More than 45 billion apps were downloaded to smartphones and tablets last year, Gartner estimates, and that number is set to skyrocket to 81 billion this year.
It’s a figure that has traditional game-makers taking note and long-time gamers swapping game controllers to hold the phone. It’s also increasing competition among game studios, with even Angry Birds flapping to stay atop the app tree.
Interactive Games Entertainment Association chief executive Ron Curry said the growth of gaming apps had been so rapid they were now widely accepted as both a gaming genre in their own right and a part of pop culture, with a presence everywhere from toy stores to fast-food restaurants.
Mr Curry said the affordability of gaming apps had removed a major hurdle to play, with prices more likely to be under $3 than $99, but their popularity was largely due to their low time commitment.
”The difference with app games and more traditional games is that you tend to play them while you’re doing something else or waiting for something. You don’t need to put time aside to play them,” he said.
‘Just like the Nintendo Wii, apps have grabbed a bunch of people who have had limited interaction with video games and showed them that they are fun, they don’t need to be hard to play and you don’t need to give up hours of your time to play them.”
While not all apps are games, they make up the majority of all apps downloaded.
Six of the top 10 grossing apps in Apple’s App Store are games, as were 76 per cent of all apps downloaded in 2011, according to Juniper Research.
It’s a phenomenon that has led traditional game studios, including Electronic Arts and Ubisoft, to invest in gaming apps, both as companions to traditional games such as FIFA 13 and Assassin’s Creed, and spin-off app games using established characters.
Ubisoft Asia regional online group manager Matthew Tang said the company had 26 development studios and ”several” were working on gaming apps.
Mr Tang said the fierce app market had increased competition for traditional game makers, but it had also increased the number of game players, which was ultimately good for the industry.
”Australia’s fascination with these devices across a huge demographic spectrum has ultimately led to new audiences coming to the market,” he said.
”It’s great to watch your grandparents playing games on the iPad and know that this new technology is reaching audiences that might not have played games for years.”
It’s a figure that has traditional game-makers taking note and long-time gamers swapping game controllers to hold the phone. It’s also increasing competition among game studios, with even Angry Birds flapping to stay atop the app tree.
Interactive Games Entertainment Association chief executive Ron Curry said the growth of gaming apps had been so rapid they were now widely accepted as both a gaming genre in their own right and a part of pop culture, with a presence everywhere from toy stores to fast-food restaurants.
Mr Curry said the affordability of gaming apps had removed a major hurdle to play, with prices more likely to be under $3 than $99, but their popularity was largely due to their low time commitment.
”The difference with app games and more traditional games is that you tend to play them while you’re doing something else or waiting for something. You don’t need to put time aside to play them,” he said.
‘Just like the Nintendo Wii, apps have grabbed a bunch of people who have had limited interaction with video games and showed them that they are fun, they don’t need to be hard to play and you don’t need to give up hours of your time to play them.”
While not all apps are games, they make up the majority of all apps downloaded.
Six of the top 10 grossing apps in Apple’s App Store are games, as were 76 per cent of all apps downloaded in 2011, according to Juniper Research.
It’s a phenomenon that has led traditional game studios, including Electronic Arts and Ubisoft, to invest in gaming apps, both as companions to traditional games such as FIFA 13 and Assassin’s Creed, and spin-off app games using established characters.
Ubisoft Asia regional online group manager Matthew Tang said the company had 26 development studios and ”several” were working on gaming apps.
Mr Tang said the fierce app market had increased competition for traditional game makers, but it had also increased the number of game players, which was ultimately good for the industry.
”Australia’s fascination with these devices across a huge demographic spectrum has ultimately led to new audiences coming to the market,” he said.
”It’s great to watch your grandparents playing games on the iPad and know that this new technology is reaching audiences that might not have played games for years.”
