The world of video games is a fascinating one. Anyone born in the 1990s knows what video games are. From playing ‘Roadrash’ on the fat desktops to enthralling ourselves with the likes of ‘Prince of Persia’ and ‘Call of Duty’, to now, playing games on our mobiles – India has come a long way. Sadly, though, our gaming consumption and fascination is not in sync with game-related innovation and entrepreneurship. Indians love playing games, but they don’t seem to get the platform of making world-class games that can grow into a sensation globally.
So, what seems to be stopping India from becoming the gaming giant of the world? The answer is simple – China. For years now, China has dominated the gaming scene across the world.
However, there is a silver lining on the horizon now. China’s gaming industry has come under severe duress as Xi Jinping continues his brutal crackdown on the sector. According to the South China Morning Post, no less than 14,000 gaming businesses have shuttered in China recently.
Over 140,000 gaming firms have closed as China continues its new license freeze. According to the report released by the Game Publishing Committee (GPC) of the China Audio-Video and Digital Publishing Association, the industry’s gross sales revenue grew 6.4 per cent in 2021 from a year ago, a sharp reduction from the 2020s 20.7 per cent growth. The number of gamers in China also plateaued, with the number of gamers rising by just 0.22 per cent to 66.6 million gamers in 2021 compared with a growth of 3.7 per cent in 2020. Revenues of the gaming industry players of China have also nosedived in the past year.
Time for India to Cease the Opportunity
The fall of China’s gaming sector can be a big opportunity for India to break into the global gaming scene and dominate it. India’s $1.8-billion gaming market, while small in global terms, is growing rapidly on the back of mobile-first games. According to a report by Boston Consulting Group and Sequoia on India’s mobile gaming sector, more than 300 million people play mobile games in India, and the gaming market as a whole grew at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 38% in 2019-2020 and 37% the previous fiscal.
What this means is that the gaming industry in India is growing faster than social media itself. The size of the mobile gaming market is estimated at $1.5 billion, or about 86% of the total gaming market. India’s gaming startups raised $549 billion in the first quarter of 2021, more than the $412 billion they raised in all of 2020. The gaming sector in India is growing faster than most media sub-sectors — including cinema and home entertainment, audio and more.
According to the same report, the gaming industry in India has seen a growth of almost 40% in 2019-20, more than that of OTT, television and social media platforms. 86% of this market consists of mobile phone users.
Therefore, India must seize the opportunity and replace China as the gaming superpower of the world. It is now or never for India to make a name for itself in the global gaming industry.
India has All that it Needs
Nothing is stopping India from becoming a gaming superpower. What India needs is the will and the right incentives to break into the gaming scene and scale new heights.
India has a huge pool of talent that is waiting to be tapped into.
- India created ‘Razi’, which gathered worldwide appreciation. Ever since, however, we have failed to capture the gaming market worldwide
- India has a rich culture and huge potential to create world-class video games that are inspired by Indian themes. Gaming can become a major soft power flex for India.
- We have created world-class engineers, doctors and scientists already. Now, it is time for India to produce some key artists in the fields of VFX, animation and the overall gaming sector.
- If India can create its gaming pool, there is no way we cannot overtake Chinese and other international gaming companies.
India is sitting at the cusp of a video and mobile gaming explosion. When that explosion does happen, India should not just be a consumer. It should be the leader of global gaming and innovation.