Indian Gaming Industry to Deepen its Impact On The Economy with Casual and Fantasy Games

The Indian gaming industry is experiencing remarkable growth and is positioned as one of the
world’s fastest-growing sectors. Among various gaming formats, mobile gaming has emerged as
the most favored choice among players. According to a BCG report commissioned by Sequoia
India, it is projected that India’s mobile gaming market will witness substantial revenue growth,
reaching an estimated $5 billion by the year 2025.

Gaming experts believe that with the rise in mobile phone consumption and rising demand for
digital entertainment, the future of the industry is going to be even brighter, and so is its impact
on the economy.

Gaming categories that are ruling

Currently, the gaming categories that make the biggest buck are casual gaming, real-money
gaming, and fantasy gaming. Arpit Chaudhary, CTO of GreedyGame, rightly pointed out that,
“The Indian gaming market is majorly divided into Casual and Real-Money games. Real-Money
games have a fantasy element, which was not initially allowed on Google PlayStore. But, Google has changed its policies to incorporate it, as it attracts a huge population of gamers.”

Casual gaming has become increasingly popular in India with mobile gaming being the most
dominant. The industry has grown significantly due to the rise of the middle class’s disposable
income and increased access to smartphones. HTML5 gaming sites like EpicPlay have
introduced a vast number of casual games that can be played online and for free. Real-money
gaming, on the other hand, has become one of the fastest-growing segments in the industry. For
instance, Card games, have always been traditionally played and are popular among the older
Indian gaming population. Fantasy gaming has also gained prominence with the rise of fantasy
sports platforms like Dream11, My11 Circle, Fanwall, and the Mobile Premier League.

In addition, the rise of esports, a form of competitive gaming, is another notable trend growing in
popularity. India is well-positioned to become a major player in the esports industry with a large
and growing population of tech-savvy gamers. It is projected that the number of esports players
in India to grow 2.5 times over the next five years to reach 1.5 million by 2027. With the
increasing use of Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality in gaming, India has the
potential to revolutionize the gaming industry by creating more immersive and interactive
gaming experiences in the years to come.

Gaming–a rising career option

It is not only the audience in these segments that are growing, but also the jobs involved in these segments have significantly increased. According to Statista, the number of employees in the gaming sector in India has grown 135% in the last decade and is expected to grow faster in the coming years. Surya Teja, Deputy Development Manager at EA, said, “We have come a long way over the past decade. A career in video games is a very practical option today, where it would have been considered a joke before.”

It will not be an understatement to say that the gaming industry was dominated by Western countries for decades. However, India has come a long way and is now making a mark in the global gaming industry, and the growth of mobile gaming has fueled the industry recently. It has been observed that Indian gamers have mostly been playing games on their smartphones, and this encouraged many Indian companies to develop and create new gaming experiences. As per the India Mobile Gaming Report 2022, Uttar Pradesh has emerged as the top location for mobile gamers, followed by Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Bihar, and West Bengal. With its popularity, gaming is now a viable career option among many youngsters.

Bringing big bucks home

According to IBEF, there are 920 gaming start-ups in India, with Mumbai operating as the headquarters. They have seen a significant increase in investments, due to the potential for high returns. Currently, Foreign Direct Investments in the gaming industry stand at more than INR 10,000 crore, and it is projected to attract another INR 15,000 crore from top investors by 2025. These events have made a significant contribution to the Indian economy and are expected to continue its upward trajectory as technology continues to advance.

The way ahead

In conclusion, the future of the Indian gaming industry looks bright, with robust growth expected
in the coming years. The industry is well-positioned to take advantage of several trends,
including the rise of online gaming and the government’s efforts to promote its growth. With the
rise of casual, fantasy, real-money, and esports gaming, coupled with the increasing use of VR
and AR technologies, there are many exciting developments to look forward to in Indian gaming