Mobile gaming has evolved along with the mobile device. From the days of ‘Snake’ on Nokia phones, to next-gen smartphones with high-end graphics and an immersive gaming experience that rivals even the best console games, mobile gaming has gone through a lot of changes. The mobile gaming segment thrived during the pandemic due to its ability to cater to the entertainment-hungry public. The Indian mobile gaming market boomed during this period, and it’s still going strong today. During the pandemic, consumers shifted their focus to online channels.

“The critical pillars of the economy, banking, and payments, witnessed a substantial increase in adoption, propelling India from being the third-largest gaming market to becoming the largest gaming market in the world. One in five mobile gamers resides in the country,” Paavan Nanda, Co-Founder at WinZO games, said. According to a report by marketing company MoEngage, India’s mobile gaming market is estimated to be worth $8.6 bn by 2027 due to an increase in smartphone penetration, cheaper smartphones, and affordable data plans. The same report also found that the Indian gaming industry is currently worth $2.6 bn.

“India presents a significant opportunity for mobile gaming and is projected to become a $7 billion market by 2025. It is expected that 5 deacons and 10 unicorns will emerge in the sector, making it highly attractive for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) compared to any other sector,” Paavan Nanda said.

As a mobile-centric country, India’s mobile gaming scene has exploded in recent years thanks to the convergence of key trends like high-end premium smartphones, better data connectivity, the emergence of a new generation of influencers, and influencer-generated content.

Prabhu Ram, Head, of Industry Intelligence Group, CyberMedia Research (CMR), said that 

these trends are here to stay and Mobile and PC gaming will continue to grow in popularity shortly.

“Notably, there has been a rise in serious female gamers as well as increased gaming time amongst mobile gamers,” Prabhu Ram said.

According to Lumikai’s State of India Gaming Report 2022 in partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS), women spend an average of 11.2 hours a week on video games, while men spend an average of 10.2 hours. The survey revealed that 60% of gamers are male, while 40% are female. These trends have resulted in a shift from casual gaming to more intense and immersive gaming experiences.

According to CMR, about 5 out of 6 smartphone users use their phones to play games to relieve stress (44%), to relax (41%), and to get into character (26%). The most popular type of game used by gamers is sports games (53%), followed by action/adventure games (51%).

When it comes to playing games on their phones, 7 out of 8 gamers say battery life is the most important factor. Plus, today’s premium smartphones have all the bells and whistles you need to make your gaming experience smooth and enjoyable, even if you’re playing tough mobile games. According to a 2022 report by Statista – a German online platform that collects and visualises data – India’s mobile game population is over 174 million and mobile games have been downloaded more than 9.3 billion times.

Credit: BizzBuzz