Summary 2021: PUBG Mobile and 456: Survival Game lead the ranking of the most downloaded mobile games in Ecuador

Currently the use of the mobile phone is not limited to making calls, surfing the internet or accessing social networks. Millennials and centennials have begun to use these devices also for video games worldwide and Ecuador is no exception.

This is the case of Esteban Ponce, 25 years old. He says that he recently bought a new cell phone and that he looked for one that has “gaming” characteristics. He took advantage of a trip he made to the United States to acquire it: “It must have a lot of power so that it does not stay when playing games, have good RAM and graphic quality. Also, it should not overheat ”. On that cell phone he has games like: 456: Survival Game and Garena Free Fire. Both are on the list of the 10 most downloaded on Android devices in Ecuador, according to the Managerial Training ranking.

456: Survival Game, which is based on the hit Netflix series The Squid Game, tops the list, followed by Cookie Carver: Life Challange, Squid.io-Red Light Green Light (also based on The Squid Game), Yes or no?!, Garena Free Fire, Roblox, among others.

While, on IOS devices the most downloaded games are: PUBG Mobile, Project Makeover, Roblox, Subway Surfers, Call of Duty: Mobile, Among Us, among others.

PUBG Mobile is a battle game where users are given weapons, maps, vehicles, and other objects to defeat their adversaries.

Roblox and Color Water Sort Puzzle are the only ones that are repeated in the two listings (Android and IOS). The first is a multiplayer game. Users can shape their worlds with pieces of different sizes and materials. It is something very similar to recreating worlds with Lego pieces that can then be shared with other users.

The second is a puzzle-like theme where the user must classify the colored water in test tubes. Women are the ones who choose this type of game, indicates a survey carried out in 42 countries by the company Mindshare.

The study adds that in smartphones the percentage of use of the same for games between men and women is very even. The former like sports, action or combat themes. Meanwhile, the women of mental dexterity.

“Developers are increasingly focusing on mobile games and investing more. They know the great access to cell phones in the world, which is more than consoles, for example”, Says Juan Soria, computer engineer and mobile application developer.

How much time should children spend playing video games?

He also claims that this industry is so profitable that platforms such as Netflix have begun to develop their own mobile games based on their most successful series.

In 2020, the top-grossing game was PUBG Mobile, with $ 2.6 billion. While most of these games are free to download, there are associated purchases that must be made to pass levels.

In Ecuador there are no statistics that indicate the level of spending on mobile video games. However, an analysis by the specialized portal NewZoo indicates that the market for these games in Latin America is growing and, until August 2021, generated $ 3.5 billion in revenue. Brazil, Argentina, Mexico and Colombia are the ones that bring together the most users.

“Mobile video games no longer have anything to envy consoles. Both at the level of components and graphics power and processing capacity. To the point that games as downloaded as Fornite, Minecraft or PUBG can be played interchangeably on PlayStation, Xbox, Android or iPhone”Says Soria.

El Chapulín Colorado jumps to Fortnite

The video game industry was one of the most benefited from the highest peak of the pandemic, since with more time at home, more cell phones, computers and consoles were used. Worldwide, $ 124.8 billion were generated in this industry in 2020. Of that total, $ 64.4 billion came from games for mobile phones, according to the specialized site Xataka.

Mobile games increase the time we spend on cell phones, now it is 9 years

The emergence of mobile games, social networks, tele-education and teleworking have considerably increased the time that people spend on their mobile phones. According to a study conducted in 2020 by WhistleOut, people spend 9 years of their lives staring at the screens of their smartphones.

The research was conducted by surveying a total of 1,000 people of different age ranges in various countries around the world. 3 hours is the daily average that a user dedicates to the cell phone and the age at which they usually have their first cell phone is 10 years old.

2021 Summary: These are the most listened to songs and artists in the world according to Spotify

In addition, the study specifies that those born between 1981 and 1996 (millennials and centennials) spend more time with their phone than anyone else, almost 4 hours a day. While Generation X (born between 1965 and 1980) 3 hours and the so-called Baby Boomers (born between 1946 and 1964) just 2.5 hours.

How much time should be spent on mobile games or video games?

There is no clear agreement between experts and institutions on the recommended time for, for example, children to dedicate to video games, although it is advised that children under three years of age are not allowed to play on these platforms or give them cell phones .

Meanwhile, for adults, recent studies from the University of Oxford (United Kingdom) suggest that the recommended time to use video games would be less than one hour a day, although there are other scientific studies that recommend up to three hours. (I)