The E-Sports scene is one of the high-stakes actions and dedicated fans. It has slowly moved from being an unknown sport to attracting more viewers than some other major sports such as Golf or Tennis. And it’s not difficult to see why. E-Sports can cover any multiplayer game created. With such a large variety of games available, there is something for everyone. And let’s be honest, video games are always more exciting to watch than more traditional sports.

But even within the gaming community, there is still a lot of heated debates and rampant elitism over what should and shouldn’t be considered a sport. MOBA players will argue that FPS games can’t be a sport. Likewise, FPS gamers will argue that MOBA’s are not really competitive in the same way FPS games are.

But the one area of contention that most gamers seem to agree on is that mobile gaming isn’t really gaming. But we think this is just gatekeeping and elitism. But could mobile gaming ever become big enough to actually enter the E-Sports scene?

 

Is It Gaming

Mobile gaming, at its core, has always be seen as a more casual gaming experience. Designed to be played on the go and while away from your other consoles or PC. And we see the argument made all the time that it isn’t actual gaming.

This mentality comes from the fact that one of the most popular genres of mobile gaming is AFK games. These games are designed to function in the background, progressing while the player isn’t playing. Allowing casual gamers to make progress all hours of the day. But recently we have seen this genre move towards a more competitive environment. I have seen a lot of streamers providing an afk arena code for new players to try to boost the player base of these games.

And because of it, we are now seeing a lot more competitive tournaments happening within these games. Another great example of Clash of Clans and Clash Royale. Both very competitive games based entirely around PvP. It isn’t uncommon for cash prizes to be won from these games. So why isn’t mobile gaming already considered an E-Sport?

 

The Move to Sport

The biggest thing stopping mobile gaming from being considered an actual E-Sport is the player base. While a lot of people play mobile games, there are never enough concurrent users to really establish it as a fully-fledged sport. This is because people have often conflicting schedules. Also, when gamers do have a lot of free time they will primarily spend it on consoles or PC. This means the main gamer demographic isn’t actively taking part in the mobile gaming community.

But, we are seeing a surge in the younger generations using mobile gaming as their primary gaming platform. The advantage of mobile games being playable during school time and being all-around cheaper than other gaming formats. This means as this generation grows there will be more demand for a fully competitive E-Sports scene dedicated to Mobile Gaming

In fact, we are already seeing some companies push for it. Microsoft is considering investing in mobile gaming tournaments, with plans to set up the first official mobile gaming E-Sports teams. This would be a huge step towards solidifying the format as a sport and would allow Microsoft to secure themselves a nice footnote in the history of gaming as well.

But what do you think? Should mobile gaming be considered a fully-fledged sport like other gaming formats? Or do you think it isn’t proper gaming at all?