Why I'm Sick of the Mobile Phone/ Console Gaming Comparison

I've been letting this whole "mobile phone gaming" thing stew for a while and my over-opinionated ass can't help it anymore. I have to rant (in a civilized manner). We've addressed this kind of thing in passing; an example being that imbecile at Rovio (you know, that company that made that flash game rip-off Angry Birds and made way too much money off of a broken fluke) saying mobile gaming would kill consoles. But this is all old news. What inspired me to address this in written form now? Well, there are rumors out there that Apple may make a console. While I am against this idea for a whole different set of reasons (WE DON'T NEED ANOTHER DAMN CONSOLE ON THE MARKET), it's the reason that some people are excited that got me up-in-arms over the whole thing. Mainly, individuals thinking that iPhone games are a good example that Apple gets gaming and that these mobile games are just as good as console games. I hate to break it to you, but that is just wrong. They need to stop being compared, because in reality, they just don't.

Sales and Download Figures Don't Mean a Damn Thing

One of the big arguments from advocates of the importance of mobile games is that they must be good because they've been downloaded so many times. Well, if that isn't some really flawed thinking, I don't know what is. People are thirsty for time-wasters on their phone. Hell, even I am. The difference is that I play rehashed versions of old games like Pac-man and Tetris. But when a game like Angry Birds is as hyped up as it is and only costs a few dollars (or is even free in some cases) it's obviously going to sell a ton. But it doesn't matter. You can't compare the download figures of an overhyped mobile game that costs a few dollars to a full-fledged game that costs over $60. People are more willing to spend a little than a lot, and when they need something to entertain them on the bus to work they'll fork out the cash. Console games don't always sell that high because there is the risk that you may not like the game and the amount of money that goes with that risk is a lot. Then you have games that are $4, and that would probably seem like a drop in the bucket to anyone with a smart phone. The standards just aren't the same. Do you know anyone that would pay $60 for Angry Birds? If you do, you would do well to put him out of his misery. If bubblegum sales are high, it doesn't mean that restaurants should be threatened by the "competition".

Mobile Gaming Does Not Make People Into Hardcore Gamers

Okay, I'll admit that I don't have any figures on this, but do you know anyone that played Infinity Blade on the iPhone who had never played a console game before, and then decided to buy an Xbox or PS3? Didn't freakin' think so. I have played many of these so-called hardcore mobile phone games and none of them have been even close to as good as the best console or PC games. Sure, some of them are amusing, or even fun, but the apologist doesn't understand that a lot of them rip-off existing games. NOVA was well received, but it was a total Halo clone that was nowhere near as good as the real thing. At the end of the day, most of these games are time-wasters and probably couldn't convince the uninformed to fork out hundreds of dollars.

Mobile Gaming Hasn't Really Innovated at all

Even though I don't own an iPhone (I have a Droid X), I'll admit that it has innovated a lot in terms of what a phone can do. It's distribution service is incredibly stream-lined, and some of the app capabilities are incredible. The games on the machine, however, have not done the same. People talk a lot about the touchscreen interface for gaming and what a new idea that was, but that is so incredibly wrong. The original iPhone debuted in 2007. The Nintendo DS (famous for it's freaking touchscreen) came out in 2004. Nintendo was doing what the IPhone would do years before it came out with waaaaay better games. It also has a d-pad and buttons, because guess what, using a touchscreen as a controller sucks. It's unresponsive, and in the case of the iPhone and Droid phones, the controls are over the screen your game is on. So have fun when your thumb covers an enemy.

That's about as in-depth as I feel like going, but I don't know if any more needs to be said. I'm not anti-mobile gaming. There would be no point to that. However, as was indicated by the point of this article, its biggest advocates need to stop talking about how it's killing console gaming. It's not. It's also not proof that phone devices are replacements for gaming consoles. People don't buy smart phones for the sole purpose of playing games. It is not a stand-in for your console. If games like NOVA and Angry Birds were really the best the industry has to offer, I think I would pick up a new medium to invest in.