The growing mobile game development market

Based on the rising trend of mobile game revenues, researchers are estimating that the total worldwide revenues of mobile games could hit US$30.3 billion this year (2015), and US$40.9 billion in 2017, thus surpassing the traditional console that had long been the leading gaming segment. And this development is not surprising because of the explosion of affordable mobile devices, and the increasing power and features of these devices. Another study estimates that the number of mobile game development jobs will increase exponentially all the way to the year 2020. In yet another study in the United States, research data published in October 14 said that mobile game players spent an average of US$4.58 every month on games. All the preceding point to a huge and growing mobile game development market.

As more consumers get their hands on mobile devices, they will want to maximize their smartphones, tablets and other handheld devices for many uses. One of the popular uses is for entertainment, including playing mobile games. Thus, the mobile game development industry has had to rev up its capabilities to accommodate different platforms (iOS for iPhones, Android, Blackberry Windows, FirePhone, etc.), different audiences with myriad tastes, and the ever-changing and increasing demand for better and more fascinating games.

Mobile game development is a long and complex process. It requires creativity and innovation, as well as programming and technical expertise. For a developer to be good at mobile game development, this person may have to gain expertise in important mobile game development tools including the following:

Marmalade Runs on the most popular platforms.

Unity. Favored for its advanced capabilities in 2D puzzle and 3D action games, and for its portability between platforms.

App Game Kit or AGK. Has many uses including game testing, which is an important aspect of mobile game development.

Corona SDK. For developing high-quality cross-platform mobile game apps.