Why is India fascinated? Well, the first thing that comes to mind is cricket. It was not on the top list when we talked about game consoles, mobiles or even PC games. But, now that has changed significantly. The cheap data plan and smartphone have changed the way games are consumed in India.
India is today among the top 5 markets when we talk about mobile games according to POKKT. With more than 222 million active players with around 42 minutes of mobile gaming with approximately 5 sessions, India is setting new records in games.
Today’s games are interesting, with the curiosity of the players and generating about 89% of the income of the game in the country. Among the popularity is online rummy, Bellwood themed games and children’s games like ludo. The players are very committed to almost a third of the players who enjoy the games for 5 days a week or even more and more than 40% dedicate more than 6 hours to different types of mobile games.
The big wave
With Reliance Jio entering the market, there was a significant drop in telecommunications prices that automatically helped the growth of the entire mobile ecosystem and a large increase in data usage. Ludo King, which is among the best games in India, crossed 10 million daily active players, while the monthly active score is around 70 million.
There are other popular games, such as the Indian rummy, Subway Surfer and Temple Run, among others. There are different Asian game giants like Tencent Games that are looking for different investment opportunities in India. The rapid growth we see today comes at a time when the developed market is moving towards saturation.
Where is the difference
When we see the global gaming segment, players feel quite comfortable with in-app purchases, while Indians still hesitate a little to spend money on games. They want to experience the game, gain confidence and then spend on it. What it takes is a great opportunity in the fermium model that helps create avenues for monetization. The biggest ad form is the award-winning videos in which a player participates to watch an ad instead of spending money. This helps boost the commitment and growth of the game.
Although mobile advertising is small in India compared to other sources, growth is rapid. Game applications depend on geography, language and have a significant inventory. The penetration of a game depends on all these factors and as more and more games are taking advantage of the local language, mobile games are now reaching the cities of level 2 and level 3.
Who is playing
If we talk about audience profiles, there are four different target groups that we can observe.
- Male 15+ who has more than 38 million monthly players§
- Women over 15 who have more than 21 million monthly players.§
- Mothers 28-40 years§
- Children 3-12 years old§
When we can see male players spend approximately 10-20 minutes per session with about 5 sessions in one day, women and mothers play for about 8-12 minutes per session with about 7 sessions in one day. Children have a session time of 10-15 minutes in one day and the sessions are around 4-5 times in a day.
For the type of game we are watching, men prefer games based on strategies, challenges, and skills, while women prefer light and social games like Candy Crush. The children’s area is completely different and they are committed to the interactive game based on action.
Playing by choice, each segment of players participates in different types of game and there are enough game options for each.
conclusion
Game lovers have matured and no longer hide behind the closet. Professional players and players who grab their phones whenever they have time to enjoy a quick game are common in India. If we are used to seeing people scanning through their Facebook, then we can also see people playing on the phone.
There is a great open opportunity for game developers and with the data, it is no longer a challenge, big sales make the best of mobile phones, this game boom is only going to grow. With it is the Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality that is taking the experience to a whole new level. Now the public can prepare to experience international standard games developed in India and available in native languages. Games are no longer limited to large cities and there is an equal or perhaps even larger number from smaller cities.
The security that has always been a concern in the country is also very careful in this segment. With the best security, a fast game, this is the best gaming experience that any player can have on their mobile phone
