Grab anyone’s phone and you’ll find at least one mobile game on it. Playing games is one of the reasons why so many people buy a smartphone in the first place. It almost feels like mobile games are all set to take over the gaming industry. But this was not the case merely a decade ago when the industry was dominated by games compatible with consoles and PCs.
The first proper game dedicated to mobile devices, the iconic snake game, was launched in 1997 by Nokia. And even though the game garnered traction amongst mobile phone users, it barely did anything to dent the absolute dominance of console and PC-based games.
The reason was simple enough, the game barely had any visual elements, the gameplay was redundant and the experience started feeling loopy after a while. The true advent of mobile gaming came with the launch of touchscreen phones in the late 2000s. This is when mobile gaming took a serious turn with the launch of more visually appealing contenders like Gameloft’s Asphalt. This was indeed a revolution, gamers could now enjoy engaging game-plays with respectable graphics on the go.
Over the next decade technological advancements like gyro technology, augmented reality, and mobile WAPs, took the mobile gaming industry to new heights. Today, the gaming industry is worth a little less than 70 Billion Dollars in the United States alone. Moreover, mobile games are played by over half of the U.S. population, a trend that is on a sharp upwards trajectory. By 2027 the U.S. is all set to have a whopping 182 Million mobile gamers in its population.
And perhaps shockingly, researchers have shown that most mobile gamers are in fact women, as compared to the make-dominated PC and console gaming communities. One of the top reasons why mobile games are so popular with users is the convenient ‘on the go’ experience they offer. You do not have to settle down and plug in large monitors or other devices to play your favorite game.
You can be sitting in a bus or even your workplace and enjoy a short binge-gaming break without having to go through any hassle whatsoever. But there is a catch though. Overplaying high-graphics multiplayer games on your mobile phones does take a huge toll on your mobile phone’s data plan. Leaving behind less data for more important activities.
If you do not want your gaming sprees to eat up your entire data plan you can either choose to pay extra to your mobile internet provider or wait till you are home and use your Wi-Fi for playing games. Both these options do not seem attractive, right? Luckily, you have a better option. You can switch to a versatile internet service provider like Spectrum. The ISP runs a vast network of hotspots that its customers can utilize without any additional charges.
All you need to do is find the nearest Spectrum Hotspot, connect to it and you are good to go. Yes, it’s that simple. So, what are you waiting for? Now that we have helped you overcome an important obstacle to bine playing mobile games, let’s move on to a list of games you must try if you have not already.
POKEMON GO
Pokémon Go is responsible for the launch of a new era in the world of mobile gaming. It is the first widely available and played game to have integrated Augmented Reality (AR) technology in the mobile gaming universe in the truest sense.
The game takes you on an adventure that is not limited to the tiny screen of your phone. You can walk about, engage in social interactions or rush to work all the while looking for Pokémon hidden in your surroundings. A look through your mobile’s screen will transform your mundane surroundings into an adventure-filled land awaiting exploration.
PUBG
If anyone in the United States told us that they have not heard of PUBG we’d call them a liar. PUBG is one of the most iconic games of the modern era and much like the previous entry on the list is responsible for heralding a new age in the world of mobile gaming. PUBG is an online multiplayer game with a global audience. You can network with your friends, or complete strangers for that matter, and form teams to shoot it out in amazingly well-defined maps.
The game takes the idea of mobile-based first-person shooters to the very extreme by offering a vast variety of maps, skins, weapons, and even rides. At one point the popularity of the game started worrying policymakers many of whom began terming it clinically addictive. But little did they know that being addictive is an essential element of any good game and PUBG is perhaps one of the best ones out there.
FLAPPY BIRD
While most games are designed to keep their players engaged by helping them constantly advance to new stages so that they could explore new aspects of the game’s universe. Flappy Bird was designed with an entirely opposing goal in mind; how best can we frustrate users to the extent of pushing them away.
And paradoxically this frustration and extremely hard-to-advance aspects were what made the game such a huge success. The gameplay is simple enough, you have to click on the screen to help your flappy bird advance through obstacles, easier said than done. The graphics seem like they were borrowed from a 90s PC game. But the sheer challenge of advancing through the repetitive map is what kept users coming back.
WORDLE
Let’s be honest, Wordle is not exactly a mobile game, though most players did end up playing it on their mobile phones, which is why it made this list. Wordle is basically a word puzzle game launched by the famed publication the New York Times, last year.
The idea is simple, every day they put out a new incomplete five-letter word and users have five tried to get the word right. If they succeed they get a streak that they can boost on social media. In addition to being highly educational, Wordle is very addictive and is definitely worth a try.
WRAP UP
No one can hope to count the total number of mobile games available in the app stores. And while many of them offer fresh and original ideas a vast majority are mere better copies of older games.
The games on this list, in addition to being original ideas, have been able to change the mobile gaming landscape in their own distinct ways and are worth playing because they helped inspire thousands of other games that all of us love playing today.
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