STACK #184 Feb 2020

FEATURE LIFE TECH

Facts and Figures Stats sourced from NewZoo and MediaKix • The world has 3.2 billion smartphone users. 2.2 billion play games • In 2019, mobile gaming accounted for 46 per cent of the global market • It was worth an estimated $AU 99 billion • The mobile gaming market is expected to be worth $93 billion by 2022 • Almost 60 per cent of mobile gamers are aged over 34 • 63 per cent are female and 37 per cent male • In the US, mobile gamers play on average 23 minutes a day

A bold step Seizing the moment, in 2003 mobile giant Nokia threw a ton of resources into developing the, if nothing else, well-named N-Gage, a gaming and phone hybrid that featured local multiplayer via Bluetooth and multiplayer over the Internet. Designed to compete with the Game Boy Advance, despite some big franchise support such as Tomb Raider, the N-Gage failed to engage with the gaming public, partly due to its high price and awkward control system, and it became a commercial failure. However, as a concept it was ahead of its time.

Apple takes a bite Apple unveiled the iPhone in 2007, sparking a new dawn in mobile gaming. Its 3.5-inch touchscreen gifted developers a blank canvas with motion control and custom built interfaces opening the doors to unlimited creativity. The following year the App Store was released, a digital distribution platform designed specifically for downloadable software for the iPhone. It initially launched with 500 apps but now the number sits at over 2 million. Utilised by major studios to put out mobile versions of major franchise games, the App Store has also given indie developers on smaller budgets a platform to trade – and in some cases succeed beyond wildest expectations. Angry Birds , released in 2009, is one of the most downloaded games of all time and was developed by Rovio, a studio that only employed four people at the time of release.

It launchedwith 500 apps but now the number sits at over 2million

Google it But it wasn’t just Apple that capitalised on the wave of mobile game interest. In 2008, Google entered the race with Android Market to support the ever growing list of smartphones to use the Android OS with apps. Rebranded as Google Play Store in 2012, today there are over 3 million apps on the platform. Today, the growth of mobile gaming is exponential. Look around on any journey and you’ll see folk of all ages silently entranced by the game at their fingertips. The range of gaming extends to just about every interest, catering for a myriad of different gamers from casual to core. And at the helm, studios of all sizes compete for eyes. We’ve come a long way from that monochromatic snake.

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