Huge surge in online gaming. Will the trend continue?

As people are self-quarantining themselves at home to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, online gaming companies in India seeing an uptick in the number of users on their platforms and a surge in the number of hours Indian users spend gaming online.

Online gaming and esports have proved a welcome diversion for many people chafing at the movement restrictions, the cancellation of countless public events and a relentless onslaught of news about the pandemic. People are spending more time online than ever before.

While many are willing to stay put for the next few months until the condition improves, 75 per cent of the people have shown a strong sentiment towards the continuation of playing online games even after COVID19. The survey was conducted in July 2020 where close to 1000 respondents with the age group of 20 to 50 years shared their views.

Online games are commonly perceived by many as a medium to kill time, but there is much more they offer. Most of the online games are skill-based which interests the players who have played these games offline. Some of the skills are observational skills, interpersonal skills, and analytical skills.

Besides, real money games or games involving money and strategy, require concentration and alertness too. The survey also revealed that 82.2% per cent of people agree with the fact that online gaming needs skills. Familiar games attract skilled players who find it easy and exciting to play in online mode. Players are grabbing this opportunity to earn money and even getting into it professionally.

With smartphones becoming affordable by the day and with plentiful access to the internet, the online gaming industry has been growing significantly in India over the past couple of years. With the increasing smartphone usage, it is possible to download games with just a tap on the screen, easier than ever before. Acknowledging the same, the survey also tracked the playing patterns with respect to the devices used where 90% of respondents told that they use mobile phones to play online games and esports. Besides 30% of the respondents use a PC, 11% of people use Xbox, and 14% of people use Playstation.

Now the online gaming space primarily perceived to be male-dominated seems to be dominated by females too. Amongst the 200 respondents who participated in the survey, 48.5% were female and 50.5% male. More and more women are taking up gaming because they are financially savvy, independent, and find online gaming fascinating. They like pitting their skills against some of the most talented players, many of whom are themselves, women. Gaming, in all its forms, is no longer a masculine pursuit. It is being embraced by women who derive as much thrill from gaming as any man ever did.

When asked whether the government should include esports in the school curriculum, 44.2% of respondents said that doing so will be a great initiative towards making a career in e-gaming. In contrast, the rest 55.8% disagreed with the fact.

The survey also revealed the different types of playing patterns. In the response received, 32.5 % of people put forward their choice of playing single player vs computer. A further 73% and 49.5% told that they love to play multiplayer (with family and friends) and multiplayer (with random players respectively. As more mobile gaming apps become available online and significant console games grow in size, people are downloading games more often. They prefer to play more games. As per the results of the survey, people are spending an average of 3-6 hours on online gaming and esports.

One of the biggest arguments involved in the gaming industry is whether esports should get more recognition as a valid sport. If we look according to the survey, then 77% of respondents said, yes, it should be considered as a valid sport whereas the rest 23% said no.

Speaking about the results of the study Sudhir Kamath, CEO & Co-Founder of 9stacks said, “The study certainly gets at the heart of what the current situation is and what is going on in Indian minds, amidst the social distancing. Our survey shows that people are preferring to invest their time in online gaming while keeping Coronavirus anxiety at bay. The number of hours spent playing online, and the number of games played online has grown to an all-time high. Over the past week, there has been about a 10 per cent surge in the number of concurrent users (that is, users who are logged in and playing at the same time) on their platform. 9stacks has also ramped up their user acquisition efforts, and we are also allowing our users to participate on the platform for free for the first time to make social connections through social gaming affordable for those observing social isolation.

According to the industry players, there is over two-fold rise in the number of gamers of casual and other non-fantasy games during the lockdown. Because people with more leisure time, are now playing such games on mobile phones as a favourite pastime. The survey also asked people about their favourite online games, to which 52% of respondents said that they play Ludo King the most. Further to this, 49.5% shows strong likeability towards PUBG, 20% towards Call of Duty, 19% towards Poker, 10.5% for Rummy and 17% for cricket.

Speaking about the results of the study Yash Pariani, CEO of Indian Gaming League (IGL)  said, “Due to the current situation, staying indoors leaves one with plenty of idle time. This has resulted in more and more people indulging in online gaming. In the past few weeks, online gaming operators have seen an uptick in the number of downloads. It has led to the robust growth of 10-12% increase in user engagement in India during this pandemic. We are ready for the challenge and are also trying to attract more users in the wave of the ongoing pandemic, which shows no signs of disappearing. Also, we are doing our bit to help people stay mentally fit in the wake of this crisis by creating better products and exciting tournaments on our platform.”

Conclusion 

As people look for recreational activities in their busy lives, the potential market of online gaming will continue to grow exponentially. Owing to a steady rise in consumption amount, the industry will witness an ecosystem of enthusiastic and dedicated gamers.