Skill-based games #5: What categories of skill-based games are most popular?
LITTLE REMINDER
If you read the first article in the series, you already know that skill-based games are often known by other names, such as cash tournaments, mobile esports, casual esports, and have their own categories. For this article, we must reiterate once again – in a nutshell – what those categories are. However, to understand the topic thoroughly, it is helpful to recall the entire first text.
- Arcade Games
Remember “Pong” or “Space Invaders?” Arcade games focus on fast action and good reflexes. In a previous article, I mentioned the psychology of the player – in these types of games, the player’s reward center is stimulated all the time.
- Puzzle Games
The action is a bit slower, but it doesn’t mean less engagement. Puzzle Games focus on planning and complex thinking.
- Word Games
As in the previous category, planning is important here, but as the name suggests, this game is all about connecting the right letters, a language-related game.
- Trivia Games
Quiz, knowledge, testing yourself and your abilities. Learning something. And that specific tension – after all, time will soon run out, you have to answer quickly and be sure of your answers. Or… shoot.
5. Fantasy Sports
All scenarios related to – for example – running your own sports team. Are you good at planning? This type of game is for you.
- Card Games
Card games may or may not rely on luck (like “War”). It all depends on what is scored and how it is scored. For example – a tournament version of BlackJack could score how quickly you create your own game plan and make moves. Your opponent – at another table – would get the same set of cards, so the odds would be even at the start of the game.
Now that we’ve recalled the basics… all we need to do now is find the answer to one question: what are the most popular mobile games in 2021?
POPULARITY OF SKILL-BASED GAMES
According to Statista, a site that continually collects information about the gaming market, in the United States alone, the three most popular categories are:
- Puzzle (21.18%)
- Casino (18.9%)
- Strategy (17.17%)
Both Puzzle and some Casino games can be classified as skill-based games. In this list, we are talking only about the USA, where the mobile games market is expected to reach $29.1 billion by the end of 2022, but (with slight variations) this trend is also valid in other markets, such as Asian markets (South Korea, China, Taiwan).
To complete the picture, we can look at a couple of platforms focused on skill-based games: for example, AviaGames boasts on its site games from the Bingo series, Solitaire, 21 Gold (a version of blackjack), or puzzle games like Tile Blitz. At GameTaco you will again find a game like Solitaire or with blackjack mechanics, or lighter Arcade games. We also can see a trend, that skill-based games are fighting with a stigma, that eSport is only for men. There are more, and more games trying to attract women players. no surprise, since 51% of mobile gamers are women
Of course, outside the US, skill-based games are also having their time. Especially Asia with its biggest platform WinZo is worth exploring. Here, if you want to know what’s popular – let us know. One of our games is blasting there.
As we already know, the game market is not only developing rapidly but also accelerating. Considering current trends – which have been continuing for years – one thing can be said: skill-based games are both the present and the future of mobile gaming.
Sources:
https://www.statista.com/statistics/1128169/mobile-games-revenue-genre/
https://www.statista.com/statistics/292507/mobile-contents-market-value-north-america/
About the Author:
Michał Stonawski (born 1991 in Kraków, Poland) – writer, publicist, game designer.
Originator and co-author of the anthology “Map of Shadows”, author of the ebook collection of short stories “Strange Days” (published by Ebookowo 2018). In July 2020, he debuted his first full-fledged paperback book; “Paranormal: True Stories of Hauntings” (published by Znak), which gained bestseller status.
Proudly working with RealityUnit as a game designer.
