The ability to game on the go has been with us for well over a decade now. Thanks to portable gaming systems like the Nintendo Gameboy and Sony PSP, gamers are free to roam as they please without fear of being without a game to pass the time. In recent years even our phones have joined the pantheon of portable electronic devices that we can use for some good, old-fashioned amusement.
Playing games on a portable console can be preferable if one is looking for a more lengthy experience. Photo by Preston SoteloMobile gaming has grown substantially over the past few years. At first, simple titles such as Tetris, Pac-Man and Bejeweled were among the best games available for one’s phone. Today, one can access a plethora of mobile games, from various genres and styles via their respective app store. From addicting touch-based games like Fruit Ninja and Angry Birds to fully-fledged RPG experiences like Chaos Rings, there is something to suit everyone’s tastes. Mobile gaming has become a significant branch of the gaming universe in its own right.
However, there is a distinct difference between the games available on a portable game system and those in the app store. While there are a few mobile games that are bigger in scope and scale in what they accomplish, the majority of them feature simple and engaging games, the like of which are easy to pick up and convenient to pause.
Meanwhile, portable game systems are able to provide a gaming experience that is more or less comparable to playing on your console or PC back home. This is not a slight against mobile games, but a simple fact of the current limitations on the smartphone’s hardware that runs these games, in addition to a multitude of other features and services.
However, as technology continues to advance, it is not hard to imagine one day that smartphones and portable gaming devices might merge into a device not unlike the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play phone that was released back in 2011. The Xperia Play, while not perfect, was still an intriguing move into a bold, new world. It also is a sure sign that mobile gaming has just as much to offer casual gamers as it does hardcore gamers.
So what do you gamers think? Would you want to see more such devices? What mobile games do you enjoy the most?
What to get in touch and talk gaming? Contact the reporter at preston.sotelo@asu.edu or via Twitter at @p_sotelo
