The gaming industry has been creating abundant direct and indirect jobs owing to the exponential growth in the number of users post-Covid. Marketing and capitalization in the industry have also witnessed a boom. Gaming Federation’s CEO, Roland Landers, opens up on the rising trends in the gaming industry, giving insights about the need for a regulatory body, advertising in games, and more. Landers shares that the Indian online gaming industry is flourishing in terms of users, revenue, and investments.

Rising trends of the online gaming industry over the years
The online gaming sector in India has witnessed exponential growth in the last few years. It has started growing rapidly and now has a user base of around 360 million which is projected to grow faster than the global online gaming segment. Online gaming and streaming have seen a new boom, the gameplay has increased three folds on the online platform and many online skill gaming platforms are reporting three times more user engagement and higher traffic in mobile gaming. Some of the biggest trends in 2021 have been:
• Gaming is becoming more interactive, immersive, and social
• Gaming technologies are becoming more affordable
• The emphasis has shifted to localized themes and games. Many indigenous game developers are building titles in multiple local languages for customized content
• The introduction of cloud gaming services Arcade and Stadia
• Advancement in augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR)
• Smartphone penetration with affordable & faster data
• Growth of Digital ecosystem for payments
• Growing investments in the sector
• Increased recognition and growing popularity amongst the youngsters have made it a valuable career option

This phenomenal change in online gaming has given way to numerous tech trends which will be ruling the roost in the coming years.

What do you think of having a centralized regulatory body to avoid stakeholder violations?
Currently, the gaming industry follows a self-regulatory model which incorporates the necessary checks and balances to ensure sufficient responsible gaming and protection of gamers. Regulating this sunrise sector can boost investment trends in states, create jobs, and contribute economically.

The Indian gaming industry over the years has been working to bring due attention to this sunrise sector. As an industry body, AIGF has been at the forefront of ensuring global best practices for its stakeholders through the self-regulation skill games charter that covers all aspects of the online business process. AIGF’s self-regulatory mechanism needs to be recognized and strengthened for uniformity.

Some of the initiatives that need to be considered are; Instead of taking restrictive actions against online skill gaming, States should aim to collaborate positively with industry stakeholders to develop a regulatory model that is in the best interest of all parties involved. AIGF and its advisory panel of domain experts will be very happy to assist in playing a consultative role with the relevant policymakers for the same.

A look at technological progress, a game-changer for the online gaming industry
The Indian online gaming industry is thriving in terms of users, revenue, investments, etc. The increased use of pocket-friendly gadgets like smartphones made it easy to access data whilst the proliferation of digital payment applications has benefited the growth of this industry. The unrelenting ‘Covid’ pandemic was in reality a test of the sector’s robustness and determination to grow despite the constraints.

India is predominantly a smartphone-first market, with audiences preferring mobile gaming and esports over other devices. With time, the Indian online gaming industry has matured, and players are branching out beyond handheld devices. Moreover, the amelioration of technology has further influenced online gaming, to the point that certain gamers have softened the boundaries between realism and fiction.

This industry is driven profusely by Mobile Gaming technology and in recent years, the advancement of innovations such as machine learning (ML), artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR), and augmented reality (AR), among others have intensified.

Technology innovations are changing the world with the market metamorphosing and expanding through many of its verticals, including e-sports, fantasy sports, card games, and other skill-based education.
However, as the industry evolves, self-regulating industry bodies like the AIGF must enforce their responsible gaming guidelines covering minor gameplay, security, data safety, content guidelines, etc.

How has the lockdown impacted the growth of the gaming industry?
Yes, the gaming industry in India saw a surge during the lockdown last year. The number of games played and hours spent online had shot up. The gaming platforms had seen approximately 50% growth in new user registrations and also witnessed around a 20% increase in terms of daily active users.

Furthermore, Online gaming continues to see a rise, and the segment will further grow across all its verticals viz, esports, fantasy sport, casual gaming, and other games of skill. Though in my opinion, revenue growth will be led by mobile-based real-money gaming applications across these verticals.

How have the gaming apps transitioned? What attracts brands to this segment and what kind of brands capitalize on the same?
The scope of the AIGF covers all forms of Online Skill Gaming that are subscription-based (ORMG). However, for the leading youth-centric brands, advertisement-led online gaming platforms happen to be the topmost on their media plans considering the overlap in the target audience.

Expected revenues and growing numbers of the gaming industry
As per the EY-FICCI Report 2021, the online gaming segment grew 18% in 2020 to reach INR77 billion, as online gamers increased by 20% from 300 million in 2019 to 360 million in 2020, transaction-based game revenues increased by 21% due to fantasy sports, and casual gaming revenues increased by 8%, led by in-app purchases. They estimate that the online gaming industry will continue to grow and reach 500 million gamers by 2025 to become the third-largest segment of the Indian M & E sector.

Credits: exchange4media