With the rise of Amazon’s Twitch platform and even Google stepping into the gaming arena with their console, Stadia, it’s no surprise the global gaming market is set to grow exponentially. In fact, in 2019 alone the games market is projected to have a value of nearly 152.1 billion dollars. What’s interesting about this growth is how large a percentage of the total is linked directly to mobile gaming. 45% or 68.5 billion dollars of the total gaming market is made up exclusively of mobile gaming.
Mobile Gaming Take Over
It has been estimated that in 2019 alone, 2.4 billion people will play some form of mobile game. But that makes sense when you understand 33% of all app downloads. Additionally, it’s this increase in mobile use that draws away from traditional console systems which work only if connected to a television.
Recent studies have revealed there has been a dramatic uptick in time spent on mobile devices opposed to time spent watching TV. You read that right. In 2019 smartphones and mobile devices outpaced Americas second favorite past time, sitting on the couch watching reruns of The Office. More time spend on Mobile devices means more time spent playing mobile games and less time spent on traditional gaming consoles.
The Mobile Advantage
While Nintendo does offer mobile gaming devices in the form of the Nintendo DS or The Switch, these are still consoles and can be expensive and a pain to carry around. This is yet another advantage mobile gaming has on the competition.
Everyone has a smartphone nowadays. Downloading an app is much simpler and often cheaper than buying a new DS game or waiting in line for the most recent Switch game to be released. It just goes to show the benefit of being able to take your phone with you anywhere you go.
Mobile Game Diversity
Not only does mobile gaming allow you to play your favorite games anywhere you go it also offers a vast selection of different games and play styles to chose from. There are puzzle games, action-adventure, civilization-building games and many other genres for every age and interest.
The Future of Mobile Gaming
As the global gaming market continues to grow and innovate we are sure to see even more advances in mobile gaming. Virtual reality has already entered the mobile market. It’s only a matter of time until your favorite mobile game is projected into the room with you thanks to the integration of augmented reality. But for now, we will have to be content playing on our phones.