News and social media today are closely tied to gaming. Despite the high popularity of computer entertainment, a much larger number of players prefer to use smartphones for this purpose. Mobile gamers represent a large audience. Who are they, and how are they connected to esports?
Portrait of a mobile gamer
During a global survey conducted by AdColony in collaboration with Global Web Index, it was found that mobile gaming is equally popular among men and women. At the same time, half of the players launch games once to multiple times a day. Increased activity is due to constant access to smartphones. Gamers less frequently play only once or a few times a week/month.
The age of players is quite diverse. Most mobile gamers are between 18 and 24 years old. However, the older generation, ranging from 35 to 54 years old, also plays games daily. Thus, it is quite difficult to form a unified portrait of a mobile gamer. This category can include virtually anyone who prefers gaming on smartphones.
Popular Genres
The main genres in mobile gaming are as follows:
- Puzzles (including casual entertainment);
- Word games;
- Strategies.
The first two genres dominate since users primarily prefer entertainment rather than competitive games. More than half of gamers do this while watching television. Just under half play during breaks from work, and only a quarter of those surveyed prefer to kill time this way while commuting to work/school.
Esports Games
In addition to the entertainment aspect, many mobile games are competitive in nature. They allow players to compete against others online. Some of these games are represented as separate esports disciplines.
The most popular mobile esports games include:
- Hearthstone;
- League of Legends: Wild Rift;
- Brawl Stars;
- PUBG Mobile;
- Magic: The Gathering;
- Mobile Legends: Bang Bang;
- Arena of Valor;
- Clash Royale;
- Call of Duty: Mobile.
Some of them are mobile adaptations of popular computer games. Esports on smartphones are not lacking in prize money either. The Arena of Valor World Championship plans to distribute a significant prize pool of $10,000,000.
Conclusions
It is difficult to form a unified portrait of a mobile gamer. Many prefer to simply escape from reality on their smartphones while simultaneously doing other tasks. However, some players, on the contrary, are seriously engaged in mobile gaming and participate in prestigious tournaments with large prizes.