The days of idling away time playing Snake II on your mobile phone could soon be gone, after a flurry of mobile gaming announcements this week at the 3GSM mobile conference in Cannes.
Much attention was focused on Microsoft's deal with mobile games developers In-Fusio, which will bring six of the software giant's most successful franchises onto mobile platforms. The deal means that, in the not-too-distant future, phone users will be able to play classic titles such as Age of Empires, Midtown Madness 3 and Zoo Tycoon.
But alongside Microsoft's line-up, there were many other impressive mobile titles also on display in the French resort, from the simple, yet addictive, Tetris-inspired Gem Jam, to more complex offerings like the conversion of PC strategy title Anno 1503.
There were even a few arcade classics from the likes of Paperboy and Mighty BombJack. A more unusual offering, however, came in the form of Siemens' quirky Mozzies game - one that uses phone-cameras to provide a background, upon which the player can use the directional buttons to shoot down cartoon mosquitoes.
Like the PC and console games world, the mobile games industry is being pushed rapidly forwards by the increasing pace of new technology, allowing for a greater depth of gameplay experience as well as considerably better graphics. That, in turn, has unsurprisingly started to attract the attentions of big name studios and famous franchises.
Microsoft isn't the first big player to set its sights on the mobile gaming market, either, as Ubi Soft has already successfully ported two of its well-known licenses, Splinter Cell and Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, onto mobile phones.
The increased quality of games across all the handsets means mobile gaming has become the fastest growing area in the games market. While console games and the consoles themselves experienced a slump in figures between 2002 and 2003 in the US, mobile games have rocketed from $243m (£131m) to $587m over the same period.
According to industry analysts Informa Media, this is a figure that's set to increase seven-fold to a whopping $3,783m by 2007. We can expect to see more big names following in the footsteps of Ubi Soft and Microsoft.
Although technology-wise, mobile games are sprinting ahead of basic games such as Snake 2 and Racket, the simplicity and accessibility of such games will always remain a core part of successful mobile games, says In-Fusio's Co-CEO Giles Cobett. "The thing that's fantastic about the mobile phone is that you can have it on you all the time. One of the things that our players say they find so attractive is that mobile games are so easy to get into and this will always be important us, no matter how in-depth or time-consuming our games get."
While other areas of the mobile world, such as picture messaging, may not be taking off as quickly as the industry had hoped, mobile games seem to be flourishing. Greater variety of games and better technology has undoubtedly helped this, along with the fact that many games can be downloaded to your phone for a few pounds, with demos available for even less.
With the industry as a whole seeking to adopt a more mainstream approach, mobile gaming looks set to play a very important role in pulling in a new audience demographic and creating a new breed of gamer.
Charts - full price software
Official UK Leisure Software Charts © ELSPA compiled by Chart-Track
1) Final Fantasy X-2 (PS2) Electronic Arts - £39.99
2) Sonic Heroes (PS2, XB, GC) Sega UK - £37.99
3) Need for Speed Underground (PS2, Xbox, GC) Electronic Arts - £39.99
4) The Simpsons: Hit & Run (PS2, Xbox, GC) VU Games - £37.99
5) Norton Internet Security 2004 (PC) Symantec - £29.99
6) FIFA 2004 (PS2, Xbox, PC, PL) Electronic Arts - £34.99
7) LOTR: Return of the King (PS2, Xbox, GC, GBA) Electronic Arts - £34.99
8) Prince of Persia: the Sands of Time (Xbox, GC, PS2, PC) - £29.99
9) The Sims: Bustin' Out (PS2, Xbox, GC, GBA) Electronic Arts - £37.99
10) Mafia (PS2) Take 2 - £39.99
