Ignoring the fact that, technically, the year isn't over yet,
gamesindustry.biz has compiled its yearly infographic on the
performance of the video-game industry.*

Some take-aways:

- Mobile games absolutely dominates the industry, taking
in more than twice as much as consoles and PC combined.
Tencent reaps most of these benefits (almost 10% all to
itself); Activision/Blizzard (now Microsoft) comes in
third. The US still tops the charts for most spending on
mobile (China is second place). Unfortunately, there's
no breakdown on how much of that money comes from game
sales vs. DLC/cosmetics vs. MTX anti-grind features

- In mobile vs. console vs. PC, PC gaming comes in third...
except of course consoles themselves are divided between
different platforms. On these traditional (e.g., non mobile)
gaming platforms, PC is the best-selling format. Yay!

- Consoles still bring in about 16% of their income from
boxed sales (PCs are down to 1%, and even that is surprising.
I haven't seen a boxed PC game in a dog's age. Even the
bargain bins are empty). Digital sales are now far-and-
beyond the dominant form of game acquisition.

- Despite barely getting /any/ coverage on media (and only
fifth most mentioned game on Tiktok), the EA Sports games
remain the best-selling games in US and UK (not Japan,
though. Virtual Sportsball doesn't even break the top-
ten there).

- Fornite is the most covered game by media; Roblox is the
toppest of the top-10 game on TikTok. Elden Ring takes
spot #10 on TikTok, btw. That makes me feel old.

- I don't know /any/ of the names on the top-10 video
game influencers on YouTube list. I am not upset by this
fact. But for those who care, "Lana's Life" was the top
influencer this year, with 1 billion views of their
626 videos covering a measly six games. That's over
100 videos per game; geez!

* see it here yourself
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/gamesindustrybiz-presents-the-year-in-numbers-2024

Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> writes:

> - Mobile games absolutely dominates the industry, taking
> in more than twice as much as consoles and PC combined.

What do people actually play on their phones? Is it all casual? I do
some crosswords on my phone these days but that's pretty much it.

It's sad, but I play more games in my iPhone than my old PC. I need to
play more PC games. :(

Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:

> Ignoring the fact that, technically, the year isn't over yet,
> gamesindustry.biz has compiled its yearly infographic on the
> performance of the video-game industry.*

> Some take-aways:

> - Mobile games absolutely dominates the industry, taking
> in more than twice as much as consoles and PC combined.
> Tencent reaps most of these benefits (almost 10% all to
> itself); Activision/Blizzard (now Microsoft) comes in
> third. The US still tops the charts for most spending on
> mobile (China is second place). Unfortunately, there's
> no breakdown on how much of that money comes from game
> sales vs. DLC/cosmetics vs. MTX anti-grind features

> - In mobile vs. console vs. PC, PC gaming comes in third...
> except of course consoles themselves are divided between
> different platforms. On these traditional (e.g., non mobile)
> gaming platforms, PC is the best-selling format. Yay!

> - Consoles still bring in about 16% of their income from
> boxed sales (PCs are down to 1%, and even that is surprising.
> I haven't seen a boxed PC game in a dog's age. Even the
> bargain bins are empty). Digital sales are now far-and-
> beyond the dominant form of game acquisition.

> - Despite barely getting /any/ coverage on media (and only
> fifth most mentioned game on Tiktok), the EA Sports games
> remain the best-selling games in US and UK (not Japan,
> though. Virtual Sportsball doesn't even break the top-
> ten there).

> - Fornite is the most covered game by media; Roblox is the
> toppest of the top-10 game on TikTok. Elden Ring takes
> spot #10 on TikTok, btw. That makes me feel old.

> - I don't know /any/ of the names on the top-10 video
> game influencers on YouTube list. I am not upset by this
> fact. But for those who care, "Lana's Life" was the top
> influencer this year, with 1 billion views of their
> 626 videos covering a measly six games. That's over
> 100 videos per game; geez!

> * see it here yourself
> https://www.gamesindustry.biz/gamesindustrybiz-presents-the-year-in-numbers-2024

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On 12/20/2024 2:08 PM, Anssi Saari wrote:
> Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> writes:
>
>> - Mobile games absolutely dominates the industry, taking
>> in more than twice as much as consoles and PC combined.
>
> What do people actually play on their phones? Is it all casual? I do
> some crosswords on my phone these days but that's pretty much it.

I don't really play much mobile any more, but I used to play all sorts
of different games. I actually tend more toward rpgs. One of the TMNT
games on iphone that's kind of like Hades has been my go-to when I'm
stuck places.

Lately I started reading fantasy on Royal Road after someone on the
DnDMemes reddit mentioned "Beware of Chicken". It was decent, but it
was broken up and missing stuff because of selling completed chapters
elsewhere.

My favorite complete work (free, but can donate or buy on Amazon) I've
come across so far was:

https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/62577/father-of-monstrosity-also-available-on-amazon

Very dark and feels like if a Chinese RPG, Lovecraft and Howard
collaborated.

Back to the subject at hand, Roblox and Minecraft are very popular on
mobile, and other simple games probably aimed more at kids. I can't
imagine playing it on a phone, but I assume tablets have become a more
popular mode of play. One can also use bluetooth controllers so you
don't have to use poor onscreen controls. Having 10s (100s? millions?)
of thousands of free games is pretty attractive too.

There's always Bluestacks too if you want to play those games on our
ridiculously overpowered gaming computers vs. tablets, though a lot of
performance is lost from emulation.

--
-Justisaur

ø-ø
(\_/)\
`-'\ `--.___,
¶¬'\( ,_.-'
\\
^'

Anssi Saari <anssi.saari@usenet.mail.kapsi.fi> wrote at 22:08 this Friday (GMT):
> Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> writes:
>
>> - Mobile games absolutely dominates the industry, taking
>> in more than twice as much as consoles and PC combined.
>
> What do people actually play on their phones? Is it all casual? I do
> some crosswords on my phone these days but that's pretty much it.

Well, I'm sure a lot of people are going to be playing Balatro, now that
it's on mobile. That game is so damn addicting.
--
user <candycane> is generated from /dev/urandom

On 2024-12-20, Anssi Saari <anssi.saari@usenet.mail.kapsi.fi> wrote:
> Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> writes:
>
>> - Mobile games absolutely dominates the industry, taking
>> in more than twice as much as consoles and PC combined.
>
> What do people actually play on their phones? Is it all casual? I do
> some crosswords on my phone these days but that's pretty much it.

I would try a PC like game on mobile, something with more depth than
casual games. Currently I only play chess and cut-the-rope on mobile.
Any recommendations?

--
Don't be afraid of the deep...
--[ bbs.bottomlessabyss.net | https | telnet=2023 ]--
--[ /query geeknix on libera.chat | tilde.chat ]--

On Sat, 21 Dec 2024 00:08:32 +0200, Anssi Saari
<anssi.saari@usenet.mail.kapsi.fi> wrote:

>Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> writes:
>
>> - Mobile games absolutely dominates the industry, taking
>> in more than twice as much as consoles and PC combined.
>
>What do people actually play on their phones? Is it all casual? I do
>some crosswords on my phone these days but that's pretty much it.

I've three games I regularly play on the phone:
Solitaire (well, FreeCell), Soduku, and a SpaceEmpires clone called
"GalConFusion". All three have the advantage in that a match can be
finished in two to five minutes. They're games I can pick up and
finish whilst waiting for my hot beverage order or some other
similarly short down time.

Which isn't to say that's the only games I've on the phone; would it
surprise you to learn I've quite a collection there too? (I bet it
wouldn't). But I almost never PLAY them, because it just isn't an
enjoyable experience to play for long periods on a phone. If I /do/
have a long time to play, I'd much rather just fire up the PC and play
on that (and if a PC isn't available, I'll just read or something).

But I can get why mobile games are so attractive, especially to the
younger set. For one thing, a lot of them are free, and when you're a
kid you don't have the cash to waste on gigantic game libraries like
certain older folk you may be familiar with. The games themselves are
purposely addictive too, using every psychological trick to get you to
keep playing (and, hopefully, spending). Once you get locked into that
ecosystem, it's hard to escape. Plus, if your main introduction to
games is these short, grindy experiences, it tends to mold your ideas
about what a game should be. The fuller, more challenging games on PC
seem tedious in comparison; they don't provide the immediate and
constant dopamine hits even if the overall experience is more
fulfilling.

I know a number of people who play these games. I can't tell you
exactly what the games are called, but with the younger set, they vary
from block-matching games to world-builders to strategy titles. Older
folk stick with classic card and word games (wait... do I fall into
that category? Oh shit! Am I old?) But for a lot of them, those games
are almost the entirety of their video-game habit.

On 12/21/2024 12:00 AM, Geeknix wrote:
> On 2024-12-20, Anssi Saari <anssi.saari@usenet.mail.kapsi.fi> wrote:
>> Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> writes:
>>
>>> - Mobile games absolutely dominates the industry, taking
>>> in more than twice as much as consoles and PC combined.
>>
>> What do people actually play on their phones? Is it all casual? I do
>> some crosswords on my phone these days but that's pretty much it.
>
> I would try a PC like game on mobile, something with more depth than
> casual games. Currently I only play chess and cut-the-rope on mobile.
> Any recommendations?
>
I recommend not cutting the rope you are hanging from.

--
I've done good in this world. Now I'm tired and just want to be a cranky
dirty old man.

candycanearter07 <candycanearter07@candycanearter07.nomail.afraid>
writes:

> Well, I'm sure a lot of people are going to be playing Balatro, now that
> it's on mobile. That game is so damn addicting.

"Balatro is a 2024 poker-themed roguelike deck-building game developed
by LocalThunk and published by Playstack." Is this it? Not a description
that sells it to me but maybe.

On 1/7/2025 2:48 AM, Anssi Saari wrote:
> candycanearter07 <candycanearter07@candycanearter07.nomail.afraid>
> writes:
>
>> Well, I'm sure a lot of people are going to be playing Balatro, now that
>> it's on mobile. That game is so damn addicting.
>
> "Balatro is a 2024 poker-themed roguelike deck-building game developed
> by LocalThunk and published by Playstack." Is this it? Not a description
> that sells it to me but maybe.

"Poker-themed roguelike deck-building game".

....

Dafuq?

--
I've done good in this world. Now I'm tired and just want to be a cranky
dirty old man.

On Tue, 07 Jan 2025 12:48:26 +0200, Anssi Saari
<anssi.saari@usenet.mail.kapsi.fi> wrote:

>candycanearter07 <candycanearter07@candycanearter07.nomail.afraid>
>writes:
>
>> Well, I'm sure a lot of people are going to be playing Balatro, now that
>> it's on mobile. That game is so damn addicting.
>
>"Balatro is a 2024 poker-themed roguelike deck-building game developed
>by LocalThunk and published by Playstack." Is this it? Not a description
>that sells it to me but maybe.

It got a glowing review on Gamespot* for, as they put it, "not
requiring perfection", where you can still eke out a victory even if
the RNG doesn't hand you the best cards. The argument being that it's
a game that rewards skill as much as luck, but isn't ruthlessly
punishing if you slip in either category. "Every run feels like it can
succeed", they say, if you keep at it.

And while the game itself doesn't appeal to me in the least, I can
understand why that makes it popular. A lot of games --especially
those that depend on RNG like deck-builders-- put you in positions
where the best move is just to quit the match and restart, which leads
to a lot of repetition. Balatro apparently avoids this by making
success a possibility even when the odds aren't favoring you. It's not
that you'll always win, or that there's no skill involved, but you
aren't feeling constantly screwed over by an algorithm. You may not
get the Big Money, but you won't walk out totally empty handed either.
This also provides a constant dopamine drip as even poor hands will
win you /something/.

For fans of that genre of game, I can see why its so popular. Myself,
I've no interest but in an industry that -for a while- was constantly
aping the 'git gud scrub' Souls-likes, Balatro seems a nice change of
pace.

* the article in question
https://www.gamespot.com/articles/balatros-secret-sauce-is-not-requiring-perfection/1100-6528349/

On 1/7/2025 8:32 AM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
> On Tue, 07 Jan 2025 12:48:26 +0200, Anssi Saari
> <anssi.saari@usenet.mail.kapsi.fi> wrote:
>
>> candycanearter07 <candycanearter07@candycanearter07.nomail.afraid>
>> writes:
>>
>>> Well, I'm sure a lot of people are going to be playing Balatro, now that
>>> it's on mobile. That game is so damn addicting.
>>
>> "Balatro is a 2024 poker-themed roguelike deck-building game developed
>> by LocalThunk and published by Playstack." Is this it? Not a description
>> that sells it to me but maybe.
>
> It got a glowing review on Gamespot* for, as they put it, "not
> requiring perfection", where you can still eke out a victory even if
> the RNG doesn't hand you the best cards. The argument being that it's
> a game that rewards skill as much as luck, but isn't ruthlessly
> punishing if you slip in either category. "Every run feels like it can
> succeed", they say, if you keep at it.

It's also a mobile game ported to PC etc. It sounds infinitely more
palatable on mobile, and if I was interested in playing a game on my
phone right now I'd probably check it out. I don't get why this stuff
keeps going to Steam (o.k. yes I do, they can make a pittance more
selling it there.)

Keep the mobile off PC!

--
-Justisaur

ø-ø
(\_/)\
`-'\ `--.___,
¶¬'\( ,_.-'
\\
^'

Dimensional Traveler <dtravel@sonic.net> wrote at 15:31 this Tuesday (GMT):
> On 1/7/2025 2:48 AM, Anssi Saari wrote:
>> candycanearter07 <candycanearter07@candycanearter07.nomail.afraid>
>> writes:
>>
>>> Well, I'm sure a lot of people are going to be playing Balatro, now that
>>> it's on mobile. That game is so damn addicting.
>>
>> "Balatro is a 2024 poker-themed roguelike deck-building game developed
>> by LocalThunk and published by Playstack." Is this it? Not a description
>> that sells it to me but maybe.
>
> "Poker-themed roguelike deck-building game".
>
> ...
>
> Dafuq?

Yeah, and it's such a well designed game!!! Also the mods are really fun
tho it does get a bit ridiculous with ^^^xmult and stuff
--
user <candycane> is generated from /dev/urandom