By January, 2013, 31 percent of American adults purchased some sort of tablet computer, be it an iPad or Acer or Toshiba. As of December, 2012, about 45 percent of adults were using some sort of smart phone. Regardless of the obvious overlap, most adults in America are playing mobile games through some sort of mobile device. Less costly and more convenient than the PC or most other consoles (exception being the handhelds), tablet/smartphone owners have become the new go-to market for developers and publishers.
As noted in our article about the XBOX 720 release, companies such as Microsoft are rumored to begin targeting their marketing efforts towards tablet and smartphone users, given that the “…the crowd that plays games like Call of Duty and Gears of War is ‘fairly finite.'”
Even with controversies over things like in-app purchases and constant badgering for paper in players’ wallets, mobile games are some of the top grossing games in the industry.
Angry Birds
Bringing in over one billion downloads, Angry Birds is one of the most popular mobile games of all time. The game is simple, accessible by people of all ages, and pretty cute. I do love those little piggies (which now, by the way, have their own spin-off). The idea is to use as few birds as possible with your slingshot in order to knock down all of the structures–and burst those piggies. 
Angry Birds has subsequently shown up in places such as Kohls and Target, which offer merchandise like pillows and pajama pants with these furious fowl on them. Angry Birds has also taken to the cartoon medium, using their app to show a new cartoon each week. Angry Birds is slated to be one of the most profitable mobile games… ever.
As most know, Angry Birds is followed by numerous expansions and sequels. They all range from free to not-so-free on both iTunes and the PlayStore.
Be sure to check out our tips and tricks for Angry Birds: Star Wars.
Minecraft: Pocket Edition
If you haven’t heard of Minecraft by now then I am a firm believer in your rock hut. Really. Minecraft is only one of the best selling PC games of all time. Since it’s release in 2011, the game has sold over a little over ten million copies. In the last 24 hours alone, according to Minceraft Stats, 9,942 people have purchased the game. That’s a lot.
To those who have played it, the world is an immersive, completely open sandbox that allows you to explore, literally, for hours upon hours upon hours. The mobile game supposedly delivers that same experience, sans some of the features given to PC and XBOX users–the mobile platform has received some harsh criticism since it doesn’t offer crafting and resource collection, which is an essential part of the game.
It could still be a fun download 
to use in your spare time. Especially since the mobile game has received 7.3 million since 2011, nearly catching up with its parent platform. Like Angry Birds, Minecraft merchandise has sprouted up in the form of shirts, socks, papercrafts (I may or may not have a paper creeper on my desk), Creeps candy, bracelets, mugs, stickers and more.
The Lite version is free, and the full version prices at $6.99 on iTunes.
Fruit Ninja
When you walk into Best Buy or some other electronics store, go over to their tablets. I will bet you money that each tablet has this game preloaded onto it. My Acer Iconia came with the free version, which was more than enough for me.
This game is insanely addicting. I mean, the premise is simple–you’re slashing fruit with a sword (or your finger, as it were). So why is this game so popular?
Because it really is just that simple.
Each thi
There is also a full version that is $.99 on iTunes, which is a decent price for such a great app, in my opinion. Unfortunately, upon bringing it up on the iOS store, the iPhone 5 version comes with ads that may be obtrusive to your game (I haven’t seen it yet), so be aware of that if you do decide to purchase.
Injustice: Gods Among Us
I know you’ve seen articles about this game and heard about the anticipation most of us have for it. Topping the charts right now on iOS, Injustice: Gods Among Us is a collectible card game that allows you to fight with your favorite heroes on 3v3 teams. We even reviewed it for you, and gave it ten whopping stars. That’s a lot of stars.
Though the number of 
downloads for Injustice is currently unknown, if it’s topping the charts on iTunes, it must be doing fairly well. The game is rumored to be exclusive for the iOS, so us Androids are out of luck, but one can always hope that NetherRealm will change their minds. … Please? Pretty Please?
Temple Run & Temple Run 2
Both Temple Run and Temple Run 2 are two of the fastest growing mobile games out there. Temple Run hit 1 million downloads in 3 days on the Android market. Temple Run 2 now has over 170 million downloads since its release in January of this year.
Needless to say, this game took off more quickly than most. As an ‘endless runner,’ you play a thief who has taken a sacred idol from a temple (…duh), and you’re now being chased by what appear to be demon monkeys.
Do you see that monkey’s face? Where do I sign up?
This game took off so quickly that it now has it’s own store through the developer. T-shirts, mugs, stickers, buttons… all the jazz for what appears to be a fairly decent price. Will anyone know what your accessories are in reference to? Probably not, but that’s what’s ‘in’ these days, right?
And Finally… the Candy Crush Saga
I played this game and I refuse to say anything about it because it is a bully. Kevin Spence can share his experience with you because I refuse. So there.
Published: Apr 9, 2013 12:33 pm