Mobile gaming’s big break — mirroring to PCs and TVs

This sponsored post is produced by Mobizen.

As the gaming industry has evolved, it’s taken several unique paths, all with different hardware technologies. Consoles, PCs, dedicated mobile gaming systems, and now even our phones, which are becoming one of the most popular options to play on. In fact, the average time spent playing mobile games has increased 57 percent in the last two years according to a report by the NDP Group. Now, with the continued advances in those various technologies, the individual paths have started converging at an incredible rate and we are reaching a turning point where the lines between them are blurring with the user experiences spilling across previously wide divisions.

Developers are no longer restricted by the limited capabilities of older devices and outdated technology. Plus, there are now ways for users to connect their various devices to mirror apps from their smartphones to PC or TV.

From the street to the living room: Mirroring mobile apps to PCs and TVs

Technology platforms like Mobizen are fueling a growing trend of transferring unique gaming experiences to different devices. For instance, you can start a game on a mobile device and then continue it on a PC when at home or in the office. Mobile games are now as complex and graphically rich as PC games so mirroring that gameplay onto larger screens is a natural progression to streamlining the user experience. Gameplay is not altered or disrupted, simply improved via the larger screen — and for some users, made easier and more enjoyable with the assistance of a mouse and keyboard. As we move forward, this emphasis on the user experience will continue to grow while the importance of the device will diminish. Of course, hardcore gamers will still be pushing the limits but for the majority of consumers out there, convenience will become king and mobile gaming will take a stronger hold on the overall landscape. This will lead to a growing desire for games to seamlessly span devices and enable users to take advantage of the best experience possible at any given time.

Expanding the social aspect of mobile gaming

Smartphones are poised to take a large part of the gaming pie because they enable users to anchor that experience and take it everywhere they go. With mobile devices, users can seamlessly integrate the gaming experience with the rest of their lives. They can easily record and share gaming footage, and this new technology, they can even record 60 fps to truly mimic the gaming experience — and with just a few taps that video is on Facebook or YouTube. This extends the game’s impact beyond the inner circle of those immediately engaged in it and creates a whole new world of possibilities for gamers and developers.

Developers will be looking to enhance and facilitate the potential social impact of a game in order to generate more exposure and social frenzy. This enhanced socialization will also make games more appealing to certain demographics traditionally underrepresented in the gaming world. For instance, there’s been a big uptick in the number of female gamers using platforms to play mobile games on their PCs and there’s no sign of this trend slowing down. This will also lead to stronger game allegiances as it’s easy for an individual to switch from one game to another on a whim but if friends are playing, sharing, and creating a larger, more advanced ecosystem around a game, users will be engaged longer. The rampant success of early multiplayer games is a perfect illustration of the impact socialization can have on the success of a game franchise.

Looking forward, as smartphone capabilities continue to improve they will become even more embedded in the gaming landscape. They will solidify their position as a jumping-off point to experiences that will transfer to larger screens, be shared socially, and become more intimately connected to the rest of our lives through ever-present devices. So the future of mobile gaming is, in essence, the future of gaming, and it’s a future that will undoubtedly have a larger impact on our lives than simply a few minutes of entertainment while we’re on the go.

From a technology standpoint, this adoption will push gaming further into the social realm and open doors to a wide array of demographics not yet fully engaged in the current landscape.

Matthew Choy is Co-Founder of Mobizen.

To check out this new technology, you can download Mobizen for free.

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