India has a rich history when it comes to video games. From Chadda Vao, the traditional game played by the pandits in temples as a challenge, to board games like Snakes and Ladders or Ludo that are so widely known they don’t need any explanation; Indians have always had a love affair with video games of all kinds.
However, it wasn’t until the last decade that India started seeing video games gain popularity once more. With some of India’s biggest cities now having their own esports arenas and developers producing some of the country’s greatest video games yet, things look bright for this industry.
Here is how India is slowly but steadily producing some of the greatest video games in the world.
The Growing Video Game Industry in India
India has been seeing a surge in popularity of video games in the last decade. This growth can be attributed to the fact that more and more Indians are gaining access to the internet, and more importantly, smartphones.
India has been ranked as one of the world’s fastest-growing smartphone markets, with the number of users set to increase from the current 360 million to over 650 million in the next four years. This wide-scale adoption of smartphones has paved the way for more and more Indians to be able to play video games, and also to make and publish their own games.
With online multiplayer games like PUBG and Fortnite growing in popularity, and their Indian communities getting increasingly strong, it’s safe to say that the video game industry in India is only set to grow from here.
Defining the Indian Video Game Industry
The Indian video game industry is made up of two components: the development of games and their publishing.
Indian publishers are responsible for getting the games made in the Indian video game industry out to the rest of the world. This is done by partnering with foreign publishers who will then help them publish these games in their respective markets.
This is important to mention because while India’s video game industry is rapidly growing, the Indian video game market is still relatively small compared to other markets. There are several reasons for this, but one of the most significant is the lack of local content.
Indian gamers simply aren’t exposed to as many games as their international counterparts, whether it be due to a lack of publishing options or simply a lack of availability.
The Rise of Mobile Games in India
Mobile gaming has been a huge part of the Indian video game industry since its rise a few years back. Mobile gaming is so popular in India because it’s accessible to everyone.
Mobile devices are relatively inexpensive in India, and the devices themselves are selling at an ever-increasing rate. However, this does not mean that the quality of games is low. In fact, the rise of mobile gaming in India has resulted in the release of some incredibly popular games.
One such example is Candy Crush, a puzzle game that was originally released back in 2012 and then later re-released as Candy Crush Saga in 2013. This game, which was created by the British gaming company King, managed to rake in over $900 million in revenue during its first year on the market. This proves that while many games in the Indian video game industry are made, they’re made with the global market in mind, so they have a wide appeal.
The Emergence of E-Sports in India
E-sports are competitive gaming events that are often broadcast online to large audiences. These events often have prize pools in the millions of dollars and can attract viewership numbers in the tens of millions.
India has recently seen an emergence of e-sports being played in the country, with more and more tournaments being hosted every year. This rise in popularity is largely due to the fact that gaming is now seen as a legitimate profession in India.
In the past, gaming was seen as a hobby that would never be able to sustain itself as a career. But now, with the Indian video game industry growing as strong as it is, more and more gamers are being recognized for their skill, and getting compensated for it.
India is a land of cricket and Bollywood but it is also fast becoming the home of video games. There are over 200 million gamers in India and this number is growing fast. Designers, coders and writers are taking up specialist roles as game studios pop up all over India.
There’s something really special about how Indians see games – they don’t see them as just a pastime activity but a serious industry that can produce some amazing digital products.