Mobile Gaming Trends in 2013 and the Near Future.

        As the face of mobile changes, the potential behind its gaming sector grows exponentially. Mobile games have become more than just a social experience, they've become a gateway to rich, entertaining experience, not just on the go, but at home, as well. According to research, mobile games have already surpassed sales of the hand-held market, and continue to rise. With stories like the three friends who banded together to createone of the most widely successful games ever made, Temple Run, it's fair to say there's a market for these products, and not just the on-the-go social ventures, and the trends don't stop there.

         Some of the projected trends coming for the mobile gaming industry involve how we play games. Increased multipl

ayer capabilities directly and via cloud service, Mobile gaming platforms that fill in as a home-console stand-in, and the power of ip acquisition and ad revenue. The medium, itself, is in essence a direct channel to the vast social array of content that we experience on a daily basis, this includes advertisements, video, sharing, etc. Gaming in this fashion will likely provide a similar experience, overall – and with young adults beginning to become a primary group using mobile devices for gaming, the effect this social element will have, and the face time of ads will directly contribute to how monetization is perceived in the mobile sector.

         IP acquisition and licensed games will start to become a larger element of the sector, as the high level of competition in the sector will increase acquisition and consolidation of other smaller studios – it's happening right now, and according to the App Store 2012 list from Apple,EA's The Simpsons: Tapped Out was the 10^th highest grossing game, and it wasn't the only one - Rayman Jungle Run won top spot. 

         With the intercession of the Ouya, with a super low price point, access to mobile games and free to play browser products, as well as the Steam Box, give users the multimedia center element and gaming console feel at the same time – which I think will take off for the next few years, though ultimately a fad and likely a kind of bridge to something more definitive down the road. As cloud gaming becomes more prevalent, its use with these kinds of “consoles” and mobile devices will directly change the face of the gaming industry as a whole, as they create a more social and connected medium, while at the same time, increasing the effectiveness and range of monetization efforts through advertisements of various kinds.