Asking rate climbs as the game gets going

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Monday , February 04, 2008 at 2317 hrs one level you find it difficult to get past a cop unless you pay… this can be one micro-payment idea,” adds Kejriwal.

According to Sharma, while the casual gaming industry is driven by advertising, the hardcore gaming segment is riding high subscriptions. “At Zapak, by the next quarter, we will see more than 150 brands advertising from across sectors like FMCG, telecom and consumer durables.” About 50% of Zapak’s users are between 12 and 25 years of age. Another 25% is above 25 and another, 25% below 12. “There are large numbers between 6 and 12 as well on Zapak Tiny,” says Sharma. “I don’t see why our marriage game can’t become an advertising site for jewellery brands,” points out Kejriwal.

Says Gondal of Indiagames, “More people are playing during primetime. Also, 34% of gamers are working professionals and business people. Preachers of in-game advertising have something to munch here.”

Focus on content

All the players admit that the “market is hot” for gaming, but insist that India needs to buck up on infrastructure and content creation. “In five years, there will be a huge demand for content,” says Kejriwal.

At the moment, there are 3 million broadband users and, according to industry estimates, the number will grow to 20 million by 2010.

Not surprisingly, all the players are focusing on content in a big way. At Zapak, which has 100 million page views a day, there’s a team of 200 busy in content-creation and development. JumpGames, which says its puzzle games do really well, is stocking up on content too. “We are partners with Disney in India,” says Bhargava, adding, “we also distribute content for Japan gaming company Konami and this year we expect to sign fairly large licensing deals.”

From developers’ perspective, the worldwide gaming content market is estimated at nearly $ 7 billion in 2006 and is expected to cross $13 billion by 2010. So, most players admit that focus on India alone isn’t enough for growth. Says Bhargava, “Focus purely on India won’t make enough money. We are live in 35 countries, including Europe, Asia and Australia. This year, we plan to take our popular puzzle games to the US.”