How Mobile Gamers are Building Thriving Social Communities Across Europe and Globally

Arunabh Madhur, Regional VP & Head Business EMEA at SHAREit Group, explores…

Mobile gaming is a trend that seems destined to grow, and there is no sign of the industry slowing down. According to statistics, the gaming industry is tipped to maintain its recent rapid growth as the number of mobile gamers in Europe is forecast to rise from 201 million to 218 million in the next two years.

Following recent improvements in mobile technology, the world has moved from the legendary snake game to an endless variety of much more advanced mobile games including casual, action and arcade games. But who are the major players behind this phenomenal success, and how has this community formed?

Gaming Influencers Play Lead Role in Growth of Mobile Gaming Industry

Live streaming platforms like YouTube and Twitch have reinvented the gaming industry, giving individual gamers the opportunity to livestream their in-game play to subscribers all over the world. YouTube gamers enjoy an increasing presence in the community, as videos of gamers playing earn millions of subscribers. European gamers remain some of the most successful, with the likes of the Irish gamer Jacksepticeye boasting nearly 29 million subscribers. In addition, British youtubers, DanTDM, W2S, Ali-A and TheSyndicateProject have found themselves amongst the top 20 gaming influencers on YouTube and have, between them, a combined following of 70 million subscribers.

Another key reason for growth is expansion in the platforms used for gaming. Considering the improved availability and reach of smartphones and easy internet access, it is no surprise that the global mobile gaming industry is forecast to generate $103.5 billion this year. Mobiles now have a very strong affinity to games as they offer the option for users to play games on the move from wherever they like.

People are using mobiles in various ways instead of switching on PC, TV and video game consoles. It has also become more accessible for consumers to use mobiles for gaming instead of purchasing hard copies of games and video game consoles. This poses a huge opportunity for application developers. The current gaming industry is pushing the boundaries of technology to create cutting-edge and highly immersive entertainment experiences.

There is every indication that the mobile gaming industry will continue to break barriers in the coming years, across Europe and other regions. Some brands such as Netflix are already tapping into gaming, with the popular streaming service recently launching Netflix gaming. In fact, all “big four” tech companies — Apple, Amazon, Meta, Google — have made similar moves, as well as platforms such as TikTok and Zoom.

The Power of Sharing in Emerging Markets

The community has always been a huge part of gaming. Most importantly, app sharing helps players build meaningful communities with families and friends around the games they play.

Furthermore, app sharing has grown enormously in the last five years across emerging markets such as the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Southeast Asia (SEA), Africa, Latin America (LATAM), and amongst others. This culture of sharing, that exists in most markets, can be characterised by people use word-of-mouth recommendations in a strong way. Interestingly, people in specific regions share apps through file sharing utility apps to help save mobile data while also transferring files quickly and easily.

Most often, games either use 1GB to 3GB, which consumes a lot of data and time on your phone, especially if people are using 4G or even 3G connection in markets where the internet infrastructure is not as robust. With improved availability and reach of smartphones, file transfer apps like SHAREit allow users to share games with other devices without using an active internet connection. This allows people to amplify that very basic social habit of sharing.

The power of peer-to-peer recommendation is an effective marketing channel for brands to drive quality users and to their platform. Near-distance peer-to-peer sharing has also created a social ecosystem with people discovering new apps via their nearest and dearest. More and more, leading mobile game publishers are engaging with platforms with a sticky audience to acquire millions of quality users globally across different categories and this will be a growing trend for the industry.

Consumers are openly and enthusiastically embracing mobile gaming culture, and while it may still be at an early stage, the mobile gaming industry is expected to harness its full potential sooner than ever. The next few years will be the defining ones for the industry and all the players who are a part of it.