Mobile games are basically the same as video games and computer games, but they are played on a cellular phone or other portable communication devices. Mobile games use software that is already present in the cellular phone, or can be retrieved from the Internet as mobile phone downloads. They use different software platforms, and each has their own limitations, but mobile games as a whole have developed a great deal since the early days of cell phones.



People often play mobile games that use the software already present in their cellular phone, which are sometimes already on the phone or can be downloaded from the service provider. These simple mobile games use text message, multimedia message and GPRS location identification technologies. Phone downloads from the Internet provide the widest array of options for gamers. These are usually downloaded through the cellular phone radio network, or through an infrared connection, Bluetooth or memory card.

There are different software platforms that are used for mobile games, including Windows Mobile, Palm OS, Symbian OS, Macromedia’s Flash Lite, DoCoMo’s DoJa, Sun’s J2ME Java software, Qualcomm’s BREW, WIPI and Infusio’s ExEn. The original software platform that was used for mobile games was Java, but it had a few limitations. It was difficult to offer advanced graphics and complex game-play on cell phones in the past. Several advances have been made to improve the technology that is available for higher-level game playing, though.

Some of the recent advances in mobile games include multiplayer gaming and 3D graphics. Virtual gaming enthusiasts usually enjoy both single player and multiplayer games, and now they don’t have to choose when they open up their cellular phone. Multiplayer mobile games are quickly gaining popularity as developers allow people to play against other people. This is a natural extension of the phone’s capability to communicate as well as entertain.

Internet gambling has also become more popular recently, and various companies are taking advantage of the market for mobile phone downloads to attract new customers this way. Ongame developed mobile games with working poker software that are available in both play money and real money formats. Cellular phone users can play the game in a single player or multiplayer format as well.

Cellular phone users may find it difficult to figure out if different mobile games are compatible with their phone handsets. Some mobile games are very difficult to find online, but there are many free mobile games that are very easy to find. A downloadable game for mobile phone use should be compatible with most phone handsets, though, unlike some of the more expensive software. With quick call to the cellular phone service provider, gamers should also be able to find out if their cellular phone is compatible with the mobile games they want.