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[Victor Omega]

Reality: The year is 2020, the latest smartphones are used for social messaging, streaming, productivity, and gaming. Thousand of games exist on the app store as smartphones are viewed as gaming devices.

Alternative Reality: The year is 2020, the latest smartphones are used solely for social messaging, streaming, and productivity. No games exist on the app store as smartphones are not viewed as gaming devices.

Reality: Today, people who want to pursue a career in making a videogame have many different options: Crowdfunding; Self-publishing; Creating an independent company.
Alternative Reality: Today, people who want to pursue a career in making a videogame work at a large video game developing studio/company.

What would the current landscape be like in games for Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft?
What would "AAA" studios look like if game creators only work for them? (Would creators from mobile or indies space work for them instead?)
Would gaming lose/gain anything for the lack of gaming on smartphones?
What would "casual gaming"(Idle RPGs, Endless runner, match-three puzzle video, etc) look like?

What would PC gaming look like (most MMOs are on a smartphone)?

 

[KingdomHeartsFan]

If mobile gaming wasn't around Nintendo's handhelds would probably still pull near DS numbers. They'd probably make them at a lower cost to have a greater appeal for the audience so the Switch would be a lot weaker and cheaper than it is now.

 

[Victor Omega]

Interesting

 

[Elektro Demon]

It would look good without mobile gaming. That's not videogames, that's casual fun for casuals.
Without indies, well that's a different story. Indies are the creative force in the industry and are filling that AA hole. AA games dissapeared this generation.

 

[Northeastmonk]

Where would gatcha games go? The handheld market didn’t have ATM’s connected to the internet. It relied upon selling physical copies of games and of course pushing their digital store fronts. The handheld scene would have had to develop a way to incorporate the F2P lifestyle. You’d probably have newer handhelds, but with larger digital stores. I think cell phones caused the dark age for handhelds. Technology was growing faster, stronger, and smarter with cell phones. They’re a multi functioning device versus a handheld that could probably surf Google and check your email.

 

[kurisu_1974]

Not a fan of either mobile or indie games, so for me not much would change. I fill my AA games hole with offerings from Japanese devs like Platinum and Grasshopper.

 

[killatopak]

Indie games are a bastion of creativity. Not to say AAA games aren‘t creative but indie games and even to a certain extent AA/A games can experiment a lot more and higher production games use that as inspiration on many aspects of their game since it is proven to be great.

I figure if indie games were gone we’d see more tried and tested board room mandated type of games since executives are less willing to experiment.

Mobile for many are the gateway to gaming. Normalization of gaming in today’s culture have a lot of influence that stems from mobile. Since playing games is a lot more accessible to the people, a lot of people can relate or won’t have prejudice anymore on gaming.

I’m sure there’s more but that’s what stood out to me I guess.

 

[JAMMA]

The world would be a better place without smart phones in general.

We’d all be better off if everyone had to live a real life and only used their computers at home during some downtime.

If smartphones were outlawed we’d have a real existance again. Woke SJW culture by the drones wouldn’t have any traction, and cancel culture would disappear.

I’m not saying eliminate computers, just eliminate the world always connected in everyone’s hands at all times.

 

[Sussoloc]

For me Indies are very important. This gen i had much more fun with some Indies than with all the narrative 3rd person action adventures and shooters togehter. Many Indies focus on creativity and gameplay while many high budget AAA focus on graphics and cutscenes and mostly only have generic gameplay.

 

[JamesH05]

I am still think indie game are one of most important force to push game industry going forward, it provide so many good idea and feed at least millions people.
I am in a small devs team of indie game and our next puzzle game are coming out, and I belive some design are totally new of this world.

 

[-Troid-]

I think without mobile gaming there could've been the possibility of microtransactions being nonexistent last and this gen, or at the very least come to console gaming significantly later in a slightly different form.

 

[OmaeWaMouShindiggity]

A number of Indie games take chances on ideas that AAA games implement on a larger scale. I would argue a large percentage of gaming innovation comes from indies and without them, the blockbuster games would be even worse than they are today.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

The industry would be a vacant husk.

Look at how many of the big games are either indies (Minecraft, Hotline Miami, No Man's Sky) or based on a concept popularized by indies (Overwatch, Fortnite). Every year there are at least a dozen indie games thrown around as "must play" like Gris, Don't Starve, Enter the Gungeon, Dead Cells, Undertale, Cuphead, Inside, etc etc etc.

Mobile gaming hasn't has as much of an impact on The Industry except to be yet another source of revenue stream. Publishers shoveled their stuff onto the Wii to help fund bigger ventures, and mobile is no different. I'm glad mobile is around, though. I wish there were more mobile touch-screen shmups.

 

[Birdo]

Gamer demographics would still be mostly male.

 

[_Ex_]

The Vita would still be alive.