We all know about it, we all dread it, and despite that, it's probably one of the most profitable markets in the industry. At first, it had the stigma of not being "real video games", but lately mobile games have been stepping up to actually be very close to a real video game. Examples include Fire Emblem: Heroes, Dragon Ball Legends, and Dragalia Lost. Each game, in it's own respect, can actually be considered better than some of the fully fledged video games being released now. Of course, the issue of micro-transactions arise greatly in this field, but it's much more of an optional and justified thing in these games than it is in actual video games, in my opinion.

What do you all think of mobile games? Are they adding to the stigma of micro-transactions? Can they be considered real games?

There was a time when the home console couldn't faithfully mimic a video game and the definitive versions were run on arcade cabinets. That changed in the 90s with 16 and 32 bit consoles. There was a time when laptops could realistically run any big name titles unless you payed out the nose for something custom built for it, and that time's quickly coming to an end. I guess it only stands to reason that phone are only going to get more powerful and become just as usable for low intensity gaming as anything else (depending on control and screen size preferences).

I personally hate using a phone to do anything but texting, calling, using a calculator, checking the weather, having a flashlight or a watch or an alarm... etc. Basically things that you otherwise wouldn't do on a computer. But the way mobile gaming is developing, I'll be willing to give it a fair chance when I get something up-to-date enough to actually run something. I'm skeptical, but I'm also biased in favor of traditional gaming platforms.

I love mobile games, especially the ones that I play most of all like Summoners War. I played that game A LOT over the past 4 or so years and I spent a lot of money on it too. There's a dozens of other games that I play as well but not as much and lots of ones that I don't spend money on.

I especially love the offline it mobile games that can keep you busy when you need something to do, there are so many of those and many of them are free to begin with.

There are two types of mobile games in my opinion, ones that are created specifically for phones and ones that are created for handhelds like Game Boy and Sega Game Gear.

The REAL mobile games are those created for the handhelds. The ones created for your phone... are very limited and no where near as amazing as those ones on the handhelds. Maybe some are I don't know. I have one game installed on my phone but there is also a PC version of said game and that is where I primary play it. The mobile version is very limited in capabilities. Plus, it sucks playing games on a 4x2 inch screen or however big a typical phone is. I prefer buttons that of a controller which are attached to handhelds, you don't get that with touch screen phones. Instead, your greasy fingers will mess up the screen and I don't like that.

I HATE PHONE GAMES, I don't like playing games on my phone period. I am not a phone person! Look, phones are for talking, not gaming although lots of people would disagree. If you use it for games, maybe it is time to get a handheld that is where the real games are at!

I fear for handhelds though, with the rise of phon"e" mobile games, they may eliminate the need for such handheld systems. Remember when Blockbuster was the primary way of renting movies and Best Buy was a good way to buy music? Not anymore. Now things are done entirely on mobile devices now. Soon, there may be no more need for video game stores, gaming consoles and handhelds!!!

Mobile phones are like a viral disease killing off any industry in it's way. Some say the mobile industry benefits the music, movie and gaming industries but others could say the opposite and say they are destroying them one by one. I will NEVER rid of desktop computers despite how little amount of people still use them. As someone who has done web development, I've seen the industry turn on it's head and bow down to the mobile industry now because I guess that is where a majority of customers will come from these days. It's a bit sad, and like I said, I fear for the worst when it comes to those handhelds. They may go extinct in future because competition may be too great at that point where they can no longer compete against the power and dynamics of mobile phones. It's really a numbers game, if people rid of their handhelds in exchange for smart phone games the end is near.

JigSaw : There are actually lots of mobile games that do so well that they get ported or remade for pc and consoles.

My favorite is Fallout Shelter. It went to pc like a year after its released and then consoles recently. I never even tried the console one for that even since the mobile version was fine. There's lots of games like that and get go console.

zanderlex : Yes, I am just saying the gaming industry is next to take a cut It will be interesting to see where gaming is in the next 10 years with the advancement of tech. Consoles will be around for a long time to come but handhelds I just do not know. Smart phones may take over entirely in that department.

JigSaw : I bet there's going to be a huge advancement in mobile VR. We already have Samsung VR and maybe some others so what I think is that lots of phones and mobile games will start getting optimized for VR.

Plus there's an AR craze too and that won't go away for a while.

Minuano : Mobile games ARE, mostly, real games. There are microtransactions in games that can limit the amount of fun you can have until you pay up. If you've played a game like "Final Fantasy XV: A New Empire" you know how boring and pointless these games can get. These games are quite literally money-making machines. They barely can be called games.

However much people may despise it, Fortnite is on mobile, and it's actually pretty well designed. Nothing that has deep significance on gameplay costs money at all (although you perhaps may make the case that the skins do affect the gameplay in some senses that can be measured, as they affect the senses themselves).

That said, there are also many "premium" experiences. I have Super Mario Run and Layton's Mystery Journey on Android, and wow, are they good. No "microtransactions" either, though the latter has paid DLC. In addition, the latter supports Family Library. That means, ultimately, that a game that costs $16 could ultimately be just $4 a person. The only major advantage the 3DS version has over mobile is the DLC included.

I'm looking into getting Monster Hunter Stories, as well. It supports family sharing on both iPhone and Android, and depending on what phone my brother gets, I may be able to convince him to play a full-featured 3DS game...on a phone. I may wait for a sale, but if it doesn't come soon, I will probably just buy the game outright. $20, yes. But it costs about double on 3DS without family sharing.

Lastly, there is Amazon Underground. If you know nothing of it and have an Android device, look it up NOW. I cannot emphasize how incredible I was when I first learned of it. "Games supported by ads", the service says. Those ads consist of a single pop-up when you launch the game each time, if that, and nothing if your wi-fi and data are off. You can play Monument Valley or Alto's Adventure for free. You can play many "Where's My Water" or "Cut the Rope" games for free, including ALL of the DLC for free. All IAPs, which so many people complain about, are completely free in many games in the service. You can get DLC, add-ons, and more with a tap for free.

Those who tend to hate mobile gaming should check this out.

I do think mobile games have provided an excuse for companies to try getting away with microtransactions in bigger games now. It worked out so well on mobile so why not try and see how it goes on other platforms? Thankfully it seems most people are against them and it seems like there haven't been as many as there were for a little while. I don't play many games on my phone because I have a portable nvidia shield that I use emulators on when I go places.

nakina : Nah man, it's all because of EA. I'm pretty sure that all mobile micro transactions were possible because of what EA did in the first place.

I dislike them, mainly due to the fact that you could spend thousands of bucks on them. At first, the most expensive games that come with expansion packs and a controller only cost about 150 or so bucks, but now with these games, people can spend over 40000 bucks just for a premium membership. You could fund a high-tech, state-of-the-art gaming room with that kind of money.

Mobile games are designed to be pay to win unfortunately. I like the ones where you can still do well despite not paying any money like Clash of Clans and Fire Emblem: Heroes. Especially for Clash of Clans it's a slow grind but you get there eventually. My walls are almost done and then everything is max for Town Hall 8

Honestly, I really don't like playing games entirely with touch input. Even on games like Phantom Hourglass where you can use the buttons as shortcuts for some actions, you have decent precision due to using a stylus on a resistive screen, and there are interesting things done with the stylus that would've been nearly impossible to do with standard buttons, I still really disliked it, so you can imagine how I feel about mobile games with no physical controls, no gimmick to actually make use of the touch screen, and often tacked-on virtual buttons that completely miss the point of buttons being there in the first place. If someone tried making a phone with proper physical controls, I'd go for it, but nobody has bothered to try since the underpowered Xperia Play flopped several years ago.