Friday

14


June , 2019
The online gaming trend in India
16:15 pm

Deya Bhattacharjee


The trend of immersive online gaming is fast increasing among children, teenagers and young adults.

Reasons for the boost

The Indian online gaming industry, riding on a rapid growth in digital infrastructure, is estimated to reach Rs. 11,900 crore by 2023. The industry touched Rs. 4400 crore in the last fiscal from Rs. 2000 crore in 2014. It is projected to grow at 22% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR).

Gaming prevents lifestyle diseases such as high blood pressure and depression. It acts as a stress-buster. Furthermore, the easy and free availability of app-based mobile games like PubG and Pokémon Go has pushed the growth of online gaming. Role-playing games are quite popular too, which is not surprising considering the millennials’ preference for personalised gaming experiences. On the flipside, self-harming online gaming practices such as the ‘Blue Whale Challenge’ needs to be countered.

Online games allow millennials to make a career out of playing them. New technologies like game streaming and cloud gaming promise to take centre stage as India’s broadband ecosystem and smartphone penetration increase their ambit.

Mohitosh Mondal, a gamer who has been playing online computer games since he was a nine-year-old, informed BE, “I have seen a lot of things change in the gaming industry over the years. The graphics has turned more realistic. The soundtracks and gaming experience has become more immersive. Since 2018, free to play games became the new trend to invest into and still have billions in turn-over through micro-transactions.”

Commenting on this growth, Varun Ganjoo, Marketing Director, BaaziGames, said, “We have witnessed a 70-80% growth in our user base, since the launch of PokerBaazi.com in 2014. This growth rate can most certainly be attributed to the rise of mobile phone adoption in India.”

Games responsible for the market boost

The online gaming community in India received a major boost after the launch of PubG mobile game. There is a steady rise in its usage. According to industry sources, the “freemium” model is expected to improve monetisation for developers in online gaming.

Ankush Gera, Founder, Junglee Games, informed BE, “We are competing against games like PubG and Mortal Combat by using Bollywood movies and stars to attract users.”

The beneficiaries

The youth and the new generation of online gamers have benefited largely by the boost in the online gaming industry. The developing and designing sections associated with online gaming have also benefited. As per the All India Gaming Federation (AIGF), India has 120 million gamers and the number has seen more than a 30% jump year-on-year in the last three years and with its increasing penetration, the online gaming market is well-poised to be a key revenue generator in the Indian economy.

 

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