52% Of Canadian Gamers Now Choose Mobile Devices

As well as being the second largest country in the world after Russia, Canada has many other surprises up its sleeve. One of the most notable of these is that it has a very high proportion of the population who choose to spend at least some of their leisure time playing video games. Different surveys come up with different figures, but it’s safe to say that over 50% of the population play video games at some time or another.

And, of these, 52% choose to play on mobile devices. Other surprising facts include the fact that more women than men (51%) choose to play video games and that 35% of people over 55 are also fans. So while consoles and PCs may have dominated the gaming world for many years the tide has definitely turned in Canada, and there are a few reasons why this should be the case.

More games equals more players

While the gaming industry is global, there is also a thriving sector in Canada of games companies and developers. That said, there has been a 9% drop in the number of these since the Covid pandemic so the 800 or so currently operating need to concentrate on profitability. It’s a simple and undeniable fact that developing a game specifically for a mobile play is a lot quicker and more cost-effective than creating a AAA game for console or PC play.

This has meant that in the last few years there has been a real explosion in the number of home-grown mobile game titles. And, the more there are on offer, the more people are likely to start playing them. This has also led to a shift in the business model for many Canadian games developers. As most mobile games are free to download and play, it relies on in-game purchases to generate the essential revenue.

Don’t forget online casinos

Another sector that is seeing stronger and stronger links with the gaming world is the online casino industry. The games, and slots in particular, are becoming more and more like video games, except that these offer the chance of a payout to winners. Casino.org profile many of the best payout online casino brands in Canada, and one of their key criteria is whether the operator has an app available to Canadian’s, or at the very least mobile optimized pages.

Play for convenience

In both cases, it’s the sheer convenience of playing on a mobile device that make it so very appealing. Over time the smartphones we carry around with us have taken on bigger and bigger roles in our lives. Originally intended as communication devices they’re now so much more that. They’re our address books, our photo albums, our music collections and so much more. So it comes as no big surprise that they are also where we look to first for our entertainment.

After all, as long as there’s an internet connection it’s easy to do everything from watch a movie or a favourite TV show to enjoy a session on a mobile video game. Yes, there may be concerns about cyber security, especially if playing on a public network, but now there are plenty of ways to protect yourself from online scammers and others whose intentions are far from honest.

Canadian residents are also very fortunate in the fact that the country’s 5G network is expanding very quickly indeed. It’s estimated that around 60% of the country’s 41 million population is covered by the service. Naturally, the main centres of Toronto, Quebec, Vancouver and Montreal lead the way. But gradually it’s expanding into the more remote areas too.

The games people play

We’ve mentioned the Canadian games industry and it’s also worth taking a quick run through a few of the games developed in the country that are winning over fans.

One phenomenon of the mobile gaming scene is the popularity of puzzle-type games. One of the highest profile of these has to be Lara Croft Go. A spinoff from the Tomb Raider franchise, it’s an adventure game that includes many brain-teasers along the way.

Another very popular, but completely different, title is Fish Tycoon 2 Virtual Aquarium in which players need to build up a successful fish breeding and selling business. That’s not to say that adventure games don’t feature, because they do. Ubisoft Montreal helps to produce the mobile versions of Assassin’s Creed and Behaviour Interactive’s Dead By Daylight is a classic multiplayer survival game. And over the next few years we can expect to see many more titles like these emerging and the mobile gaming sector in Canada rising to ever greater heights.