The Game Phenomenon That Turns PC Platforms Into Mobile
Today technology has helped us make things easier. Likewise playing games which now play games can be played in all circles from small children, teenagers, even adults.
Only with a smartphone device now we can play games for free or paid anywhere and anytime. Especially now that everyone can have this one device at a very affordable price.
Along with the price of smartphones getting cheaper and has almost reached all levels of society, the industry in the gaming world has also taken the opportunity by creating various genres of mobile games.
This is very different from the old days if we want to play a game we must have a console or PC. At that time the price was still very expensive and only some people could have this device.
Even people who have this device can already be said to be “sons of the rich”. Some of us who don’t have it can play at a friend’s house who already has this device so we can still play it. If we don’t have friends like that, there are still rental services or internet cafes that we can visit to be able to play a game.
Technological Developments Have Influenced Today’s Games
With the rapid development of technology and with the increasing number of smartphone users. Developers are also interested in making games that can be played on mobile platforms. Even games that were once popularly played on consoles and PCs can now be played on this smartphone device.
For example, the MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) game genre is currently being hype in Indonesia. In the past, this game genre has been popular on PC devices, but now there are many games of this genre on mobile devices.
One of the mobile games that is currently popular is “Mobile Legends”. Since its release on June 11, 2022, this game has attracted a lot of attention from gamers. Even people who have never played MOBA games are now also interested in playing this one game. It has been recorded that more than 100 million have downloaded this one game. Although this game is not the first MOBA game on mobile, the popularity of this game is very fast.
There are many other games such as classic games that are now released on smartphone devices such as “Final Fantasy”, “GTA San Andreas”, “Mario Bros” and others even now there is such a thing as an emulator to play classic games on mobile devices.
This makes gamers who played it in the past become nostalgic and reminiscing about the time when they were still playing the game. By smoothing the graphics and being able to carry it anywhere, players are very comfortable to linger for a long time to play this classic game anytime and anywhere.
The online game with the Battle Royale genre has recently enlivened the gaming era at this time, one of these games is “Player Unknown Battleground” or often called PUBG. This game has also become popular since its previous release on PC which has attracted a lot of attention of PC gamers. Although this game is paid, it is possible for gamers to want to try playing this one game.
This game developed by Tencent Games also looks at the current development of mobile games. They don’t seem to want to miss being involved with mobile gamers. They also released the game on mobile devices under the name “PUBG Mobile”
But what’s interesting here is that the games that are released on this mobile device they provide for free or for free. This allows gamers who don’t have a lot of money or don’t understand how to buy games on a PC to be able to play them right away. The game which was just released a few years ago has been downloaded by more than 50 million players.
The Future of the Game Industry Is Mobile?
This phenomenon continues to grow rapidly, as evidenced by the aforementioned games that have reaped many benefits, it’s not wrong that developers will also put their games on Mobile. Well-known developers such as Square Enix, Nintendo, and even Konami have targeted their games to be on this mobile device.
The game company Metal Gear Solid has said “Mobile will be our main platform” in an interview with its new CEO Hideki Hayakawa. He also said “Although the game has spread to various platforms but in the end the closest platform is mobile. Mobile is where the future of gaming is.”
Some people also think that mobile is a good way to introduce games to the general public. Console developers also think that mobile will threaten their business continuity. Perhaps this is the era of the renaissance of mobile games. What is the real reason for the developers to switch to this one platform?
Increased Mobile Usage
Maybe as has been discussed in the discussion above, almost everyone already has this one device, that’s what makes developers want to take advantage of and reap the benefits that can be obtained from mobile users.
Simple
One word for mobile is simple, which means that games on mobile devices are not as complicated as on consoles or PCs, they only need to download their games in an application marketplace located on their cellphones, wherever they can be played immediately, such convenience is the main attraction. they.
The released game doesn’t need to reach the final version
Maybe this is also one of the interests of developers to develop their games, because they can release their games even though they are still in beta they can update their games little by little. So they don’t have to worry if their update is not liked by gamers, they just need to update it, that way they can better listen to what players want.
Small Production Cost Big Profit
Who doesn’t want a business that has a small capital but gets a big profit. This is also one of the things that attracts developers, they only need to make games that are simple but interesting to play. No need to pay people to make good graphics, all graphics are acceptable on mobile devices as long as the game is interesting to play. That way developers don’t need to spend more money to make games that can attract players’ interest.
There is In-App Purchase
This feature is also one of the developers who benefit. This feature is a purchase such as items, diamonds, characters and so on that are sold in the game to make it easier for players to play. For example, a pay to win ecosystem that can be used to speed up the game. Players can buy characters or moves to make the game easier. By making it difficult for players to stage or making it difficult for players to get an item or coin they can immediately get it by buying it with money.
Ads
The next feature that is usually often found in mobile games is advertisements. With these ads developers will be paid for their games. By watching the ad the developer will benefit from here. The more people who download their games, the more people will watch their ads, usually these ads can also be used as a feature to get things like items, lives and so on, such as replacements for IAP.
Mobile Game Type
There are several types of mobile games such as premium which is a paid game that usually does not have an In App Purchase feature, some games of this type can also be played to the end without any purchases, then freemium is a free game but has IAP features and some ads. The IAP feature in it is not required to be purchased but in this type of game it will usually feel a little more difficult either to collect items or increasingly difficult levels that make players inevitably have to buy the IAP feature to make it easier, and lastly free is a game that is completely free with no ads or IAP, games like this are usually made not for profit but to just channel hobbies or to complete assignments for those who are still in school or college or just to be a small project.
Can Buy Games with Credit
For some people who don’t have a credit card, they can buy games or top up using credit. In Indonesia, there are still many people who do not have a credit card, especially children who are still in school. There are also many providers who have used this feature, so it will be easier for players to buy their favorite games.
Mobile is the New Market for the Game World in Indonesia
If we talk about the developer of a game, we certainly can’t get rid of profit and money. According to research results from the gaming firm Newzoo, in 2022 the comparison of buying mobile video games with PCs or consoles can be seen from around the world that purchases of mobile video games almost beat digital purchases of PCs or consoles with a percentage difference of 10%.
This proves that the future of the game world market will shift to mobile, then according to the research results of the gaming firm Newzoo on January 12, 2022, the fastest mobile game revenue in Southeast Asia, Indonesia is the fastest country for mobile game revenue with a percentage of 60.7%.
This also proves that the growth of mobile games in this country is very rapid. And the factor that causes people to make in-game purchases is how often people play the game.
The more often we play it, the more we will be affected by the offers offered by game developers. The existence of a system of competition between players is also increasingly spurring them to immediately make purchases so that the games they play are increasingly unbeatable.
For those who don’t have the time and want an instant way to get something good they just have to buy stuff that the game developer provides. You can see further research data from the game firm Newzoo in 2022 for how often people play mobile games in Southeast Asia.
In Indonesia, the majority of mobile game players are aged 21-35 years for a percentage of 27% and for women the majority are dominated by the age of 21-35 years with a percentage of 18%. Potentially, the game business in Indonesia is more profitable, data from the game firm Newzoo in 2022 the game industry’s revenue in Indonesia is estimated to reach US$879.7 million, a fairly large number for a game-making business.
So if you look at the data above, the market for the mobile game industry is very large and very promising. It’s no wonder that later there will be many developers competing to make new innovations in the world of mobile games and their increasingly sophisticated technology along with the increasingly sophisticated smartphone.
Editor: @kautsar-juhari