Android or iOS shooter games are a popular medium for entertainment and competition among many players.
But it was not always this way. Mobile shooting games had their humble origins in arcade gaming. This blog explores those origins and uncovers how mobile games became a primary form of gaming for many people.
The Evolution of Shooting Games: A Look at the History
A Look at Arcade Shooter Gaming and Why It Was Popular
Shooter games were initially available at malls, in designated spaces called arcades and were hence known as arcade games. Some of these were competitive multiplayer shooting games, like ‘Space Invaders’, in which players had to shoot at alien swarms.
The co-op mode allowed players to combine their ships’ laser streams at alien bosses for greater impact.
Apart from that, FPS (First Person Shooter) arcade games like Maze Wars in the 1970s involved players suddenly encountering other players. They would then have to shoot them. What made these games so appealing was that they allowed players to temporarily escape into a virtual world and compete with one another.
The Shift to Console Gaming
As the years went by, shooting games became part of consoles from the 1980s, with games like ‘Galaga’ taking centre stage. ‘Galaga’ was a single-player shooting game, wherein players had to defeat swarms of alien ships with lasers.
On the other hand, games like ‘Gun-Nac’ involved shooting at enemy spaceships. Their popularity was due to the arcade-like, quick gameplay and point tables that motivated players to win.
The Rise of Cybercafe PC Gaming
With the advent of the 1990s and 2000s, gaming gradually shifted to PCs. For many people in India at the time, using a PC meant visiting a cybercafe. So, many cybercafes gradually became impromptu gaming hubs for young gamers.
They played competitive multiplayer shooting games like ‘Quake III Arena ’ and ‘Counter-Strike’ together.’ Quake III Arena’ involved players in a virtual environment with different maps, who would try to defeat all their opponents in teams or solo.
‘Counter-Strike ’ involved players divided into 2 teams competing to defeat their opponents. Both of these games could be played over LAN, making multiplayer gaming sessions easy.
Boom in Mobile Gaming
Mobile gaming truly took off in 2016, due to Jio, a new popular telecom initiative by Reliance, which introduced free data for a year.
Their decision, combined with the availability of affordable mid-range smartphones like the OnePlus 3 or the Moto G4, fuelled mobile gaming.
Players initially enjoyed shooting games like PUBG, which was replaced by BGMI (Battlegrounds Mobile India) in 2021 following an official Government announcement. They enjoyed playing these games due to the open-world environments, competitive gameplay, and in-game rewards.
Conclusion
As technology advances, mobile shooting games and other genres will continue to evolve. Players can expect AR and VR gaming to enhance the immersive experience.
Moreover, they can also look forward to improved AI-powered graphics and adaptive mechanics. These mechanics will make the opponent or teammate bots adapt to your gameplay and act accordingly.
