The mobile gaming treads on a strong growth path with the total number of gamers increasing from 55 million in 2005 to about 183 million in 2008, and the worldwide games revenues topping $6.9 billion in the same fiscal.

Emerging markets, particularly China and India have bolstered the mobile gaming sector, with them chipping in large contributions towards adding new mobile gamers.

This strong growth is helped by several factors like improved and faster wireless networks as well as more advanced and easy-to-use handsets that enhance the user experience. Feature-rich smartphones with touchscreens, 3D capabilities and online interactivity capabilities allow content developers to improve games, raking more take ups.

Further, the iPhone App Store launch has brought about increased competition and has fueled the growth of mobile games in the developed markets.

But above all, the improving economies in the emerging markets are seen allowing consumers and businesses to catch up with the more advanced markets in terms of technology adoption.

The mobile game market is pegged to grow further but several barriers are seen hampering the market growth. Most of these factors are local conditions specific, such as low income levels, the prevalence of handsets with limited functionality, network and billing platform inadequacies and other technical issues, pricing for data access and games, the inadequacy of game distribution channels, inadequate payment mechanisms or piracy.

In addition to the ecosystem-related issues, a number of country-level issues in emerging markets encourage local players to develop innovative business models to pursue the mobile gaming opportunity.

The findings are from a recently published research by Pyramid.