Always-online requirements are ruining mobile gaming

[Commentary] The always-online requirement: More and more, the mobile games I'm downloading and trying to play on my phone or tablet use this, and in the process renders my gaming experience at best annoying and at worst impossible. The early versions of this road block started with getting a generic error message or pinwheel suggesting the game was having trouble booting up. Now, it's more direct: "Error! No Internet connection available. Please make sure your device is connected to the Internet." The worst.