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The Growing Impact of Smartphones on the Gaming Industry

Mobiles have come a long way. What was essentially a device to make and receive calls in the earlier days is now a versatile platform replacing almost all conceivable devices and gadgets. Music player, watch, camera, scanner, video player, calculator so on – you name it and there is no doubt your mobile phone is not able to do it. Today, with the influx of smartphones into the market, mobiles are smarter than ever before. And gaming industry, in particular, has been heavily influenced by the growing usage of smartphones across the globe.

In India, the situation is not different; rather, it is a notch up higher than rest of the world. Currently the second-largest smartphone market in the world following China, India is a promising market for smartphones in the coming days due to factors such as low smartphone penetration in the country.

The initial growth

About 30 years ago, the gaming industry eco-system was not as conducive as it is today; it worked in a certain way where people worked out of rented offices and set up studios to create games. Later funds poured in to help them distribute their games through publishers basically concentrating on the console market. But today, things have changed – the industry has moved beyond the console games and bracing a new revolution – the smartphone revolution.

The internet era

Over the last decade, things have gained momentum. With the broadband internet making its entry, game developers could do things which they were unable to all these years – digitally distribute their games! This meant a massive reduction in their manufacturing and distribution costs. And in the last five years, there has been a massive change. There is an increased demand for downloadable games. Interestingly, games like rummy online, Poker and Teen Patti, which till a couple of years ago were ‘club’ indulgences, have found a new breed of online gamers playing their online formats.

In India, with 389 million mobile internet users in 2016, it is estimated to reach 420 million in 2017. While urban India with internet penetration at 51% the market seems to be reaching the saturation point, but rural India is the future turf of action. With just 16% of internet penetration, rural India is the potential market. Also, in the last 5 years, the data component in the total bill has from 45% to 65%.

Increasing popularity of mobile games

The availability of freemiums has made mobiles the preferred platform for games. Factors like user-friendly features of the smartphones, the convenience of knowing rummy rules on-the-go in one click and affordable costs have contributed to the popularity of mobile games. Also, the multi-player environment of these games gives a real-like gaming experience. So much is the impact of smartphones on the gaming industry that a major part of gaming industry revenues comes from mobiles surpassing the consoles’ revenues.

The Future Ahead

Today, millions of players from across the world play rummy online and are attracted to mobile games. Although the use of smartphones is widespread, their reach is still incomplete. This gives enormous opportunities for game developers to bring innovation to the games and ensure greater user and gaming experience to the players.

 

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