BW Gaming World
The Indian esports sector is being driven by millennials’ rising interest in mobile and PC video games, the expanding popularity of online gaming competitions, and the advent of multiple benefits like global prize pools, streaming income, and one-to-one sponsorships.
The market is expanding due to the altering consumer desire for taking part in gaming tournaments on mobile and online platforms. The fact that esports organisers provide game creators, gamers, and influencers with attractive options including international prize pools, streaming income, and one-on-one sponsorships is also helping the business thrive. Another growth-promoting element is the widespread use of the free-to-play (F2P) gaming model, which allows users to take part in games without paying a fee. To stream the game and communicate with their opponents, teammates, and viewers, players interact with them directly using specialised live streaming services. Other reasons are anticipated to propel the market ahead, including the growing use of high-speed internet, particularly in rural regions, and the widespread acceptance of Esports in the school sector to enhance students’ cognitive capacities.
The recent AVGC Report with a budget outlay to be created for integrated promotion and growth of the industry has been suggested in the report of the Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, and Comics (AVGC) Promotion Task Force, which has been recommended to the government for consideration. The report also suggests creating AVGC accelerators and innovation hubs in academic institutions, democratising AVGC technologies by encouraging subscription-based pricing models for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), start-ups, and institutions, developing indigenous technology through incentive programmes and the creation of intellectual property, and creating a production fund specifically for domestic content creation from across India to promote the count.
Despite only making up 1 per cent of the global gaming market at the moment, India is starting to tilt the scales. India currently makes up roughly USD 2.5 to 3 billion of the USD 260 to 275 billion global AVGC industry. Experts in the field predict that the 1.85 lakh AVGC specialists employed in India today will increase by 14 to 16 per cent over the next ten years. By 2025, the Indian esports market is expected to be worth INR 11 billion. Further, with the policy advancement, the number of gamers will increase, and Indian parents will begin to perceive the gaming business and esports as viable jobs and future career choices for their children. The plurality of Generation Z and younger millennials drive up the target market for esports businesses. However, for young urbanites with means, playing video games online is no longer a costly pastime.
In addition to metro areas, eSports is becoming more and more prevalent in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. With more people having access to the internet, more people possessing smartphones, and more people appreciating and relishing local content, viewership in the hinterlands will likely advance. With contributions from a global audience, video games are a huge medium that encompasses a wide range of genres and experiences that are unique to games. Even if a lot of contemporary games are inspired by movies, they are nonetheless distinctive in their own right, and we anticipate them to grow over the next several years.
The majority of states permit skill-based games, although some forbid games of chance because they are viewed as immoral gambling. State governments have long had the authority to control online gambling, but it can be challenging for them to enact laws like geo-blocking particular applications or websites inside their borders. In Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Nagaland, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, skill-based games are prohibited. A regulating agency for the online gaming sector, a centrally-level law for online gaming, and a three-tier dispute resolution mechanism are new developments in the industry suggestions. Except for e-sports, which are governed by the Department of Sports, MeitY may act as the nodal ministry for the regulation of online gambling.
Around 40,000 folks are presently employed in the Indian gaming sector. By 2024, that number could reach 2 million. The eSports participation in the Olympics and Asian Games has augmented the interest in gaming-related careers. As the industry continues to expand, the frequency of virtual gambling events will increase. With more events, there will be more jobs available for programmers, designers, and content producers. Data stewards, event planners, and game commentators are other positions available in the esports industry.
Despite its difficulties, the Indian gaming sector is progressing.
Written by Abhinav Singh, CEO of DesiAddaES
