The Addiction of Online Gaming is Growing
It should come at no surprise that mobile gaming continues to rake in billions and billions of dollars, and with popular titles now available like Minecraft and Fortnite, the money keeps rolling in for these mega corporations.
Even the gambling world is seeing an uptick in players on their sites – you can learn more here – which is just a mirror image of what is happening, across generations, across income levels, and all around the world.
While handheld and mobile gaming always seemed to be a bigger deal in Asian markets – see the success of systems in Japan like the PSVita, Nintendo DS and 3DS, and the Nintendo Switch – that trend has slowly switched as more and more western audiences use their phones as their primary gaming device, and we think we know why! Nostalgic and fantastic gaming, pitched to us as “free” to play.
Disney Magic Kingdoms – A game that allows you to relive the magic of Disney World and Disneyland is now in the palm of your hand. Unlock your favourite characters and attractions, build your park, and complete interesting side quests! Can’t afford that favourite character or attraction? Buy a bucket of gems and build it instantly.
Fortnite – It’s all about battle royale today kids, and no one is doing it better than Epic Games Fortnite. Hop online and being busting and building your way to victory. Spend money on new outfits for your character to make them unique on the battlefield! Want a new dance move, you can buy that too! Join the fun, and all for…”free.”
Angry Birds 2 – The popular puzzle game is back, but this time it is free-to-play! You’ll have to watch an annoying ad between each level though, so why not pay for the premium version and remove the ads! It’s all “free” to play!
Simpsons Tapped Out – Ever want to build your own Springfield and invite your own characters to live in it? Well now you can, with the Simpsons Tapped Out.
Free. The one word that gets us all to dive in, but it’s not just that. It the nostalgic feeling of the franchises we are engaging in. The truth is, mobile gaming is becoming an addiction, and the line between really gambling online and gambling in seemingly family friendly titles is become blurred.
What do you think? Is mobile gaming becoming an addiction? Should micro transactions be considered gambling?