At first the games one could find on a smartphone were relatively small games to waste time like candy crush and angry birds. Then those games became extremely popular, one even getting a movie. Now you can find in depth rpgs, detailed world builders and tons of unique games as well as the smaller games. Having games on your phone has been possible and common since before the smart phone (snake anyone?) but now it's almost as if smartphones are attempting to be there own gaming console. Thoughts?
I have certainly seen quite a few people within my own social setting making a move to "smartphone gaming" (I suppose we can call it that, for now). This seems to be for a couple of reasons: 1) these games can be played on the fly, which is ideal for busy individuals and 2) it functions like a handheld console with limited controls. In addition to this, I have seen some job listings specifically geared towards smartphone apps/games. It would not be surprising to know that some companies (old and new) are attempting to break into a "smartphone" gaming market. With that being said, I do see one major drawback. Games are extremely taxing on battery life. This makes it difficult to play a game for any extended period of time, without being connected to a wall. – b8153b8 years ago
Nice topic! I think this has to do with the ease of smartphones. Smartphones are already addictive so gaming became an obvious next step. Phones have evolved from just making calls to being mobile computers many would feel lost without. Now we have access to an assortment of cool games at our fingertips at all times. It's a far cry from my days playing GameBoy Advance under lamplight because screens weren't backlit or waiting until I got home from school to play PS2 on my parents' TV. I agree with what b8153b is saying about battery life being a drawback. Another drawback I've noticed while playing games on my smartphone is that higher quality games often take a long time to load, glitch, or just altogether crash on me. I do like smartphone games, but I think they're unlikely to altogether replace more traditional game consoles in my heart. Maybe I'm just being nostalgic but lately, I've gotten back into playing on my old PS2 (in today's world of toss-away tech, it amazes me that the dinosaur is still alive and kicking). – aprosaicpintofpisces8 years ago
Smartphone video games gained popularity because of the introduction of the iPhone 3,the app store and the integration of apps. The world had already been moving toward more portable gaming consoles with the release of the original Game Boy in 1989. I think it's important to mention how restrained gaming was on portable consoles because there was a price for each game cartridge whereas the app store had plenty of free titles and allowed creators to profit through advertisements and donations. – AndrewSatoLi8 years ago