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In 2013, over 1.3 billion people gave a shot at games on their smartphones, while 2014 witnessed more than 1.5 billion gamers trying their hands on mobile games

There are two things that keep most people hooked to their smartphones — playing games and doing everything else. No matter what age group, gender or location you belong to, you cannot stop yourself from playing games on the smartphones unless and until you’ve given up on the life.

Believe it or not, there are millions of people who like to play games on their mobile handsets every day. In 2013, over 1.3 billion people gave a shot at games on their smartphones, while 2014 witnessed more than 1.5 billion gamers trying their hands on mobile games. Data suggests a decent growth rate of 15.3 per cent in the number of mobile users over the last four years. If the same trend continues, we’ll soon witness mobile gamers surpassing the magic mark of 2 billion.

These numbers may seem shocking to you, but in reality this trend has been going on for some time. Smartphones are disrupting the market that once belonged to consoles.

Here are some of the facts advocating this point:

Mobile vs the Console 

Gaming is one of the largest and wealthiest industries in the world, and mobile is steadily grabbing a major chunk of it. Given the current market shift, it’s clearly visible that mobile gaming revenue (more than US$30 billion globally) is on the verge of overtaking the console market.

There is no doubt that consoles enjoy a decent demand in the US, but other parts of the world like Southeast Asia, China, etc. are slowly moving towards mobile gaming. By 2020, in the US alone, over 63.7 per cent users will switch to the mobile gaming. Soon, other countries will also join the list and take it to new heights.

Also Read: iSentric set to acquire mobile game developer My Play for US$4.57M

Mobile’s popular ‘freemium’ approach

Gaming industry never followed ‘freemium’ model until a few years ago, but now since many freemium mobile games are becoming popular, even the console market has started following this model. Lest you have ever played games like DC Universe, Blacklight: Retribution, Warfare, etc. on PS 4, you’d know how effectively the console industry has copied the freemium model from the mobile games.

Transforming the image of gamers globally

Starting from the time when the games came into existence until the previous decade, someone who was involved in the gaming was considered a nerd who had no social life and would always sit in front of computer throwing fingers at the keyboard with all his force. Average people were scared to adapt to this lifestyle or social image. However, now they can be seen playing their favourite games on smartphones using apps like xmodgames while on the go. This transformation of the ‘average gamer’ is one of the major reasons why mobile gaming has reached amazing heights in a very short span of time.

Also Read: What startups can learn from game developers

On-the-go gaming experience

For decades, nobody had thought playing video games while moving around could be possible. Gamers were only aware of desktop/TV-based video games, which required hours of sitting. It not only affected their health but also dragged them away from the social life. The mobile gaming has attempted to undo that mistake in an effective manner. Now, users can enjoy their favourite games while on-the-go, thereby establish a balance between their social lives and hobbies.

Also Read: 10 things you should know about Nintendo switch 

This is just the beginning. The day is not far when smartphones will completely take over the gaming industry and expose the users to a unique experience. Many major players have already started making attempts in this direction. If you are into game development, this is high-time you take a call and start giving a serious thought to smartphone-based products. This is the only way through which you can have a successful future in the gaming industry.

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The views expressed here are of the author’s, and e27 may not necessarily subscribe to them. e27 invites members from Asia’s tech industry and startup community to share their honest opinions and expert knowledge with our readers. If you are interested in sharing your point of view, submit your post here.

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