Unlike many 2007 predictions that claim things will happen and then don’t say why, this top ten list from PocketGamer covers all the bases. It expects 2007 to be the year for ad-funded mobile gaming content. (It also points out the danger of flooding the market with a “a glut of rubbish free games with ads slapped in.) Another one to watch for: the full-scale arrival of multi-player games – amid rumors that UK operators may be gearing up to launch their own mobile gaming communities along the lines of Sprint’s Game Lobby.

The complete Top 10 Trends:

1) Advertising-supported games
2) Get set for D2C [Gameloft’s new Connect application, an iTunes-style application that lets users check out new games, view demos and then buy and download them may be the trend-setter. PocketGamer expects firms (for example, Mpowerplayer) to bring a number of publishers’ games together in one application.]
3) Next-generation N-Gage [N-Gage could be back – with a vengeance. The line-up includes 3D games with community features - all purchasable directly from the user’s handset.]
4) More connectivity and multiplayer
5) Tetris will sell millions of downloads [Yes, the audience for simple puzzle games will continue to grow.]
6) More crossover with Web and online gaming [Fixed-mobile convergence continues to gain steam while publishers talk about making Web versions of their casual mobile games.]
7) At last, 3D gaming will take off [However, 3D mobile games will only be as good as their control systems. So, the industry will need to come through with better joysticks and features that support landscape gaming.]
8) Flash Lite will make an impact [But it’s not clear if mobile operators will begin to sell these games via their portals.]
9) Mobile game audio finally gets some props [The rise of music phones could make gaming more immersive and enjoyable.]
10) More camera and LBS games [These phone features are sure to show up in more games. The advance of GPS may bring real world location data into mobile games.]