Mobile devices today are more powerful than we ever could have imagined. Our lives are increasingly interconnected online with our handheld digital devices, we use them for everything including work, socializing, and managing our finances.
Mobile games have long been a thriving industry, but in recent times the sector has boomed. More and more people are discovering the joys of mobile gaming, which offers convenience as well as fun. Will the growth of mobile gaming accelerate the development of smartphone technology? Find out here.
Mobile Gaming: The Stats
Before we get into the effect mobile gaming could have on smartphone technology, it’s important we assess the size and scope of the industry.
Despite being limited when compared to games on consoles and computers, mobile games are incredibly popular. As of the end of last year, over 3 billion people from across the world played mobile games. This astonishing number is a testament to just how popular they are.
These figures are reflected in the financial might of the industry, which was valued at over $300 billion in 2022. Player spending on mobile games surpassed $40 billion, with over 14 billion mobile games downloaded across the App Store and Google Play Store.
Gaming is often thought of as an activity for young people. However, mobile games are attracting an older demographic, a previously difficult market for game developers to target.
These impressive numbers are impossible to ignore. Games are incredibly important to smartphone users, and the popularity of these games will only increase as we head further into 2023. Our smartphones are used for almost everything in the present day, from instant retail shopping to maintaining social relationships digitally on media platforms, however mobile games play a major role in keeping people glued to their devices. Mobile games come in all variations and forms to cater to a spread of audience, whether it’s a $1bn annual profit-generating puzzle-solving game such as Candy Crush to more mature apps aimed towards capturing the iGaming market based off of the trending success of online casinos we see today.
What does this mean for Smartphone Technology?
Mobile games have come a long way since the days of classic pixel-based titles like Snake. Today, mobile games are extremely sophisticated, with cutting-edge graphics, gameplay, and features.
This means that today’s smartphones must be capable of efficiently running these games. Their processors must be capable of supporting these games without negatively affecting other features on the phone. Also, phone screens and graphics cards must be good enough to properly display game visuals and colors. Finally, modern smartphones must come equipped with the storage and memory required to download these games and all the associated data.
The smartphone industry is extremely competitive, with rival companies vying to produce the next must-have handheld device. One major factor that will influence a consumer’s decision to purchase one smartphone over another is mobile game performance. If one model can run games more smoothly, faster, and with less issues, this will certainly prove to be a more attractive option.
What this means is that smartphone companies are constantly improving and developing technology to meet the increasing demands and requirements of modern mobile games, in an effort to drive sales and improve revenue.
Conclusion
Mobile games are more popular than ever, and we can expect to see even more people use their smartphones for games in the future. This will certainly accelerate the development of new smartphone technology, as mobile developers look for ways to improve game performance on their devices.
