Ever since mobiles became commonplace in the late 1990s, people all over the world have been walking around with video games in their pocket. Over the past three decades the style and quality of these games have developed in radical ways. Creating entirely new gaming genres in the process. Let’s take a brief look at the history of mobile gaming.
Humble Beginnings
The most beloved early mobile game is Snake, without question. Initially released as a preloaded game on Nokia’s 6110 model in 1997, Snake has transcended its origins to become a part of gaming history. With millions of players having fond memories of searching for food pixels while dodging your ever-growing, snaking body.
While Snake may be the most remembered early mobile game, it was by no means the first. In 1994 little-known manufacturer Hagenuk built a version of Tetris into their MT-2000. Unbeknownst to them, they were ushering in a new era of gaming.
The Rise of Casual Gaming
Mobile games would grace devices throughout the 2000s, but it wasn’t until the release of the iPhone in 2007 that things really started to take off. The touch-screen interface of the iPhone opened up a whole new way to play; sparking inspiration in developers across the globe. Quickly many now-legendary titles were developed—from Angry Birds and Fruit Ninja to Cut the Rope.
Social media platforms like Facebook also played a role. Releasing games like Farmville, which worked incredibly well on mobile platforms—allowing players to log in whenever, wherever and connect to huge networks of players in the process.
These titles welcomed players into the world of casual gaming—a generally low-stakes genre requiring low-to-no gaming experience in order to be enjoyed.
The Free-to-Play Revolution
In the wake of the iPhone, smartphone dominance grew exponentially. Meaning more and more developers were flocking to mobile to produce innovative experiences. By the late 2010s, these began to rival traditional console and PC gaming experiences.
With mobile gaming dominance continuing to grow, gaming conglomerates took notice. With many of them developing for mobile or directly porting their games to these devices. Games like PUBG Mobile and Genshin Impact demonstrated the fact that massive games—from open world RPGs to multiplayer shooters—had a new place on mobile.
This move to mobile coincided with the increase in free to play and games as a service models, seeing developers release their games for “free”—instead gaining revenue from microtransactions, battle passes and other in-game purchases.
Technical Innovation
These developments have all been underpinned by one factor: mobile devices have continued to get more powerful year by year. With these devices packing more impressive hardware, developers are able to bring more complex and technically demanding experiences to mobile devices. Resulting in graphically and mechanically impressive experiences like Zenless Zone Zero! If you want to get ahead in this free to play title, consider a Zenless Zone Zero top up!
But mobile gaming isn’t just about bringing traditional experiences to a portable device. The mobile platform offers its own, unique advantages. A prime example of this is Pokémon GO, a game which could only feasibly exist on mobile.
The Future
From Snake to Zenless Zone Zero, mobile gaming has made waves over the past three decades. And it’s clear that it’s not slowing down. As mobile devices continue to grow in power, and now take the top spot as the most accessible gaming platform, developers are certainly going to continue bringing exciting titles to mobile. And if cloud gaming (or when) truly takes off, the sky will truly be the limit.
