How Mobile Gaming Has Influenced Smartphone Development
Mobile gaming is now responsible for bringing in over 45% of the gaming industry’s yearly income. That is one branch of a tree that accounts for almost half of all the money that comes in from gamers worldwide. Any aspect of a sector that has that much financial clout is pretty much able to set its own terms and standards. This impact has been keenly felt in the way that almost all smartphones are now developed.
Of course, with technology advancing the way it does, it’s a sure bet that mobile screen resolution, graphics quality, speed and memory capabilities, and other functions would be at an incredibly high level in 2023, even without mobile gaming dictating that these aspects of a phone are essential. That said, the mobile gaming industry is the reason many people buy smartphones that reach a certain level of quality and ability, or certain models in particular, so their influence cannot be understated. Online slots in the UK and all over the world, are now so vivid and bright, and the sound effects so convincing that you could be forgiven for forgetting that you were gaming on a smartphone. Some of the most visually complex games in the world, like Rockstar Games’ Red Dead Redemption, now have companion apps that allow players to indulge in these visually thrilling games on a tiny screen without losing any of that detail.
Let’s take a look at the many ways that the mobile gaming industry influences the development of modern smartphones.
Influential
The first smartphones were a revelation at the time. Today, most of us wouldn’t last one hour with tech that old. The very first smartphone, the IBM Simon Personal Communicator, was announced in 1992 and released in 1994. It features a stylus-driven touch LCD screen and a one-hour battery life; this phone can make and receive calls, faxes, emails, and pages. Gaming wasn’t even an option at this point. The first mobile game, Tetris, was released in 1994 on the Hagenuk MT-2000 and created a demand for entirely new functions other than texting and calling.
Snake followed Tetris in 1997, and suddenly cellphones needed to have more memory than they did before. The first camera phone was released in 2000, changing the nature of smartphone graphics completely. Technical specs evolved to include downloadable apps and games as phones were given access to the internet. It was the iPhone and its App Store, released in 2007/2008, that truly began to revolutionize the mobile gaming industry and smartphones along with it. Apple altogether discontinued a previous device to allow all their research and development energy to be focused on developing the iPhone’s abilities. It wasn’t long before other manufacturers followed suit. iPhones’ RAM was increased by a large amount, and a larger screen was built in to allow users a more complete view of any scene they were watching or interacting with.
The next iteration of mobile gaming that required connection to the internet, to accounts that allowed for in-game purchases, and to a screen with excellent graphics was the Angry Birds/ Candy Crush Saga era. The freemium model was popularized (free to play but with optional in-game purchases), and more brightly-hued games with inviting and realistic sound effects were released. This drove phone specs up further as consumers came to expect only the best in audio, visual, and computing technology. Now you can play a computer game or a casino game from anywhere in the world as long as you have an internet connection. Indulge in some online slots or roulette from a beach in the middle of nowhere or play your favorite RPG while you’re BMXing…just don’t get hurt!
Wrap Up
Android and iPhone now split consumers down the middle, but most mobile games made well are available for both operating systems. Apple’s domination of the industry has been challenged by the high quality of Samsung and Google devices, and all this competition only serves to improve conditions for mobile gamers worldwide. More competition means more options and better prices! Modern smartphones have capabilities on par with many computer technologies. Without these games driving the development of these particular specs, the mobile gaming industry as we know it would not exist: nor would the smartphone industry.
