As per a report by The All India Gaming Federation, named “Online Gaming is a Life Skill,” 76% of gamers accepted that by regularly surveying the most ideal approach to win a match, they could foster solid analytical skills. India recorded around 365 million online gamers in the year 2020 and this number is estimated to arrive at 510 million by the monetary year 2022.

The report was intended to understand which skills were considered ‘life skills’ by gamers, how gamers procured such skills, regardless of the work environment which showed them such skills, and which of these skills could be mastered through gaming. It further expressed that with 624 million internet users in India in January 2021, India is set to arrive at 1 billion internet users by the year 2025 and the country’s smartphone base is estimated to reach 820 million in the following two years.

The report likewise uncovered that more than 57% felt that an individual could sharpen practical life skills with online games in a similar way they would through an entire day at the workplace — 57% of men and 56 percent of women agreed with this conclusion.

It also brought to light the essential life skills that online gamers said were critical to gaming. The skills were reflexes (65%), strategy and logic (68%), followed by determination (53%) and getting risk/return (52%); 46% expressed that memory was pivotal. While 40% of men accept that the greater part of online gaming skills is valuable for real-life encounters, the number drops to 34% for women.

The report tracked down that 51% of women accepted that physical and mental skills like ‘memory’ and ‘reflexes’ were fundamental for online gamers (contrasted with 33% men). More than 67% of men felt that cognitive skills like strategy, logic, and comprehension of risk and returns, and determination were requirements for online gamers (contrasted with 49% of women).

Gamers likewise uncovered that they displayed a more positive attitude towards their online gaming colleagues in contrast with their real-life work connections. 56% of gamers said they were more likely to be straightforward with their gaming partners than with their work colleagues (51%). The thing that matters was more articulated among Gen Z (5%) versus those over the age of 45 (2%). A huge lump of Gen Z (43%) and millennials (41%) accepted that friendship/connections made online between gamers could be just about as significant as real-life friendship.

Around one in every four gamers imagined that online gaming can be taken up as a professional and this shows the change in the industry presently. Lockdowns and social distancing during the previous year saw an expanding number of individuals transform their enthusiasm for gaming into a full-time career.

In 2019 India series of a popular mobile game saw the regional finalist group win INR 4,50,000. The report additionally uncovered how today, mobile gamers have unmistakably dwarfed the PC or console gamers, with just 12% Indians using consoles when compared with 67% who utilize a smartphone or tablet.

Roland Landers, CEO, All India Gaming Federation, said, “Varied skills like critical thinking, creative thinking, decision making, and problem-solving are essential for one’s growth in life. Through this research, we sought to understand whether consumers genuinely realize the value of mobile gaming. This study has helped us conclude that gaming is a way to collaborate, engage, and it is becoming a sector where people want to build their careers.”

Credits: ET Brand Equity