In this blog post, we will look at why mobile games based on simple controls and short play times are more successful than those with complex content.
Mobile games: Why are they regressing instead of evolving?
Today, as usual, I turned on my smartphone and started browsing the Play Store, which is full of mobile games. Looking at the various games ranked from 1st to 500th, you can see that many games disappear from the rankings, but the games that remain in the rankings for a long time are all games that are easy to play. Other games have evolved to better reflect reality, so why is it that mobile games are the only ones going against this technological advancement?
The mobile game market dominated by simple games
In all areas of gaming, whether PC or console, games with better graphics, extensive storylines, and spectacular effects are in the spotlight, and development continues in that direction. Even games like GTA and Diablo have much better graphics in their sequels. This shows that high-quality graphics are essential for establishing a foothold in the PC game market. Such games usually have a vast amount of content, and in order to enjoy all of it, there are many factors to consider, such as how to move the characters. With the advent of smartphones, we are now able to play PC-level games on our smartphones. So, shouldn’t high-spec games be popular in the mobile game market as well as in PC games?
In the mobile game market, countless games are created and released, but only 5% of them are played for more than a month. Looking at games that have survived for a long time, such as “Cookie Run,” where you control a running cookie to score points, “Candy Crush Saga,” a puzzle game where you change the position of candies to complete missions, and “Clash of Clans,” where you select units to plunder enemy resources, all of these games can be played with simple controls. Here, simple controls refer to the fact that only a few actions are required to complete a stage. In particular, the recently created game “1 Minute RPG” is a mud game that is played only with text, and is the ultimate game in which all content can be achieved with just a few clicks, but it has achieved the top spot in the mobile game rankings.
Before mobile games came into the spotlight, these games were considered old-fashioned flash games and were enjoyed by only a small number of users, but with mobile games, they have been reborn as games played by countless users.
Simplicity in the mobile game market: short play time
Why did we become addicted to simple games that we ignored on PCs? The biggest reason is the purpose of mobile game users. People today don’t have much time. Students are busy with cram school and private lessons, college students spend a lot of time on classes and assignments, and office workers spend a lot of time commuting and working. With such a busy schedule, sitting in front of a computer and playing games is inevitably burdensome.
So what about mobile games? Just because you have work to do doesn’t mean that all your time is spent on work. There are breaks between work and work, and there is spare time such as commuting time. Mobile games have filled that spare time between busy work schedules. When people have spare time, they can easily access mobile games by turning on their mobile phones, which they always carry with them. They play mobile games to have fun and relieve stress. However, in order to get the most fun and stress relief in a short amount of time, games must be short and have quick results. This inevitably leads to mobile games taking on a separate stage format. Mobile games consisting of small stages require simple controls. Due to the nature of having to be completed in a short period of time, complex controls would actually reduce efficiency. Mobile games, which dominate spare time, are sufficient as entertainment tools as long as they achieve their purpose through simple controls and graphics of an appropriate level.
Simplicity in the mobile game market: changes in gender ratio
In a game market that has boasted colorful graphics, games were considered almost exclusively for men. Female users who enjoy games were so few compared to male users that women sitting in PC cafes were viewed as something strange. However, with the smartphone penetration rate in South Korea approaching 95% in 2024, the gender ratio in the mobile game market is not that different. In fact, women spend more on mobile games per month, establishing themselves as important customers in the mobile game market. So why have female customers been absent from the game market until now?
To become a game user, you have to start playing the game. However, other game markets have developed too much to suit the tastes of their customers, creating a disconnect with first-time users, especially female users who are not familiar with games. This is commonly referred to as a barrier to entry, and in a game market that requires high specifications and a lot of consideration to achieve in-game goals, female users find it difficult to break into the market due to these barriers.
On the other hand, the mobile game market has not been active for very long, so there are many different games available. Among them, games that are easy to start and play have become popular not only among men but also among women and older people, and have remained popular for a long time.
As such, in today’s mobile game market, we can see a “retro boom” in which simple games that were popular in the early days are gaining popularity again. In the digital market, where the world is changing rapidly, isn’t the “retro boom” of simple mobile games an attempt to bring together the old and new generations, as well as men and women? In addition, in our exhausting lives where we always have to do “something,” games have been interpreted as something separate from work and a waste of time. However, mobile games have overcome this and, through their simplicity, have become a natural part of our daily lives.
The interaction between smartphone technology and mobile games
Advances in smartphone technology have had a major impact on the evolution of mobile games. Starting with simple text-based games in the early days, games utilizing AR (augmented reality) and VR (virtual reality) technologies are now emerging. Games such as Pokémon Go are expanding the possibilities of mobile games by providing users with new experiences that blend the real world with the virtual world. However, despite these technological advances, games with simple controls and short play times are still popular. This is because users prefer games that are easy to access and enjoy anytime, anywhere.
Simplicity is what made all of this possible, but the results are no longer simple. The mobile game market is constantly changing and evolving to meet the needs of users. We look forward to seeing what direction the mobile game market will take in the future.
