Do you consider mobile games to be "gaming?"

[nisskrystal1982]

I think that would depend on what games a person plays, and how often they play them. If you are playing all sorts of games on your phone, and you have to choose between downloading another game or keeping certain music on your phone, you are a gamer. I don't think it matters how you play, just if you play on a consistent basis. After all, a game is a game... I have to say though, it seems that not very many who play games on their phone ONLY play on their phone. Most also play on the PC or something like that too.

BTW Candy Crush can be friggin' HARD sometimes!

 

[SharaElyse]

I play Frozen Free Fall for fun, but it's more of a filler game rather than really gaming. When I heard that Forsaken World came out with a mobile version, I was exciting, but quickly became disappointed. The game was different from the original which isn't a bad thing. But it was mostly "botting". It offers little interaction like you get from a PC or console. I tried a Snail mobile game (not the panda one.. I can't remember the name). It seemed like it would be cool, but it turned out to be a lot of hitting a button and watching the game play out.

I'm sure there are better games out there for the mobile device, but I haven't had the heart to look after those two disappointing games. I'd be happy to hear of some though!

 

[Phristo]

Definitely gaming. As long as it has a monitor and keeps you entertained, it's gaming Mobile gaming is big right now that it is actually considered as a threat by console developers. Remember what happened to PSVita? Kids would rather buy a tablet because of the ocean of games they can acquire.

 

[Rosenii]

I consider it to be gaming. Mobile gaming is a large market now, and mobiles' graphics are able to support pretty decent graphics. I've seen a lot of developers port their console games over to mobile, so those games, along with any freemium games, I'd consider to be legit "gaming" games.

 

[ProNine]

A "Gamer" is basically, "a person who games". The definition of gaming is, "playing video games for the sake of entertainment". Essentially, whatever game you play entertains you is defined as a game, and by playing it, you are gaming. There are a few mobile games which I would classify as casual games, while some, I would classify them as "Hardercore games".

 

[MHFU]

I believe that gamers are anybody who plays a game regularly. If one would play a mobile game daily, then I would consider them a gamer. The term gamer is commonly thought of as a person with a big headset on who is sitting alone, but this could be seen as a sterotype. All stereotypes have some truth to them, so I am not saying that this doesn't happen, but a gamer could be many things still. This is my opinion of what a gamer is. Some people believe a true gamer is only seen on PC, Xbox, or PlayStation. It is about perspective, and I see some mobile gamers to be gamers. I understand that the argument is that people have to play "real" games, or those found on consoles to be gamers. I see a gamer as someone who simply plays games. This is why a mobile gamer is also a true gamer.

 

[ProNine]

I believe that gamers are anybody who plays a game regularly. If one would play a mobile game daily, then I would consider them a gamer. The term gamer is commonly thought of as a person with a big headset on who is sitting alone, but this could be seen as a sterotype. All stereotypes have some truth to them, so I am not saying that this doesn't happen, but a gamer could be many things still. This is my opinion of what a gamer is. Some people believe a true gamer is only seen on PC, Xbox, or PlayStation. It is about perspective, and I see some mobile gamers to be gamers. I understand that the argument is that people have to play "real" games, or those found on consoles to be gamers. I see a gamer as someone who simply plays games. This is why a mobile gamer is also a true gamer.

That's a really good explanation. A gamer is someone who plays regularly for the sake of entertainment. That whole idea of having a headset and sitting alone in a dark room playing video games is a bad connotation of what it actually means to game. Just play whatever you want and enjoy it fully.

 

[lisasian86]

I don't think I would class it as gaming as such, yes they are games, yes you are playing them but I see it more as a way to pass time than something that you actually get invested in like a regular game. I suppose it depends how seriously you take it but I certainly don't feel like I'm gaming when I'm losing at Candy Crush while watching E4.

 

[rz3300]

If you are looking at in the way that I play mobile games, then it would probably not rise to the level of gaming. That said, though, I am not a big mobile game person but I do know that there are a lot of people who are, and for them I can certainly see it being considered gaming. These phones these days are impressive machines, and the graphics and game play are probably better than the consoles were even a few years ago. It is interesting to think about, so thanks for sharing.

 

[Steamroller]

Every mobile game are technically videogames nevertheless. But I have issues with that digital cancer called "Freemium". True, I don't blame developers to try on taking a risk free marketing strategy to earn more money and satisfy those greedy bastards from the stock market, since they are the ones that are putting money into their game development to make it a reality. Good thing that right now we have kickstarter and steam green light.

 

[Dowls]

It definitely is, however they do feel much different. I've even streamed an app on Twitch where I got 50-100 viewers just playing a Fantasy Football/Card Trading app (Topps Kick). They are however full of transactions and seem 100% casual even though a lot do tend to be a hard grind if you don't want to front the cash.

Even though many of us feel it is way more casual than PC gaming/Console gaming there is in-fact a handful of e-sports for mobile games, with tournaments being held on games such as Critical Ops as well as the occasional tourney on Clash of clans or Clash Royale.

 

[Nickchick]

Like other people said, technically it is gaming. However I see it as a simplistic form of gaming. Most mobile games that I have found today do not really have strategy. They are more something to play to pass the time.

But in the end, I think this topic will be a debate for just around 5-10 more years. More and more PS4, PS3, and PC games are getting their android/iOS versions too and I think playing those is just as acceptable as playing them on a console or PC. For example, Mortal Kombat X is out on Android for free, and has almost the same features as that on PC or console, so I thought it was a far better option than having to pay for it, plus it is handy too, you can play even on buses and the subway.

I have not seen much in the way of console or PC games on the app stores but perhaps it is because my taste is limited. I have downloaded for example hidden object and time management games to my Iphone since I love those but somehow they are not the same as they are on PC. However it might be just because you can only do so much with a portable device because I have noticed that when I play Crash Bandicoot or Spyro on the Game Boy Advance it is more difficult somehow. It is not because I cannot see what I am doing, just something about the games they made for the system feels different than the PS or Gamecube.

 

[Lord Sanity]

In my honest opinion any type of game is gaming to me.
It's called gaming for reason back when I was playing board games I called that gaming.
Plus I'm playing Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic on a mobile phone right now.
So definitely I'm considered Mobile games gaming.
Just not in the traditional sense your people would mostly associated gaming with console or PC.
But it definitely is a form of Gaming
That's my opinion anyway.

 

[Miles Lucas]

I guess you could say that...

I think that gaming is gaming no matter what. I think that whether you play on PC or iPhone, its still considered gaming. Although you shouldn't classify it as competitive or high quality gaming.

 

[Xilkozuf]

The term gaming is difficult to define today. We could say that a game is something interactive, where you are direct part of the action, the story. But there are lot of "games" that we find difficult to define games, like all those walking simulators, interactive movies like all the Telltale series... They tend to divert from the original definition of gaming.
Mobile gaming is not like this. Mobile gaming is something direct and simple: there are not long games with infinite subquests, no games where you don't do anything except choosing a few lines of dialogues or walk around... you start the game, and you are in it. You are playing.
So yes, for me the mobile gaming is considered gaming. A minor version of gaming, although, and it shouldn't be the main source for a proper gamer.
You might spend some time while you wait for something, or play while you are traveling... It's more like a kind of part-time gaming, sort of.

 

[AntwanCeja]

It definitely is another way of gaming. I really don't play that much on my phone firstly because of the lack of controller. I just have huge thumbs and at the same time I am just too lazy to be holding my phone for too long. It gets my head to be bent all the time and I just don't like it that much. I do chat a lot with my phone though!

 

[gkillian]

This almost feels more like a philosophical question rather than a practical one. As Lord Sanity said up thread, board games are certainly gaming. But within popular parlance, 'gaming' does have a particular meaning and does refer to a particular industry, and mobile games are more adjacent to that industry than a direct part of it.

There's also enough distinction to merit it being a separate class - the available input methods, the payment models, all of that have a fairly profound effect that makes mobile gaming separate but different. Which is probably why you usually hear them referred to specifically as mobile games.

Honestly in this day and age all the lines are blurring - take, for example, that X-COM 2012 board game that requires you to download an app that tells you how to move the aliens. I think it's important to keep the distinctions in mind, but also just as important to not deride other branches of the hobby based on the sins of some of their worst.

 

[Sino989]

Honestly, I do not at all consider mobile games to be "gaming." They're games but they aren't. They're simple tap games or slide your finger across the screen.

 

[Chadwictastic]

Yes their are mobile games that are cheap and easy, but their are also games that are well thought out and developed. You could say you get what you pay for. Mom plays the slots an candy crush and I play Empire Four Kingdoms an Balders Gate. All of them are addictive and fun. Are they considered hard core gamers only depends on who is the observer.

 

[ValX]

Well they're games so obviously they're considered gaming, and technically you can't really not consider as gaming, because no matter what mobile games are games. But I guess what you meant by not considering gaming is that the gaming qualities are not as good as other consoles / platforms for you? But for me, they're just as good as any other platforms! Especially because they're portable and way more useful than consoles since they're not only used for gaming.