What is the Future of Gaming in India?

Separate gaming hubs and incubators should be created to promote collaboration, innovation and talent. It will give gamers access to high-tech facilities and training.

It is also positive that there is a rising number of local investors interested in bringing sustainable growth and innovation to the gaming sector. This is in alignment with state support that has made gaming a dawn industry.

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More than 600 million under 35 constitute over 45% of the country’s population, making India one of the largest gaming nations in the world. These teens are very tech-savvy and hungry for entertainment, thus making them the country’s largest game players. That is also reflected in the explosive growth in COVID-19 game downloads, where the Google Play Store saw 51% growth and iOS apps grew 20% in downloads over this time period.

Since Indians have become more digitally savvy, game developers are deploying new technologies to cater to their requirements. Artificial intelligence-driven games, for instance, are becoming wildly popular as they allow the user to experience characters and stories in a more unique and engaging way. AI is also used for enhancing player satisfaction and retention by using data to see trends in player behavior, preference, and spending.

Even as the industry continues to evolve, it’s not without obstacles. Taxes like the 28% GST of user-based revenue have impacted profitability and sustainability, although this impact was reflected differently on different platforms. This explains why we need to understand tax risks and how to invest in order to have long term success. Furthermore, internet connectivity is still a concern throughout the nation and it limits the access for most customers. Nevertheless, gaming is about to scale exponentially and solidify itself as a major global player.

Casual Competitive

In India, casual competitive gaming is in full swing due to its booming user base and various gameplay options available. This is mostly because of the increasing popularity of mobile and casual games and growing percentage of female gamers. It’s expected that the gaming market will expand further over the years owing to factors such as the rise in user engagement, demographics, new gaming types and investments.

In addition to this, India’s low-cost smartphones and some of the world’s lowest internet data rates makes India an enticing gaming destination. This is most particularly the case with mobile gaming as it is the primary game in India. While games such as Mini Militia and Clash of Clans were popular on mobile for some time, PUBG Mobile really changed the game landscape. The game would go on to draw an immense crowd of players and establish formal tournaments with high prize money, changing the entire face of the country’s esports industry.

Another trend is the rise of social gaming applications. These apps allow users to play against other users in real-time and generally charge a commission fee for every game that is played. It’s the easiest and most fun way to earn money while having a lot of fun and getting more players for casual games.

Real-Money

The Indian gaming market is exploding rapidly, and real-money gaming (RMG) has been one of the biggest players. And with that growth come challenges, however, such as gambling addiction, money laundering and underage gambling. This has inspired demands for stricter controls and responsible gambling.

The explosion of real-money gambling can be attributed to the popularity of smartphones in India. Cheap phones and data tariffs had made gaming a mass market, and gamers were now able to enjoy it from all corners of the globe. Over 3 billion downloads of mobile games have been recorded over the past few years, and the majority of them are real-money games.

Additionally, many of these games are also based on skill and strategy. That’s why they appeal to gamers who crave real-life outcomes and compensation. RMG has also spawned millions of jobs in sectors such as marketing, customer services, software development, and game development.

Despite the sector’s explosive growth, the industry continues to grapple with regulatory problems including statewide differences in regulation, as well as issues related to minor gambling, addiction and money laundering. Legal definitions are essential to making sure that gaming operators are classified and regulated in the best possible way. In this sense, the ability to distinguish games of chance from games of skill is critical for the future of online gaming in India.

Esports

Esports is becoming a popular leisure and sports activity in India. Now that tournaments and championships are a huge deal to watch, eSports has taken on a whole new meaning. But it’s not without its drawbacks, including low Internet speeds and connectivity. This is a serious limitation for the industry because premium games need to be accessed at high levels of bandwidth and latency. Several companies such as Reliance Jio have been working to resolve this problem by installing 300,000 mobile towers in the country and connecting more than 3.5 million km of broadband cables.

One major contributor to the eSports explosion is technology-savvy youth. As India’s middle class grows and incomes rise, younger Indians increasingly consider eSports as a career path. That has contributed to the increasing ubiquity of online gaming and eSports, with people increasingly paying for subscriptions and tournaments.

Furthermore, the increasing affordability of 4G smartphones and data plans enabled online gaming to be available to a much larger audience. This has also made it possible to build a more robust gaming ecosystem that will focus on real-time streaming and local content. That has led to an increasing number of gamers turning their hobby into a business and becoming professional eSports players. What’s more, the eSports industry has been backed by solid government funding and investment in the industry.