Mia
We have come a long way from watching that snake move around and getting longer by the second on our Nokias, and even though “mobile gaming” still is a bit of a stigma and will likely only get scoffs and shakes of the heads of “real” gamers with their PCs and consoles, the fact is that the mobile gaming industry is also worth billions of dollars these days, with over 3 billion users actively engaged in it. We can say at the very least that mobile gaming is exploding in popularity and profits and certainly does not look like it will be slowing down any time soon. Especially when we consider the breakneck pace technology is growing, we can play games on our phones these days that consoles a decade ago could barely run, and any of us who are a little older and remember getting consoles or PCs just to play Call of Duty Zombies or Minecraft or whatever, can’t believe our eyes when we see children playing these games with no issues on their phones, these little rectangles that fit into our pockets. Even though we are used to it at this point, especially with how insanely quickly technology over the last few decades has evolved, it is still almost shocking at times. With all that said, here are some tips to enhance your gaming experience on your phone.
Do Not Disturb
Enable the DND, or Do Not Disturb, mode on your phone. Have you ever been in the middle of a game, like match masters mod menu, about to win, ready to take the victory home, but you got interrupted by an incoming call or message? That can be incredibly annoying, and sometimes even cost you the game, which can really provoke some good old gamer rage. Luckily, there is a quick and easy solution just enabling the DND mode, muting unwanted calls and messages, and letting you play in peace without frustrating pauses. The Do Not Disturb mode also lets you make a priority list that allows only important calls and messages to come through, in case of a serious emergency or a family member calling who you know may be a bit at risk, and so on. If you have an Android phone, you should be able to simply swipe down from the top of the screen, using two fingers, and tap the Do Not Disturb Icon. If your phone does not have this quick and easy access, you might have to enable it manually by entering the settings and selecting the DND feature, which should be found under the Sound/Vibration tab. If you are on iOS, from the top right corner, swipe down and simply tap on the DND icon, which should be a crescent moon.
Background Usage
Most smartphones are very good at multitasking, having no problems running multiple apps together, but you want to avoid this if you are gaming, especially when you are playing something like Fortnite, PUBG, and others that are graphically intensive and require a lot of processor performance and RAM to render graphics properly. So you should try and reduce the background usage while playing, helping to make your game run smoother. Especially if your phone has less RAM, you would be well advised to clear the background apps before running your games. Even high-end smartphones may stutter while gaming at high-quality settings, so again, it is a good idea for you to clear the background apps first and then launch the game. On Android, you do this by simply pressing the multi-window icon at the bottom of your screen and tapping the clear apps icon, although this can vary from model to model. If you are on an iPhone or iPad, double-tapping the home button or swiping to the right, for iPhone X Series Models, will bring up your apps which you can manually close by swiping them upwards.
Get a Controller
Improve your game experience by using a controller. Suppose you haven’t tried playing games on your phone with a controller. In that case, you are probably quite honestly missing out on a lot, as a small touch screen is simply no competition for the physical buttons and triggers on a controller, making your gameplay that much more comfortable, especially in first-person games like PUBG or Fortnite or Call of Duty, or the like. You will be able to aim much more precisely even when your character is moving and running and jumping, swap weapons quickly, and have a better view of your screen, as your big thumbs aren’t covering a substantial part of the display anymore. The buttons on a gaming controller are also pressure sensitive, which means that if you are playing racing games, for example, Need for Speed No Limits, you can accurately control the acceleration and turn your car into turns much better. Even simple games often have built-in compatibility for gaming controllers, and you really should take advantage of this. These controllers usually connect to your smartphone via Bluetooth, making the whole setup pretty clutter-free and uncomplicated, without you needing 15 minutes just to get started playing. A few presses of buttons, and you are good to go. If you are an Android fan, you can even connect a good Playstation or an Xbox controller to your smartphone, in case you are traveling and can’t play on your console, or in similar situations. Sadly, if you are an iOS fan, you are a bit out of luck as it doesn’t support controller pairing yet, but you may expect it in an upcoming update.
Mobile gaming is booming, and especially as everyone everywhere has a smartphone, accompanying them throughout the day, more and more people download games for when they are bored, on a long commute, or just need some time to unwind, reaching 3 billion current mobile gamers. Whether you are already one of them, thinking about it, or just want some tips on making your general gaming experience on your phone better, hopefully you have some ideas now.
