How Mobile Kills the Console But Advances the Gaming Industry

On mobile devices, there are games … and then there’s everything else.

[N311V]

Problem is that currently mobile games are shallow experiences. I game pretty much daily but rarely on my mobile as the games are short lived time wasters. Also a touch screen has very limited game mechanic possibilities. When I see games on mobile that are comparable to that of consoles and PC I'll start to take these claims seriously.

Note that the author is CEO of Kabam, a developer of mobile and Facebook games.

[StrawHatPatriot]

But one can say all video games are "time wasters"

[Kouzmich]

with you're logic you can say that about allot of things , like books, TV , listening to music and some others

[LOGICWINS]

^^Right, the "time wasters" argument doesn't work in ANY scenario since that can be applied to anything depending on each individual person's perception of whats worth their time.

[violents]

True, "time waster" could be said of anything that eats up your day when you have nothing to do, however the games on the mobile platforms that are considered "time waster games" are usually no better quality than stupid flash games you can play for free on a million different websites.

I agree with Scottis above because until those mobile games can have the same level of mechanics/graphics/story lines, they will never over come the console/pc gaming market. This is a foul attempt by a mobile game maker to discredit the console/pc community and bolster his own mobile game market.

Then to be realistic, most people only play mobile phone type games when they are out and about and have to waste a few minutes or trying to kill some time. Anyone who is anything more than a "casual gamer" will not be sitting on their couch enjoying hours on end playing games on a three inch screen when they could turn on thier PS/Xbox.

[miyamoto]

Actually mobile gaming helps console gaming industry by introducing all sorts of people, kids and adults to video gaming in a casual manner 3X more than console platforms can do.

[morganfell]

Where are all of these mobile and phone games that are causing people to leave Console and PC gaming in droves? Personally I am tired of these absurd assumptions and loud mouth talentless developers of cheap boring phone games trying to convince everyone of something that flies in the face of the facts.

[Linsolv]

That's only partly true; I have played quite a few mobile games I considered as deep as, say, full handheld games. Zenonia 5 is one I'd actually call a bigger game than many dedicated PSP games I have played. (Also, Janryumon is as strong as Tenhou.net for playing japanese Mahjong, with the advantage of being portable)

However, you are essentially right that a lot of games don't have any depth to speak of. I'm looking at you when I say that, Rovio.

[LOGICWINS]

Future 400 degree article right here.

[Dungus]

Yeah, I'm not going to choose fumbling around on a tiny little screen as my main gaming experience anytime soon, thanks.

[Fateful_Knight]

To me mobile gaming is for people who are entering the industry late, who haven't grown up playing games. They are jumping on the gaming bandwagon because it's a trendy part of owning a mobile device, not because they truly love gaming.

[LOGICWINS]

"They are jumping on the gaming bandwagon because it's a trendy part of owning a mobile device, not because they truly love gaming."

Thats an elitist argument right there, that someone can't truly "love" gaming because you personally don't believe their platform of choice is worthy of gaming on.

[TronEOL]

Well you can't "love" something until you really know it right? I think he means that they see their phone can play games, and don't really care for gaming as an entity. Rather just have scores to compete with their friends in games like angry birds or the like.

Gamers (those invested in the industry) in general will give most games a try, regardless of platform, I think. For example, I have over 100 games on Steam and PS3, around 20-30 on iPhone (mostly free), Android (mostly free), Wii, Xbox360, DS/3DS, and PSP/Vita.

I play what's fun, like I'd assume most gamers do. Whereas most of these mobile-only gamers probably only play their iPhone games that friends talk about, and don't care at all for any other type of gaming.

Now once they've been playing, and look forward to playing games of all types (doesn't mean all platforms), that's when you're considered a gamer in my opinion.

[LOGICWINS]

Well, going by your argument, I'm not a gamer. Personally, I limit what types of games I play. I've never liked card battle games, so I avoid them. I've never liked 2D Mario games, so I avoid them.

I don't think you have to be interested in EVERYTHING to love gaming. But I agree with what your saying in a sense. Some people play games as a mechanism of socializing with their friends, not for personal enjoyment.

[pandaboy]

you are the master of spin logic wins... actually, you should change your name to washingmachinewins

[Pozzle]

I don't think it's necessarily bandwagon jumping. Most smartphones come with Android now and all iPhones have the app store, so there isn't much of a reason not to download some games (especially the free ones). Most people I know will pop onto Draw Something or Temple Run if they want to pass the time, or have a break from work, or to play with friends.
Whether or not they are considered "gamers" is a matter of opinion (personally I don't think they are), but that doesn't mean they aren't having fun with simple little games like that.

[zerocrossing]

The thought of mobile gaming killing consoles is laughable.

Their core demographic is split right down the middle, if it does happen it's going to be a looooooooong time from now.

[LOGICWINS]

Mobile gaming won't "kill" console gaming anytime soon, but I don't think anyone can deny that mobile gaming is improving/gaining popularity at a faster rate than console gaming.

The market for smartphones/tablets is more than 3x the size of the console market and smartphones improve their hardware constantly..as opposed to the normal 5-6 year gap with consoles. 2 months after a smartphone comes out, people are already talking about the next iteration of that phone.

I've been hearing rumors that the PS4 will be upgradable. I wonder if they are true. That would neutralize the biggest advantage PC gaming/mobile gaming has over consoles.

[zerocrossing]

I agree with you, I'm not one of those people who thinks mobile gaming is casual nonsense but I still think the console and mobile gaming market is too different right now for anyone one of them to drastically effect the other.

If that rumour about the PS4 is true it'll be interesting to see the price of upgrading, I hope it doesn't turn out with us getting burned like DLC and online passes.

Imagine buying a game but not being able to play it till you upgrade your PS4 for a nominal fee... That is a scary thought that is all too possible.

[-Gespenst-]

Mobile games are an example of what happens when the culture industry co-opts something. The experiences become depthless and broad, catering to the super-casual masses, which is pretty bad for games since they're already pretty shallow and juvenile as it is.

I was hoping games would become more intelligent and sophisticated, but this development could seriously hurt that possibility.

The kind of people who nearly invariably play mobile games are the kind of spoonfed people who listen religiously to pop music, watch every dumb blockbuster film, watch culturally repulsive tv shows like x-factor and the like, and buy every identical iteration of some stupid ADD trendy electronic product. They're the kind of people who are ignorant to the history of videogames. They're a culture generated by corporate, consumer interests.

[rainslacker]

I agree with most of what you said except this one line, which I feel you are using as part of your definition of a gamer

"They're the kind of people who are ignorant to the history of videogames"

The truth is, it's abundantly apparent that many people that enjoy games are completely devoid of any real knowledge of video game history, particularly in the areas of how it's gotten to where it is today, and the companies and games that forged the foundation that our beloved hobby is now based.

Many on here even may not even realize how big and important Tomb Raider or Final Fantasy 7 were when they first came out, but they understand that there are many that give those series the respect they deserve for what they brought to gaming...obviously avoid any confusion with current releases to understand what I'm saying. To those types of people I would consider them gamers, because they enjoy those, or other, games with enough passion to pursue them as a hobby.

It's not really necessary for people to be completely up-to-date with the latest news, rumors, or going-ons within the industry to enjoy games enough to be called gamers. I know quite a few people who are completely oblivious to Sega ever making a console outside of something they may have heard at one time. One in particular loves playing COD, which to some on here is looked at as not a gamer, but he does so with enough passion for me to consider him a fan of games. If he were closed off to other experiences, only tried what was free and never invested much time in finding new experiences or understanding the games he was playing, then I would consider him more of what you described.

[CaptainCamper]

Lol..Kabam are notorious for their complete rip off titles. I've covered MMO games for over 5 years and the communities for all of their games complain how much it's about pay to win.

Shallow experience, over-priced items and addictive elements. Doesn't do anything for gaming

[Fateful_Knight]

One only has to go into an average department store and see the Angry Birds bedsheets, nightlights, posters, candy, shirts, shoes, hats, wall coverings, and toothpaste to witness the effect that mobile gaming has had on popular culture. It's cheap, disposable, and sets any respectability of gaming back about a decade or two. It's trash.

[FarCryLover182]

How does mobile kill console gaming? I sure won't be touching a game on my phone anytime soon. Sure wouldn't swap the experience for that over anything else.

[Tonester925]

I like mobile games because it gives you a broader experience for about $.99 a game.

And you can make your own with the right software, sell it, and make your own $$$ hopefully.

[contradictory]

there's a difference between casual gamers
and core gamers.

do you really think that casual iOS games
will make core gamers stop gaming?
DO YOU?

[ACEMANWISE]

Mobile gaming is not necessarily a bad concept. Neither is a console like the Wii. If one looks at these platforms in a different perspective we can generally see it as a possible future for a more developed gaming industry.

By this I mean more dedicated. The experienced audience has always been too small. By doing things like this hopefully gamers will want something more and move on to something more developed and complex. If it doesn't we may see a continuing trend of advanced gaming either shrinking in size or evolving toward the casual permanently. That's not good, for me at least.