Mobile gaming is no longer just Stardew Valley, Angry Birds, and Candy Crush, it is now a $98bn industry and is growing in popularity around the world. Market analysts are predicting that the mobile gaming sector could even grow to $272bn by 2030 and begin to eclipse the PC and console gaming industries.
It might be a surprise to the uninitiated that mobile gaming is growing exponentially year on year because it seems to have grown out of nowhere. Keep reading to learn more about mobile gaming’s exponential growth.
Accessibility and convenience
One of the primary reasons why mobile gaming is growing is because it is much more accessible than console and PC gaming. Console and PC gaming requires a significant investment to buy all the games, equipment, and to pay for broadband internet.
Mobile gaming, on the other hand, is much cheaper in comparison and easier to start playing. This is especially the case in developing countries where mobile technology is ubiquitous, but it is still uncommon to own new gaming consoles or have gaming PCs.
The lower cost threshold makes mobile gaming much more accessible to people around the world. Mobile gaming will continue to grow as digital infrastructure is rolled out in more places worldwide and the cost of mobile devices and technology decreases.
New forms of gaming
Another reason for the rise of mobile gaming is that there has also been a proliferation of new types of gaming, most notably online gambling and sports betting. Online gambling has experienced massive growth in popularity over the course of the last ten years or so and, as mobile technology has advanced and become more innovative and easier to use, mobile gambling has grown in popularity. Now the casino games on mobile are just as popular as their desktop counterparts.
Innovation and technology
Another significant reason is the innovation and technology in the mobile gaming industry. Developers can have much more creative freedom in smaller projects with correspondingly lower budgets, production teams, and shorter deadlines. Rather than developing a game like Red Dead Redemption that took years to create, mobile gaming developers can essentially pump out loads of games and some will naturally appeal to different segments of the population.
Moreover, mobile technology itself has improved and will continue to get better. Most of us remember playing Snake at some point on our flip phone and thinking it was cutting edge. Since then, mobile technology has come leaps and bounds and advanced to the extent that some mobile games rival PC and console games for their quality. The technology will only continue to improve, and it is likely that we will see more big-name releases specifically for mobile gaming.
These are just a few of the many reasons why mobile gaming is growing year on year while PC and console gaming industries are struggling to keep up.
