The digital economy in India is set to become the source of wealth creation over the next five years. Not only will this create benefits directly for those in the digital sector, but it would help mobilize the digitization of previously analog parts of the economy. One of the most startling examples of a sector thriving in the digital sphere in India is through gaming. But why is gaming such a big part of India’s digital economy?
The Indian Gaming Market
The Indian gaming industry has seen a boost in 2020 – with an estimated 628 million engaging in some way. By 2021, the industry is expected to be worth more than $1 billion. This growth potential makes it favorable to foreign investment and to those looking to improve their skills and create jobs.
Extensive game developers such as 2Pi Interactive, who developed Tangled Up! and Ants Can Fly, and 99Games who are behind Dhoom 3 and Star Chef, show that audiences enjoy hyper-casual style gaming that can be done on mobile devices. The development of gaming in India itself helps give credibility to the country as one that will help boost the global gaming sector. Gaming globalization has helped it thrive and introduced games to vast audiences, bridging gaps, and merging expertise across the planet.
Trends across online entertainment mean that gaming has grown to envelope many different aspects. Traditional console games have waned, and mobile gaming has taken off. Even more traditional concepts have found a footing in gaming entertainment. As the options for online casino in Indian rupees show, traditional industries such as casinos have been able to thrive online. Taking classic table games and giving them a ‘live’ makeover represents the opportunities for digital growth. This comes as part of a global trend towards an increase in different types of entertainment being available.
Internet and Telecoms Boost
The gaming industry, which utilizes the internet to such a high degree, has also been helped through the growth of the telecoms industry, which continues to grow. Increased interest accessibility lends itself to a greater proliferation of a digital India. Governmental support, the wealth of opportunities, demand and greater investment have all paved the way to give a boost to India’s telecoms industry throughout 2020 and beyond.
#QOTD | “More than 3 lakh Common Service Center (@CSCegov_ ) have been added online in the last 6 years.” – Hon’ble PM Shri @narendramodi #NayeBiharKaNirmaan #DigitalBihar @GoI_MeitY pic.twitter.com/bWdEWkIhUy
— Digital India (@_DigitalIndia) September 23, 2020
By taking advantage of the accessibility that more people in traditional rural areas have to get online, the gaming market opens up. Those new to the internet and the digital world are an untapped market and as western game success has already shown, all generations enjoy gaming. Older audiences are becoming enamored with games that they typically wouldn’t be expected to play, which represents a shift in demographics and a breadth of opportunity.
The biggest signifier of the intended growth of India’s digital sectors has been the government’s push towards a Digital India. Positioning the nation as one that can take the challenges of the 21st Century and turn them into business opportunities opens India up for external investment and helps drive growth in an economy increasingly subject to other forces. Gaming represents a significant sector of growth for the digital capabilities of India and will be the bellwether of further digital improvement.
