In early human history the playing of games was informal and often impulsive, yet as time has progressed, humans have made gaming more and more formal. The Ancient Olympic Games which first began, reportedly, in 776 BC and the Victorian era of sporting creation that saw the establishment of games such as football and rugby, are both great examples of this. In the past 100 years though, gaming has changed more than in all of the years that preceded, with the advent of consoles and the internet.
Even in the past 30 years, gaming has undergone a humongous shift. Monopoly, the classic board game, is best remembered by millennials and above as a game that would be physically carried around and played at social gatherings. Now, 5.4 million people a month play the game remotely on their mobile devices.
In this article, we take a look at how gaming on the go in particular has transformed throughout history. To find out about everything from online casino gambling, to the modernisation of ancient classics, read on…
Gaming on the Go: A Brief History
It might feel like a fairly modern phenomena, but gaming on the go is nothing new. In fact, it is something that humans have been doing for at least 1,500 years. Archaeological of chess boards and pieces, show that humans in the Indian Gupta Empire were playing chess on the go just 500 years after Jesus Christ arrived in Bethlehem.
The limiting factor to gaming on the go from that period, until relatively recently though was technology and materials. Chess, for example, was a good game to play on the go because the board and pieces could be transported easily, but the same couldn’t be said for the majority of games.
The advent of digital technology, culminating in the development of small, transportable devices like the Game Boy really opened the door to on the go gaming. Released in April, 1989 the Game Boy allowed people, for the first time in history, to carry with them a wide range of games that could be played anywhere and at any time.
Unlike chess, or other board games, a Game Boy could be played literally on the move, although only as a passenger!
Portable Offshoots
The success of the Game Boy led industry leaders to focus on producing more powerful and smaller devices to augment the player’s experience. Those of us of a certain age will remember the range of portable gaming consoles that followed on in the footsteps of the Game Boy – playing Pro Evolution Soccer 5 on my PSP on the way to school was a personal favourite!
This striving for smaller, better and more powerful devices continued unabated until an era defining announcement that was made by Apple co-founder Steve Jobs in 2007.
The Advent of the Smartphone
Describing the first iPhone as an iPod, a phone and an internet communicator was a somewhat clunky way of underselling the device that Jobs was describing. In hindsight, he would have been far better and more accurate in describing it as an ‘era defining piece of technology’, because it was.
The iPhone didn’t just look cool, but it allowed us to access the growing power of the internet on the go and to play games anywhere, anytime. Since the release of that device, everything has changed in terms of technology.
There are, by some estimates, 7.43 billion smartphones in use on the planet, with all of those users having access to tens of millions of mobile games. In addition to that, subject to local laws, the majority of those users have access to online casino gambling, which the most recent example of the growth of ‘on the go gaming’.
How Online Casinos Have Benefited From Gaming on the Go
As mobile technology has advanced, online casinos have been among the biggest beneficiaries of the shift toward gaming on the go. The convenience of being able to play anytime and anywhere has dramatically expanded the audience for digital casino entertainment.
In addition to improved accessibility, online casinos have adapted their offerings to meet the expectations of mobile players. Features such as simplified account registration, one-click deposits, and secure, fast withdrawals make it easier than ever for users to engage safely and efficiently.
With so many options available, choosing a reliable and trustworthy provider is essential. This is where resources like casino.co.uk are invaluable, it is the best comparison site to check out, helping players make informed decisions about which operators to trust and ensuring a positive, secure mobile gaming experience.
The Current Landscape
Gaming is, by and large, done on the go nowadays. There are of course plenty of people – myself included – who don’t indulge in mobile games and instead play on console and/or PC. Industry figures highlight though, that 78% of gaming enthusiasts play their favourite titles on their mobile device.
Almost all of these people play those games commuting to work or school, or simply when they are out and about, highlighting that in the modern world, gaming is something almost exclusively enjoyed on the go. That’s some shift from the days of the Ancient Olympics and carting around chess boards to put into play an on the go Queen’s Gambit.