Vishnu Menon, 29, is an exemplary illustration of a gig specialist, with different streams of pay. One of them is gaming on YouTube and Twitch. Only a couple of years prior, he could have been blamed for “having nothing to do” or requested to get “genuine work”. However, post the COVID-19 pandemic, discernments about gaming are changing in India, and the business’ possibilities are looking more brilliant than at any other time.

With the pandemic confining social communications and various exercises, numerous Indians hoped to use gaming to satisfy their requirements for interfacing and contending with others.

Gaming, which has long been associated with disengagement and separation, is increasingly being viewed as a means of increasing global association and cooperation. For sure, India presently has proficient gamers who contend and procure universally through groups that come complete with a mentor, health specialist, and agent.

In 2021, the online gaming portion in India grew by 28% to arrive at Rs 101 billion, or 10,100 crores (roughly US $1.3 billion), as per a report distributed in March 2022 by EY, a worldwide professional services organization, and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).

The change is to such an extent that the gaming industry is gazing at a lift of over $2 billion by 2023 from just over $906 million in 2019, as indicated by one more forecast by the All-India Gaming Federation (AIGF) and EY.

“The COVID-19 pandemic was a trial of the sector’s vigor and assurance to develop in spite of the requirements,” Roland Landers, CEO of the AIGF, which is the zenith body of the industry in India, told ThePrint via email. “The Indian online gaming industry has seen a noticeable ascent in the number of users, income, and investments.”

Credit: ThePrint