The Battle For Your Time: How Mobile And Console Gaming Are Competing For Players

A few years ago, gaming could effectively be split into console and PC gaming. Mobile gaming was extremely casual and really only involved titles that were included on hardware when phones were bought. The introduction of dedicated mobile gaming devices like the PS Vita did little to help.

Mobile Gaming Early Days

2008 saw the launch of the Apple App Store, which was followed, later in the same year, by Google’s own Android Market (later known as the Google Play Store). Their launch would eventually lead to a seismic change in the gaming market. Today, more than half of all the video gaming market’s revenue comes from mobile gaming.

The mobile gaming category includes games on cell phones, as well as those on dedicated mobile gaming devices like the Steam Deck. It includes conversions of AAA titles, casual apps, and mobile casinos that offer large ranges of table games, slots, and other casino games, in addition to a variety of payment methods that include cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin. (Source: https://www.cardplayer.com/online-casinos/best-bitcoin-casinos). In contrast, console gaming includes games and services on platforms including PlayStation, Xbox, and Wii.

Console Gaming Early Days

Video game consoles were first launched in the 1970s, but they started to see popularity with the launch of the Sega Genesis (Mega Drive in some markets) and the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, which were launched in 1988 and 1990 respectively.

The first PlayStation launched in 1995, followed by the Nintendo 64 in 1996. Then came the Dreamcast in 1998 before the PlayStation2 launched in 2000. It wasn’t until 2001 that the first Xbox came out.

Console Gaming’s Appeal

Consoles target relatively serious gamers, although console gaming is still considered more approachable and easier to get into than PC gaming. The majority of the game-making budget goes into creating games for the console market, and modern games not only charge an initial purchase fee, but can also incorporate additional revenue-spinning streams like in-app purchases and season passes.

Season Passes

Season passes not only bring in additional revenue for potentially years after a game has been released. They also encourage players to keep coming back to the game, further encouraging additional sales of in-game items, DLC, and more.

FIFA, which is now known as EA FC, is a long-running sports title and one of the most popular franchises in the European market. It has a premium price tag, but it also sells season passes, giving access to in-game rewards. Rewards range from new in-stadium tunes to coins for use in the game’s Clubs game. EA FC also sells packs for its Ultimate Team mode.

Multiplayer Gaming

As well as using season passes, a lot of console games rely heavily on multiplayer gaming to attract returning players. When a player has finished the main single-player game, it is the online multiplayer offering that keeps them coming back. GTA V was released over 12 years ago but it is still widely played and discussed among the gaming community partially because of its multiplayer.

Downloadable Content

GTA V is also popular because of the downloadable content it offers. This is another technique that game makers can use to attract returning gamers. DLC can include new maps, extra missions or quests, and other items. The Elder Scrolls series, especially Elder Scrolls 4, was well known for its high-quality DLC that encouraged players to keep playing or to revisit the game even after they’d reasonably finished the campaign.

Mobile Gaming’s Popularity

Compared to console games, mobile games are much more casual titles. Developers attempt to create games that players can pick up, play for relatively short periods, and then put down. Although some games do charge a few dollars for their purchase, most use other revenue streams.

The Freemium Model

In-app purchases, or microtransactions, are big business in mobile gaming. Candy Crush is a free-to-play mobile game but it has racked up more than $20 billion in lifetime revenue thanks to in-game purchases. The entire game can be played from beginning to end without ever having to pay a cent. However, players can purchase boosts and actions to help them progress quicker or get past particularly challenging sections.

This freemium model is common in mobile games and is an effective method of attracting players. There is, after all, no more attractive price point than free. However, even free players are discerning when it comes to their investment of time. Games need to be appealing and they still need to offer value to mobile gamers, even when they are offered for free.

New Content Updates

To attract and retain players, mobile games use a variety of techniques. One method is the release of new content – equivalent to the DLC packs of console games. Angry Birds is one of the best-known freemium games on mobile. The game launched in 2009 and enjoyed regular updates until 2019, bringing hundreds of new levels and even new game modes during that time. Many mobile games use this same model of regular updates to entice players.

Multiplayer Appeal

Mobile gaming does offer some multiplayer gaming, but this typically comes in the form of score competition or turn-based action, rather than live action. There are exceptions, with games like PUBG Mobile, the mobile version of the incredibly popular battle royale game, being a prime example.

This has come down to the fact that mobile Internet connections have, historically, not been as good as land-based connections. The introduction and continued growth of 5G has seen that change, but the casual and portable nature of mobile games means that the same turn-based multiplayer style is still the most popular.

Friendly Competition

Friend’s leaderboards in games can also do a good job of attracting players and keeping them coming back. The games enable players to invite friends from social media platforms, or via email, and then compete to get the highest score or the lowest completion time. This friendly competition certainly keeps players interested.

The Competition

Mobile games and console games don’t necessarily compete with one another, with many console gamers playing mobile games and vice versa. Mobile games are typically popular with players on the move, away from home, or where they do not have immediate access to their consoles. Their convenience has undoubtedly helped lead to their incredible market success.

Consoles, themselves, are viewed as being a more convenient alternative to PCs, as they don’t need regularly updating to be able to play the latest titles and don’t demand the same high cost of a gaming PC, in the first place.

Conclusion

Mobile gaming makes up around half of the entire gambling industry, in terms of revenue and sales. Console gaming is next, with PC gaming coming in third place. Console gaming is seen as being more convenient than PC gaming, but doesn’t come close to the convenience of being able to play anywhere with a mobile Internet connection.