Today, mobile gaming has not only become incredibly popular; it continues to grow at an exponential rate. In fact, in 2016, out the $91 billion revenue that was generated by the gaming industry as a whole, mobile gaming segment was the largest at $41 billion!

Mobile games in the categories like online gambling, free-to-play, esports, etc. are loved by millions of people around the world- there are no ways about it. However, the question is- how did it grow so big to become a multi-billion-dollar industry? The following are the main factors behind it:

  1. Portability and ConvenienceBy the year 2020, a third of the entire world population is expected to own a smartphone, which makes the total number of smartphone users to be around 2.53 billion. Case in point- smartphone usage is growing rapidly, and there are is a strong reason why- convenience.A smartphone has become the ultimate entertainment gadget which is also higly portable. So, why would someone pass on the opportunity to play their favorite games on the go?There are various mobile games that are comparable to expensive console titles. However, unlike the latter, they don’t need a separate display, power source, or even a controller. Besides, people carry their phones with them wherever they go, so they always have their “gaming station” with them.
    1. The “Social” Factor
      One of the top factors to take mobile gaming to its glory has to do with social media and multiplayer gaming.People have always loved to play video games. However, now they can play with their friends either in a “cooperative mode” or a “versus mode”, and there is a slew of games that support multiplayer feature too. Mobile gaming is no different. Of course, it also helps that many of these games have in-built support for social media so that players can easily play with their friends that are in their “friend list” or contacts list.
    2. Love for Gambling/BettingNewzoo data reveals that social casino is one of the most popular gaming genres, so much that in America alone there are 73.9 million social casino gamers. However, it doesn’t stop there, as more than half of these also spend money.Online gambling is evolving and growing at an astonishing pace, both in terms of the total number of players around the world, and in terms of the variety of casino games and betting apps. In fact, there are all kinds of mega poker tournaments with cash prizes as high as half a million dollars! For casual players also, there are plenty of options- slots, blackjack, roulette, etc.

      So, in other words- the online gambling segment of mobile gaming industry has certainly made one of the largest contributions to its growth.

    3. The “Fat” CatalogueEvery month, tens of thousands of new apps are released on all the top platforms. It’s fair to assume that a good portion of these belong to the gaming segment, which explains why mobile gaming industry is booming.Not only there are new games released on a daily basis, they come in almost every genre possible- shooter, arcade, 8-bit, survival-thriller, puzzle, etc. In fact, there are many creative games too that use your camera, VR technology, or even AI. A good example of this is the Pokemon Go mania that instantly became viral.

      Who knew mobile gaming would give the traditional gaming industry a run for its money one day? But here we are. In fact, there are an increasing number of fun companies and games like Sketch Nation that allow you to create your own online game from bottom up or SpecTrek, which is an augmented reality ghost hunting game.

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