Mobile gaming has come an extremely long way because the introduction of crude & simple games like Snake and Pong that have been available on early Nokia phones. Mobile processors and graphics are actually as powerful as desktop computers were only a few years ago. Older generations still remember lugging around a casino game Boy or Game gear and begging their parents for another game. New generations literally get access to 100's of a large number of games on their mobile device.
In short, mobile gaming has exploded in just a couple of years time. In the month of July 2016 there have been 63.1 million arcade games downloaded & games in the "strategy" category generated $195M revenue. In a recent study over 37% of mobile app users with half an hour of free time elect to play games over any activity. We've all seen it and we've all done it ourselves, whether its waiting for an appointment or sitting at the airport, we grab our mobile device and jump into a quick game to kill enough time.
So what does all this mean for the future of android gaming? To begin with, the massive levels of revenue and user interest in android gaming has bolstered continuous innovation and fierce competition in the global marketplace. For example, just 12 months ago, top executives were saying they didn't see any major benefit to augmented reality. With the release of Pokemon Go and estimates citing up to $500 million in revenue in just 60 days, I think we are able to all agree augmented reality is here to stay.
Virtual reality is another area that has been picking up steam lately. You can now buy virtual reality headsets at local gas stations for only $30. Or if you're on a budget you can purchase Google Cardboard for as little as $7.00. There are still only a limited amount of VR enabled games but that number is increasing daily. Not just that, as increasing numbers of people experience VR we are sure to visit a blockbuster release sooner or later.
Let's have a look at some real life examples of recent game releases. Dawn of Titans which was recently released on Google Play was in development for over 24 months. This is comparable to the development cycle of a mid-level PC game release on Steam. The overall game features mass controlled troops, world building elements and impressive graphics. A few years ago this would certainly be a major release for the Android platform. Nowadays this is yet another drop in the massive pond. With over 2.4 million apps and games currently listed on Google Play it's become harder and harder to stick out. This is actually good news for gamers as developers will work harder and faster to create new innovative titles to attract users.
I firmly think that both Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) titles are going to gain more traction in 2017. Major developers who is able to pump out triple A content can't be left in the dust while indie developers generate AR and VR enabled games. They will be forced to port existing titles and come up exciting new ways to interact with the cellular devices.
There are lots of gimmicky games available that utilize the phones microphone, gyroscope, camera and accelerometer. However, these sensors coupled with AR and VR could bring a complete new experience to gamers. Imagine walking by way of a recreated 3D world that represents your neighbourhood, immersed in full virtual reality, and making use of your phone as a targeting device to defend against waves of zombies. That is already possible with the technology that's available, it just should be packaged in a user-friendly way that folks can enjoy.
Combining meticulous graphics with well-planned virtual reality experiences will be impressive indeed. If you are familiar with PC based virtual reality demo's you already know how immersive the knowledge can be. https://www.adventure-vault.com/deerfield-beach/virtual-reality 's just a matter of time before these same experiences make their way to our mobile devices en masse. And to think, only 30 years ago we were playing Mario on our beloved Nintendo consoles. Let's not mention the Virtual Boy that burned your eyes after 2 minutes of playing tennis. Android games and mobile games in general have come a long ways since then and they will continue to push barriers even more in the near future.