Action adventure mobile gaming: Past, Present and Future

Action-adventure gaming is often compared to the ups and downs of real life. But unlike reality, you get unlimited chances to cross the hurdles, defeat the evils and complete the mission in the gaming world. This genre has always offered rewarding experience to gamers but it was earlier limited mainly to gaming consoles.
In contemporary scenario, the infectious popularity of smartphones is making this genre all the rage among both serious gamers and newbies (a.k.a n00bs).

How it all began?

Classic video game Tetris was the first one to be the part of mobile phone realm. During that era, the games were pre-installed and concept of downloadable games was still a fantasy. Though, Japan commercialized the idea of downloadable games in 1999 but it was a Finnish company ‘Universomo’ that changed the scenario. They launched ‘Bones: The First Adventure,’ in 2002, which had all the elements of an action adventure game. This game with dog as the protagonist was launched for Symbian phones of Nokia and received an overwhelming response. As a result, the journey of Action Adventure games was incepted.

Why go mobile?

Earlier games were considered just a basic source of entertainment for those who carried the mobile devices. But the times changed, and the world witnessed the launch of smartphones, which became an epic moment in the history of technology. In terms of gaming, different firms and independent game developers began to try their hands in this realm due to potential of lucrative revenues.
Very first benefit of developing mobile game is the extensive reach. In fact, the number of smartphone users across the globe in 2015 was whopping 1859.3 millions, as per statistics portal Statista. This massive number is enough evidence to prove that the market of mobile users cannot be ignored.
Blend of portability factor, availability of high-speed internet and improved graphics resulted in accelerated growth of mobile games popularity. As a result, developers got a chance to receive handsome revenue through mobile advertisements and paid games. Phenomenon of freemium gaming in mobile phones is another major area that has enhanced the revenue for gaming industry. In this idea, several games are offered free of cost but charges are levied for additional features or upgrades. In action adventure games, the players can buy better weapons or upgrade power of their game characters by unloading some extra bucks from their pocket. The average spending by a mobile gamer across the globe is 24.33 dollars, as per the latest report by the firm Swrve, which is quite impressive considering the number of mobile game users.

Giants entering action adventure arena of smartphone gaming

The mobile game developers are now putting more focus on action adventure themes in spite of some challenges. The development is bit challenging as they have to create plots and visuals of action adventure games in a very balanced manner so that they can be adapted to the smaller screens of Android or other mobile phones.
But the inclination towards this genre is expected to reap pleasant results for the developers. As per research firm Newzoo, an array of action games in market will result in mobile game revenue reaching 37 billion dollars in 2016. That’s not all! The firm also stated that mobile gaming will transcend the sales of PC games in 2016 for the first time in gaming history. Giants like Electronic Arts have already expanded themselves into mobile world. Their popular action adventure games like Dead Space, Heroes of Dragon Age, Battlefield: Bad Company series and Mirror’s Edge are appreciated by adrenaline junkies. Well, another player from gaming world Ubisoft is also focusing to capture the mobile market. The company offers some of their renowned action adventure games like Prince of Persia and Assassin’s Creed on Android and iOS platforms.

Mobile gaming accessories: A new phase

For hardcore gamers, smartphone appeared as the new dimension to play their favorite games. But these devices were considered secondary when compared to the conventional gaming. This idea was especially prevalent for action adventure games as they required better control and graphics. Various brands realized this problem and introduced mobile accessories, which was a major move to satisfy the craving of great gaming experience.
Mobile gaming controllers that emulate console game remotes are the revolutionary products, which are well received by the dedicated fans of action-adventure genre. Brands like Moga, Logitech, 60Beat, PhoneJoy and iMPulse are constantly evolving the gaming experience by introducing new shapes and features in these controllers.
Virtual Reality (VR) headsets are another addition to this bandwagon of mobile gaming accessories. These headsets take the level of action adventure games a notch above through an immersive experience.
Last but not the least, meaty power banks, which ensure that you never go out of the battery while playing some heavy games, have added to the experience.

Where lies the future?

Smartphone games are currently giving tough competition to portable gaming devices. In near future, the game developers are expected to use features like gyroscopes, cameras and several apps to create advance versions of mobile games. Wearable devices are another facet of smart technology that can be incorporated to enhance the experience of action-adventure gaming. As a whole, the surge in technology and various positive statistics reflect that the future of action adventure games is definitely bright and lasting!