Boss Rush Banter: Are People Who Only Play Mobile Games Really “Gamers”?

In a lifestyle that has been typically labeled as dorky or nerdy, we gamers behave with such entitlement. When you step into the online world, you see and hear toxic attitudes like “get good” and “you’re not a real gamer”. Even though I consider myself open-minded, I sometimes fall into that entitled role of a gamer and judge others from my made up throne. For example–mobile gaming. Many people simply play Candy Crush, Words with Friends, or even Super Mario Run, and I used to think, psh, those aren’t real gamers. Well, what makes a gamer, then? We won’t go down that rabbit hole today, but let’s examine the popularity of mobile gaming and ask: are people who only play mobile games really gamers?

According to Business of Apps, Candy Crush still maintains over 250 million users that engage more than once a month. In 2020, it generated $857 million in 2020 and $1.2 million in 2021. That same year, PUBG Mobile was the top grossing mobile title at $2.01 billion. Other top games include Genshin Impact ($1.33 billion), Roblox ($1 billion), and Pokemon Go ($0.9 billion). Suffice it to say, mobile games rake in the cash and pull in millions of users.

While most mobile games you find in the app store are tile-crushing or lotto-based gimics that most gamers scoff at, they are all still labeled as video games. Also, games that exist on consoles now create mobile versions or iterations such as Call of Duty: Mobile, Apex Legends: Mobile, Dead Cells, Stardew Valley, and Diablo Immortal.

To add to that, there are amazing accessories to make it feel like a true, console experience. I’m primarily referring to backbones. There are backbones for all phones–Android and iOS. Mobile gaming has gone a long way since tapping a the screen to hurl Angry Birds into the air.

I used to think people who played games exclusively on their phones or tablets weren’t real “gamers”, but now I’ve changed my mind. Sure, mobile gaming is not my style, but what they play–even the silly stuff like Candy Crush–are technically video games. They are there to entertain, and phones just happen to be the mode of entertainment versus a console or PC. If anyone or anything deserves a bad rep, it should be the term “gamers”, and the toxic environment the loud minority spews.

Please share your thoughts with us on our Boss Rush Facebook Group or our Boss Rush Discord.

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The Boss Rush Podcast is the flagship podcast of Boss Rush Media and The Boss Rush Network. Each week, Corey, LeRon, Stephanie, Edward, and their friends from around the internet come together to talk their week in games, entertainment, and more while also bringing topics for conversation, answer listener and community questions, and cover major news and events happening in the video game industry. Watch The Boss Rush Podcast live on Wednesday Nights on Twitch at 8:30PM ET / 5:30PM PT or on Friday mornings at 7AM ET on YouTube and podcast services everywhere. Thanks for listening! You can also get this episode one week early on Patreon.