BW Gaming World
The gaming industry continues to enjoy high growth in India. According to a recent media report, the number of online gamers grew 8 per cent from 360 million in 2020 to 390 million. Many believe the popularity of gaming was accelerated because it helped keep people connected despite isolation and boredom during lockdowns. Today, games, whether it’s mobile, PC, or console gaming, keep the player engaged for longer and allow them not just to compete against strangers, but also form communities and forge friendships through multi-player games.
India is a mobile-first nation and is set to have 1 billion smartphone users by 2022 and mobile gaming is expected to triple to a more than USD 5 billion market opportunity by 2023. Looking at the sheer number of smartphones, no wonder more people play games on these devices. Factors such as the availability of a smartphone at every price point, cheaper and faster internet, and access to an increasing range of more powerful games are fueling this growth. While games are optimized for smartphones, many high-end games still require powerful graphics processing capability, or else the gameplay will be afflicted with lags and screen stutters. Today, most high-end smartphones are equipped to deal with these challenges and are designed for gamers. However, many gamers may prefer a bigger screen to play more graphic-demanding games and to have a more in-depth experience.
PC enhancing Gaming Experience
Gamers’ affinity for a bigger screen is reflected in the growing demand for PCs which soared to a 44.5 per cent increase year-on-year in 2021, in India, to reach over 14.8 million units. PCs can offer better performance and therefore experience and also allow users to customize their gaming PCs – a gamer can add accessories of their choice to make gaming even more immersive and enjoyable. Additionally, as the size of the games expands and runs even up to 250GB or 300GB, the PC becomes the device of choice to be able to play these games.
While games have never looked better, immersive worlds and stunning visuals come at a price – including longer load times, larger downloads, and more storage requirements. As a result, a gamer may end up dealing with issues such as frame loss or even lags during gameplay. A reliable and high-performing storage device can help enhance the gaming experience by overcoming many of these challenges.
Storage is a key component
As per a recent study commissioned by Western Digital in India, 57 per cent of surveyed gamers shared that slow load times due to storage have the worst impact on gameplay. An NVMe-powered SSD can offer smoother gameplay. For example, the WD_BLACK SN850X NVMe SSD, which is optimized for hardcore gamers who demand unparalleled performance, offers minimized latency, predictive loading, and adaptive thermals management. Gamers who utilize this drive can expect an incredible gaming experience with fast load times, rich visual experience, and uncompromising thermal performance.
Gaming storage solutions today also offer up to 4TB storage capacities. This offers an option to gamers to keep their libraries growing without worrying about a lack of storage. With the evolution of the gaming industry, storage devices continue to evolve, so that storage doesn’t become an impediment.
While smartphones may continue to dominate the gaming market in India for the foreseeable future, PC gaming is seeing its own rise. The PC gaming industry continues to undergo tremendous evolution with better, richer and more immersive games. Powerful hardware and the right storage will be key enablers as this growth continues to accelerate.
Written by Khalid Wani, Senior Director – Sales, India, Western Digital
