How online games gain popularity among Indian youngsters
The gaming industry was already enjoying a high growth trajectory post the global health emergency situation. The outbreak of the pandemic just accelerated the process further. According to a report by KPMG, online gamers in India surged by approximately 20 per cent between July 2020 and January 2021, crossing 500 million, with smartphones or tablets used by 90 per cent of them.
Needless to say, Covid-19 brought along hectic schedules, longer work-from-home hours, worldwide lockdowns, not many recreational activities that people could take part in and several other restrictions. Evidently, this reshaped the social processes and relationships in which young people’s everyday lives had been embedded. Consequently, people, especially the young generation of the country, started embracing online games as their daily dose of mental stimulation.
Gen Z dominating the online gaming space
The ongoing pandemic has pushed back the development of kids by several years globally, as per a recent study by UNICEF. Additionally, the vaccination drives prioritized people above 18 years only, this further forced youngsters to stay indoors much longer. As human beings, people, especially the little ones in their formative years, require greater opportunities for extracurricular activities and social interactions as the absence of the same can result in damage to their cognitive and emotional development. The lockdown and other pandemic-induced restrictions put immense pressure on parents and made teenagers adopt online gaming as an interesting alternative to outdoor sports and activities. The advent of online, multiplayer games offers immense opportunities for social interaction and fair competition. Thus, not surprisingly, the screen time shot up considerably as kids contemplated different ways to keep themselves entertained.
As indicated in KPMG’s research study, young internet users have a higher tendency to play online games. Approximately 60 per cent of urban mobile gamers were found to be below the age of 24 years. It’s, perhaps, because these gamers are usually more exposed to technology and digital platforms. However, the report also revealed that the acceptance of online gaming was equally high among millennials and higher age groups. Their representation among online gamers could be a result of skewed internet across age groups in India. Owing to the surge in online gaming, it would be appropriate to mention that we are in the Golden Age of social gaming and youngsters are, certainly, making the most of it.
Summing up: The future of online gaming in India
According to the same KPMG’s report, the online gaming market is anticipated to observe a switch in the age composition of gamers. Owing to the large influx of 30 million engaged gamers from the age group of 20-24 to 25-30 years and extensive adoption of the internet, the most noteworthy growth in gamer base is probably going to be contributed by millennials and Gen Z, between the age of 20 to 40 years as they have a much higher propensity to play online games. Moreover, new-age payment solutions such as e-wallets and pre-paid cards have already gained traction in India and are targeting young gamers due to the ‘convenience’ factor. Various developers are leveraging these prevailing payment options and are also enabling the use of gift cards to ease the payment process in games, which, in turn, lets online games enjoy popularity among Indian youngsters.
Furthermore, Esports, which is in the early stages in India at present, seems to possess a promising potential moving forward. The gamers can utilize Esports as a platform to showcase their skill sets, earn while gaming and propel the feedback loop to upgrade online gaming in the future. Undoubtedly, the Indian online gaming industry is witnessed as an opportunity with a large potential today due to the increasing internet penetration and rapid technological advancements. Game developers all across the globe are seeking to enter the booming market of the country.
By Aakash Taneja, Product Head | GMNG
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