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The transformation gaming has gone through over the years is nothing short of amazing. It went from a niche hobby accessible to a privileged few in the 80s to today’s biggest and most lucrative entertainment industry. Mobile gaming drives much of its success since it ƒattracts the most players and offers plenty of spending opportunities.

Those are all known facts, though. What are some unexpected aspects of mobile gaming? Which trends does it highlight? Discover mobile gaming’s lesser-known side in this thought-provoking article.

An Equal Playing Field

When thinking about console or PC gaming, the stereotypical player is always a younger guy. Not so for the mobile gaming landscape, which is more balanced when it comes to age and sex alike.

One of the most startling statistics in mobile gaming is how many women enjoy it. A recent study found that three-quarters of women aged 18 – 65 in the US and UK played a mobile game at least once per day. The global statistic isn’t as high, but women make up just over half of the mobile gaming population.

Interestingly, women are also more likely to engage with the games they play. They abandon individual titles less and are more likely to spend money on cosmetics or other ways of improving their experience.

Age isn’t a barrier to entry either. You’d think most mobile gamers were in their teens or 20s. However, the average age is closer to 35. This is partially due to mobile gaming being more approachable for middle-aged and older adults, whose participation will only grow as generations steeped into gaming from childhood continue to age.

More Than a Pastime

There’s a smartphone in almost everyone’s pocket, making games available to millions of people who wouldn’t consider themselves gamers. The industry has expanded and adapted to accommodate this previously untapped market in various ways.

It’s not just a matter of catering to both casual and hardcore players, either. Mobile gaming covers a breadth of genres that offer different experiences compared to usual PC and console titles. RPGs in their various forms might be the most profitable for mobile developers, but puzzle and casual games are by far the most popular.

The motivation behind playing is more nuanced as well. Sure, most players want something to pass the time and have fun. However, others engage in mobile gaming to relieve stress, keep their mental faculties sharp, or even help process traumatic events.

Pushing the Boundaries of What Gaming Means

Smartphones have become one of gaming’s modern frontiers. While staples and tropes abound, mobile developers also create new genres and twists to established ones that wouldn’t work on a more traditional platform.

For example, hyper-casual or cozy games became popular on mobile before making their way onto bigger screens. On the other hand, games like Pokémon Go show how augmented reality can motivate players to go out and explore the real world, forging meaningful connections along the way.

The boundaries between mobile and other gaming types are becoming blurry. Titles like Clash Royale and PUBG Mobile have thriving and fierce competitive scenes. They attract millions of fans and host high-profile tournaments with enticing prizes.

Which platform you play on is becoming less relevant as well. The rise of cloud-based streaming platforms means mobile gamers can experience their favorite console & PC titles on the go without having to pay for expensive gaming hardware.

The Price of Success

Mobile gaming’s explosive popularity doesn’t only attract well-intentioned players. Hackers and scammers are eager to get a piece of the multi-billion-dollar pie. Most people aren’t aware of the risks and don’t take gaming account security seriously enough. Whether you use Android or iOS, password managers can help you take the initial step in protecting your accounts. But more on that later.

Depending on the circumstances, a single compromised password can spiral into disaster. The best-case scenario, you lose the account or all the progress you spent countless hours to achieve. Things may get much worse if you tie personal and payment information to it.

Stolen accounts can lead to identity theft and unauthorized purchases. Some games ask you to log in by using a social media account. This increases the potential of exposing sensitive information about you and your interactions in case of a breach.

Ensuring you have a unique and secure password for each mobile gaming account will help prevent the worst from happening. Choose something long that’s easy to remember but difficult to guess. Include special characters & symbols, too. If you have to do this for several accounts, consider a password manager app like NordPass instead of just using variations.

Two-factor authentication, on top of a strong password, provides even more protection. It ensures no one can access the account from a new device without providing a code you get on your phone. That way, you get to keep the account and everything associated with it safe, even if someone exposes the account information in a data breach.

Conclusion

Mobile gaming is thriving now and is sure to become even more prevalent. It’s shaping our habits and social interactions. Soon, it will also play a bigger part in how we perceive and learn about the world around us. The future is bright for mobile gaming, and we can’t wait to see which exciting and unexpected turns it will take.