The coronavirus pandemic that began in 2020 saw people being restricted to the safety of their homes to prevent the spread of the contagious virus. This resulted in people worldwide turning to online gaming and esports in large numbers to meet their social and entertainment needs. For the uninitiated, the esports audience in India rose from 6 million in the year 2017 to 17 million in 2020. As per BARC & Nielsen’s report, the no. of smartphone gamers per week surged from 60% in pre-COVID-19 times to 68% during the period of the coronavirus lockdown. Similarly, the time spent on mobile games per user per week increased from 151 minutes pre-lockdown to 218 minutes during the lockdown period. With India having the globe’s largest youth population, the growth graph of the esports industry is only going to go one way, and that is up!

‘Decoding Esports: Where does India Stand’ in association with Republic is a TV show that goes deep into the Indian esports industry’s future. The recent episode featured an esteemed guest panel which comprised eminent names such as Biren Ghose, Chairman of CII National Committee; Nikhil “Sieh” Bhansali, eSports castor & analyst; Aditya Sawant aka Dynamo, pro athlete; and Roland Landers, CEO of the All India Gaming Federation (AIGF). All of the esteemed panelists shared valuable insights and predictions regarding the future of esports in the country.

“Imagery & Simulation has enabled and empowered cricketers, racing car drivers, and players across all kinds of sports. Technology is no longer about the event; technology is how we now have the chance to enable audiences to become players. When you talk about 17-18 million people, this is now a growing segment within the overall segment of 300 million gamers. We had only 50 million gamers two years ago, and from being about 3.5% -3.6% of the media & entertainment pie in India, we can foresee a spike to 7% -10% by 2022. It will have the same kind of reach and prominence that the feature film industry has achieved after 100 years.” said Biren Ghose, Chairman of CII National Committee.

The fast-growing esports industry in India is estimated to grow by a CAGR of 36% in the upcoming 3 years. With this rapid rate of growth, the day is not far when esports will be regarded as a lucrative career option & the esports industry will emerge as an industry which will lead the country on the path to Atma Nirbhar Bharat.