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Comment by cLeEOGPw | Hacker News Reader

Few years ago I remember article specifically saying that rampaging in-game purchases and greed in general will destroy not only mobile games, but gaming industry in general. Looks like the results are finally in. Additionally, article mentioned the rising popularity of watching other people play games. But I'm not sure that's very relevant in mobile gaming industry, because nobody watches people play mobile games anyway. Unless we say that Hearthstone is a mobile game. In general mobile games are such low quality that people don't want to give them time of the day anymore.

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This is so true and it is getting ridiculous. I recently tried Mortal Kombat for iOS and I just wanted a fighting game, but instead it was full of 'Kards', 'Koins', 'Kostumes', all of which you could pay for. It actually felt like work, not a game.

"because nobody watches people play mobile games anyway"

I'm one of those nobodies ;-) A quick search on Youtube will show at least half a dozen Clash Of Clan dedicated channels with more than 100k subscribers (ie Galadon, Chief Pat, Molt, Nickatnyte ...)

It's seemingly done quite a lot. I have no interest in that content but have seen tons of YouTube recommendations for it.

why? Seriously why. Like watching paint dry.

Interest is subjective.

It is identical to watching traditional sports (NFL, NBA, football, etc). Why do people watch those?

The commentary is definitely a big part of the appeal. The strategy, the luck, the skill, the occasional swing at the last moments, and the drama (or metadrama).

I cannot say I like watching every game stream, but certainly watching Starcraft II with people like HuskyStarcraft commentating is pretty entertaining.

Each to their own however...

Another analogue would be watching people play chess. Many people find it interesting to watch people who are good at what they do.

Personally, I don't find watching sports to be very engaging either, but I know I'm not typical in that regard. Theoretically, I can see more of an argument in favor of watching traditional sports since it's harder to go out and find other players of similar skill in your location and then organize everyone into teams, etc, etc. The barrier to participation in video games is much lower though with the internet and automated matchmaking for multiplayer games. Singleplayer and free-to-play games are even easier to get into.

I love playing video games, but I've never had the patience to seek out and watch other people play. I'd much rather be experiencing it for myself - but as you said, to each their own.

Games are stories, things to explore, played by people who add their own commentary to it. That's interesting to me. Do you think an adventure movie is boring because you're merely watching a person going on an adventure, rather than doing it yourself?

Other games are competitive and require skill, and the way people play them, the tactics and strategies used, and the commentary, that's also interesting to me. Do you think sports (from a 'sport' like poker, to say football) are boring? Or say coding challenges?

I can get behind the idea that you prefer to play yourself, but can you not imagine (any reasons) that also watching games be played to many is not like watching paint dry, at all?

It's not true. Reasons for the decline are that people are using their mobile devices for other things. Read the article.

https://www.mobcrush.com/ seems related.

Ok seems I was wrong about that part.

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