy

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I think it's more of trend or just dominating the casual market. I still have high doubts it will take over the handheld gaming market and even higher doubt it will get up there with PC/console gaming.
Right now it's only popular because of trendy games likes Angry Birds, but once that fed dies, so will the mobile gaming market.
 

mary1517

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I think mobile games are taking over as time wasters. There's no need to load up a quick fun game on a console if you can play something similar on your phone or tablet. In my opinion, consoles and PCs wont be kicked aside by mobile games, at least for now.
I was just about to say the same thing. We can find a lot of pretty good games on mobile devices but are there even close to that experience we had when playing any of the block buster that we buy consoles for? I some time ago bought a 7inch android tablet because of the whole buzz how "mobile games are so much killing the consoles", had high expectations about some games because of that... and I never felt so disappointed... I mean there are good games don't get me wrong, but not "console killing" games :P
Nothing beats the moment when I go with my friends to a Gaming Pub and random people ask me "hey! do you play pokemon on DS? whanna battle?". No one ever asked me to play, like... Angry Birds with them or something :P
 

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I don't think mobile gaming is taking over the gaming industry or that it's in any way threatening it... It's merging with it and becoming one and the same market just like it merged with other portable devices.

People often forget how many things we used to carry around became obsolete with the dawn of the "smartphone". Starting in the early 21st century phones gradually began adapting the functions of numerous other devices for the benefit of the user and to great effect, too! Rarely do we see people sporting dedicated PNA's, PDA's, MP3/Multimedia players or even cameras these days, at least not for everyday use. Why? Because the "smartphone" has all this functionality and more, so why bother? Why carry around a media player when your Android, Windows or iOS device plays media just fine? Why use a PDA when you can write your notes on a smartphone or better yet, a tablet computer? Why carry a camera if all you want it for is snapping the occasional photo? When you don't need professional-grade photos, a phone snaps those fine as well. Why tug along a PNA when you have Google Maps on your phone?

I honestly believe that the same will happen with portable gaming systems and unlike many other users, I don't think it will take anything away from them - if anything, it will improve them greatly and in a variety of ways.

Right now, whether we like it or not, we are tied to short-range WiFi connections for Multiplayer - that's always a problem. With the dawn of 4G and prospects of even faster mobile Internet, we can forget about those. That's not to say they're obsolete - they work perfectly fine when your friends are with you or when you're near a hotspot, but when you're not, you can practically forget about going online. This is hardly an issue when 4G-type networks allow you for connecting at transfer rates as fast as 100mbps. The marriage of a smartphone and a portable console makes it truly portable, unleashing its full potential wherever you are, whenever you want.

The line between a dedicated gaming system and a smartphone is already very sketchy - the two blend together in terms of functionality. Both now feature downloadable games, both browse the Internet, both feature Apps (yes, Apps - it's hard to call Nintendo's "Art Studio" or Sony's "Paint Park" anything else, not to mention "Facebook" or other dedicated... well, Apps.), the only difference is that... well, some are phones and some aren't. Hell, with Skype, a 3G PSVita can already turn into a fully-fledged mobile phone as it is, using 3G to transfer data and running the application in the background... and before somebody says that this causes any form of inconvenience I'd like to add that the year 2000 called and wants to remind people about handsfree sets.

So what is the problem? There's a few.

Implementation - the networking infrastructure evolves with time and for now, 4G is pretty spotty in many places around the world. Until this is sorted out, Internet will continue to be... well, dodgy and rather slow.

Social stigma - people don't really give mobile games a chance in the sense that they treat them as inferior to console games wheras in fact they're all just "games" - other than the platform and the budget, there is no difference and the budgets will only continue to rise as the market progresses from the proving grounds of the "cheap" productions into the more "expensive", fully-fledged mobile game development. There are already a good few typically mobile games which are console-grade entertainment out there, some from big developers like EA or Square-Enix. Mobile games as it stands today are shorter and simpler than their console-based breatherent, but not because there's anything stopping developers from making serious games for mobile platforms, rather that the market for such games is entirely new. It's fresh territory that has to gradually expand, and from what I'm seeing, it does expand along with consumer interest - and rapidly at that.

Finally, stereotyping. Smartphones are becoming thinner and thinner and the dawn of the touchscreen somehow convinced manufacturers that people don't want buttons. Buttons are cool - we do want buttons, it makes gaming on our smartphones way easier and having them stock is a far better option than attaching a separate controller. Some thickness is also perfectly fine if it serves a purpose - the comfort of the user. Nothing replaces a comfortable grip and a true "gaming smartphone" has to reflect that.

To conclude, I don't think that a true gaming smartphone is a distant dream. In fact, the Xperia Play comes really close to the ideal already and remains one of the better phones to game on out there despite the obsolete hardware, precisely because it was designed with gaming in mind. Kudos to Sony Ericsson, now just Sony for releasing it and here's for hoping that it encourages other manufacturers to prepare equivalents.

We shouldn't be afraid of or reject the new - I'm one of those people who like getting more with less and to be perfectly frank, I wouldn't mind it at all if my "gaming system" could be used as a smartphone or the other way around - in fact, I think it'd be pretty handy.

We should embrace what is new and exciting as well as the possibilities that come with new technology and new approaches to what we know and love because the fact that a device is multipurpose doesn't mean that it's going to be bad - what matters is the focus. Gaming devices have to be focused around the concept of gaming and they have to serve gamer's needs - if they do that, then all the additional functionality that comes with it is icing on an already delicious cake, and if said functionality is going to be "phone" then hell, I have one less piece of clutter to carry around.
 

Gahars

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Watching people lose their shit over Angry Birds is amusing as hell, so for the sake of entertainment, I'm going to say yes. Yes, gaming is doomed, and everything you've come to love is going to die and go away forever.

RIP in peace gaming, you were one in a mill one.
 

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