Gaming Culture In India: Everyday Activity For Digital Society

When it comes to online gaming in India, the advent of the country’s online gaming scene can be traced to the early 2000s. However, back then online gaming was mostly limited to wealthier individuals considering the high cost of gaming devices. Before the early 2000s, video games were only available at certain gaming parlors. These were mostly simple coin-operated video games.

Then, in the late 1990s, Indian residents were introduced to simple gaming consoles which like other popular gaming consoles of that time ran on cartridges. Some of the most popular video games of the 90s, including Contra and Super Mario Bros had their loyal fans among Indian residents. The popularity of video gaming in the country was definitely fueled by the introduction of 64-bit gaming consoles.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Indian gamers were introduced to more technologically-advanced personal computers. Around the same time, sales in the PlayStation and other gaming devices skyrocketed. Shortly after, the 64-bit gaming devices were replaced by more modern personal computers. In the mid-to-late 2000s, there was a major surge in mobile gaming in India due to the increasing adoption of mobile devices.

Rise of India’s Video Gaming Industry

The Indian video gaming industry has been on the rise in the last decade mainly thanks to mobile devices. As modern mobile devices became more commonly used, there was a major surge in video and mobile gaming. As estimated by the end of 2020, there were over 696 million mobile device users in India. According to reports from 2013, India had around 76 million smartphone users. Hence, the number of active smartphone users in India significantly increased over the course of eight years.

Aside from the increasing adoption of mobile devices, other factors positively impacted the growth of the country’s video gaming industry. As estimated in 2006, India was home to slightly over 100,000 cafes with free Internet access. Around 40% of these café places were frequented by Indian gamers who enjoyed playing online games. In 2008, India has over 180,000 gaming cafes.

In the last five years, several major video game companies and studios also opened their doors in India. Most of these are located in Bangalore. As estimated at the end of 2021, India has over 170 game development studios and companies, and over 15,000 individuals involved in the game development industry. The rise of India’s video gaming industry was also fueled by major game conventions which were hosted in the country, including the Digital Gaming

Expo and Indian Games Expo.

When discussing the growth of the Indian video gaming industry, mobile gaming has enjoyed the biggest exponential growth. This does not come as a surprise considering the low costs of modern smartphones and tablets, very convenient access to hundreds of different games, and high-speed mobile internet connections. As estimated in 2019, India is home to one of the most advanced mobile gaming industries. India is also home to one of the top mobile gaming markets when it comes to the total number of users.

The growth of online casinos as part of Indian’s culture

Mobile gambling is equally popular in India with millions of Indian casino players accessing their favorite casino games via their iOS and Android smartphones and tablets. The vast majority of iGaming sites available to Indian players are compatible with most modern smartphones and tablets and this does not come as a surprise considering the tremendous popularity of mobile gambling.

When it comes to online gaming activities in India, around 40% of the country’s population has engaged in those activities at least once. At the current growth rate at which Indian residents are joining and playing at online casinos, India is expected to surpass most key European iGaming markets in terms of its total number of regular gamblers per capita.

The overall Indian online gambling market is growing at a steady rate even though there are many online gambling restrictions in place. In fact, online gambling in India is only legal in several states, while in the rest of the country, these activities are heavily restricted. At the same time, international gambling sites are able to find certain loopholes around current prohibiting laws and regulations. This way, they avoid facing serious legal actions from the Indian government.

According to a report by Statista, the Indian online gaming industry was valued at over ₹76 billion in 2020 which was a major jump from the industry’s value recorded the year prior. At the current growth rate of 27%, the Indian gaming market is expected to reach a value of over ₹155 billion by the end of 2023. Once again, Indian residents are the biggest fans of mobile gambling, while the vast majority of online casino players are Indian males between the ages of twenty and forty-five.

The Future of Gaming in India

In the last ten years, around 80% of the country’s total population have gambled at least once in their lifetime. While sports betting remains the most popular gambling form, video poker and slots lead when it comes to online casino gambling. Thanks to the very high reliance on mobile devices, the future of mobile gambling looks brighter than ever. Over the last several years, the total number of Indian smartphone users has skyrocketed, especially among individuals below the age of forty-four.

The total number of smartphone users in India is expected to gradually increase in the five next years. With this being said, the Indian gaming culture as a whole is most certainly centered around popular mobile games and this will not change any time soon. When it comes to the Indian online gambling market, it is also expected to grow in the years to come due to significant outsider interest. Even though Indian lawmakers are not fond of gambling activities, the biggest international iGaming operators still the Indian iGaming scene as worth exploring.