The gaming industry’s turnover has expanded exponentially since the pandemic, with the national average gaming time spent by players expanding to 4.1 hours post-Coronavirus from 2.5 hours pre-Coronavirus. As indicated by figures compiled by gaming associations, the quantity of real money games has expanded significantly. In May 2020, around 150 million games were downloaded. Since the pandemic, there has been a critical expansion in the quantity of real money game (RMG) players aged 35 and over.

Generally speaking, teens from tier 2 and small towns take part in rural regions at an altogether higher rate than those from bigger urban areas, as indicated by the insights. Mobile gaming applications showed a flood in utilization during the principal seven days of a cross-country lockdown, as indicated by an examination done during that time. Ludo King, Rummy 13 Cards, and Bubble Shooter were among the most mainstream applications during the principal seven days of the lockdown.

After the lockdown was over in June 2020, both sales and time spent got back to business as usual, perhaps the new normal was around 15-20% more prominent than pre-Covid-19 levels. As indicated by a Deloitte India analysis, the online gaming sector is expected to develop at a 40 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) to $2.8 billion by 2022, up from $1.1 billion in 2019. The quick rise is expected to support the sector’s share of the whole media and entertainment business by 45%, on account of smartphones, reasonable data packs, and rising disposable income.

The study uncovered that Coronavirus has increased growth as users rushed to online gaming platforms without other entertainment decisions during the lockdown. During the underlying cross-country lockdown, time spent on gaming applications moved by 21%, with an absolute user base of 300 million people. While the delivery of vaccinations and the restart of financial activity might bring about an end or even a reduction in the average time spent on video games, the business would as of now be in overdrive.

Online games have gained popularity since the COVID-19
As per industry authorities, online gaming has acquired momentum since the rise of COVID-19. People started to depend on internet entertainment, especially internet games, because of the lockdown estimates that constrained them to remain at home and isolate themselves. During the lockout, the gaming sector in India developed at a CAGR of 21%, they added.

In India, online games as of now have more than 300 million users and are consistently expanding. Industry chiefs said that skill games, specifically, have offered the intensity and rush that real-life exercises offer. According to industry experts, skill-based games have become progressively mainstream in late years. Mobile gadgets are ordinarily used to play online skill games, and India represents 13% of the overall market. Ludo, carom, and trivia quizzes are probably the most famous online skill games, all of which have their starting points in customary Indian games. They underscored that winning such games required a specific measure of skill, understanding, and mental application.

“India has a long history of cultural and social games used for entertainment and social engagement like Ludo, Carom, Snakes and Ladders and even Chess. Current technology has permitted these games to wake up in their online structures. With vital changes to their configurations that include free to play and pay to play format these games have become skill overwhelming, accordingly decreasing components of luck and possibility,” said Rameesh Kailasam, CEO, IndiaTech.org.

“The gaming industry is booming, outpacing the box office and music sectors by a wide amount. With $131 million invested in Indian online gaming platforms in 2020, the market is extremely appealing to investors right now. This figure might be greater if not for the current regulatory and policy framework uncertainty,” Roland Landers, CEO, All India Gaming Federation.

“A light-touch regulatory framework and a balanced policy ecosystem that encourages innovation and investment are clearly needed. The necessity of the hour is for governments to collaborate and cooperate with the private sector to achieve comprehensive growth,” he added.

The remarkable rise in popularity of traditional Indian games
For quite a long time, Indian history has had a significant interest in playing games of chance. Traditional games have likewise seen a colossal expansion in favor in India lately. It’s no big surprise that Jhandi Munda is accessible on a variety of online platforms, given its gigantic popularity. When playing online, players gain admittance to various advantages not accessible in the land-based version of the game.

Another well-known game in India is Andar Bahar, which has been a piece of social life for quite a long time. Andar Bahar’s popularity has sore of late, on account of the gamification of traditional Indian games. Following their popularity, some extra online platforms have started to bring to offer Andar Bahar cash games both on the online and live forms.

Rummy is a notable game that has been played for many years. This interesting card game has a few varieties that are consistently played in different areas of the world. Regardless of savage rivalry from online destinations, the Rummy business has filled significantly in late years. According to statistics from Traffic Analysis, because of the second COVID-19 wave and resulting lockdowns, the search interest for Rummy expanded by 90% between March and May 2021.

Generally speaking, gaming has seen an astonishing turn of events, with traditional Indian games assuming a huge part. What’s more, as more desi players move to online platforms, the story will just turn out to be better sooner rather than later.

Credits: TheCitizen