Although still a relatively new segment within the gaming industry as a whole, mobile gaming has become an increasingly important source of revenue for gaming companies in recent years. In fact, according to a recent report, as of 2019, a total of 2.4 billion people were engaged in playing mobile games. This puts mobile games as the third most popular form of mobile phone usage, with mobile games being the third most popular app type, just behind social media and shopping apps.
Evidently, this has resulted in a massive surge in revenue for the gaming industry, with mobile gaming platforms generating a staggering $68.5 billion in revenue in 2019.
One of the interesting things about the rise of the iGaming industry, however, is that its growth has primarily been consumer driven. Although this is true of many industries where sectoral trends and business developments are led by changing consumer tastes, this is particularly true in the case of iGaming, and mobile gaming more generally.
We get a sense of this by virtue of the fact that up until a few years ago, the biggest names in the gaming industry were all pushing handheld devices as the mobile gaming platform of the future. However, in recent years, these handheld devices have very much taken a back seat – this is because smartphones have taken over as our mobile gaming platform of choice. In many respects, this seems like a natural choice, given that more aspects of our lives are being run and organised from these devices. In this context, it was natural for us to use our mobile phones for both work and play. This switch was made easier given how powerful these devices have become.
The result of this was that dedicated gaming devices were relegated to the background and began to form a much smaller part of the overall iGaming and mobile gaming industry. While outliers such as the Nintendo Switch have managed to hold their own in an increasingly mobile app dominated sector, the rise of mobile apps is hard to ignore.
But beyond the general rise of mobile devices and their increasing importance in our daily lives, what are some of the other reasons iGaming and mobile gaming in general have become so popular?
Personal preference and game selection
One of the most appealing things about the iGaming industry is the sheer amount of choice that users have. Regardless of what your preferred game type is, there is a platform that will cater specifically to your preferences. So, for example, if you are a fanatic of slot games, you will be able to choose from thousands of slot game variations, which you can load up in an instant and get playing straight away.
Comfort and convenience
Another thing that iGaming games have that gives them a major advantage over both conventional games and dedicated gaming devices is the convenience factor. While the latter type of gaming platforms usually require you to lug around some kind of extra equipment or hardware, iGaming games simply use whatever your mobile phone of choice may be. This means that if you have a spare few minutes in the middle of the day, you can simply whip out your mobile phone and get gaming in an instant.
New technologies, infinite possibilities
Also playing in the favour of the iGaming industry is the fact that the rapid pace of technological development in mobile devices means iGaming games developers have new and exciting tech to play with. From virtual reality and lightning-fast 5G to social media integration and health analytics, there is seemingly no end to the new tech that mobile phones are adding with each development cycle. For iGaming games developers, this gives them the perfect platform to develop new and exciting gaming experiences that meet the changing tastes of users. This does a huge amount to keep users interested in gaming with their platforms, and generates new and exciting development opportunities.
Looking ahead
With all this said, there is no denying that the iGaming industry has a bright future, and this is something that certainly seems supported by the increases in revenue that iGaming companies have been experiencing in recent months. With new technological developments and innovations coming out all the time, this space is only going to get more exciting as the year progresses. For this reason, although iGaming is a relative