Mobile Games Versus Movies: The Real Score

Two of the most popular leisure pursuits today are mobile gaming and watching movies. The two forms actually have a lot more in common than you would think. For starters, both activities once required you to sit in one place for extended periods of time in order to enjoy them. In the case of movies, your options before were limited to going to a local movie theater or drive-in, where you had to stay put for the duration of the entire movie. The advent of the consumer movie projector–and much later the home video system–meant that you could buy the movies that you like and watch them in the comfort of your own home. While this was definitely a step forward as far as convenience and accessibility was concerned, it did not really address the issue of movie viewing’s portability or–more accurately–its lack of it. You still had to sit in one place to watch it, although the advantage of being able to stop the movie and continue it whenever you desired was a much welcome development.

In the early days of video gaming, you had no other choice but to go to an arcade in order to play your favorite games. This was an undoubtedly enjoyable experience in itself, and many people count the years of playing in video arcades as one of the most enjoyable chapters in their gaming lives. Much like watching movies in theaters however, playing video games in an arcade meant that you actually had to go there–and stay there–every time you felt the urge to bash some bad guy’s head in or prevent an alien invasion. And again just like the introduction of home movie viewing heralded the coming of a new age in convenience and accessibility, the development of home video gaming consoles was widely welcomed by video game players who took to this new found accessibility in a big way.

It is interesting to note that as far as both movie viewing and video gaming has come, they still share a lot of similarities today. With the development and subsequent release of mobile gaming and mobile movie viewing devices, it is now possible to enjoy these activities virtually anywhere we please. No longer are we shackled to out living room couches whether it is to check out the latest Hollywood blockbuster or bash away at the aforementioned aliens–we can now do those things in every setting possible.

As for choosing between movies and video gaming, both have their advantages and disadvantages, and you will easily find lots of people who will be happy to tell you why their preferred choice is the better entertainment option. What it boils down to is simply this: would you prefer to sit back and just be entertained without having to lift a finger? Or do you prefer having control over what goes on in front of you? Both can be equally fun and rewarding, and there is certainly no reason why you cannot switch from one to another!