The increasing number of smartphone users coupled with access to improved technologies and data connectivity has led to India emerging as one of the biggest centres for esports globally. Industry estimates suggest that India alone is expected to have 628 million online gamers by 2023. “Asia has unique advantages in terms of population as well as technological adoption. In fact, cloud based technologies in gaming is further set to drive the demand for complex computer games in the region,” Ng Chong Geng, president, Singapore Esports Association (SGEA) said. He was speaking at the inaugural edition of the India Gaming Summit. The session was moderated by Nandagopal Rajan, editor – New Media, Indian Express Online. According to Geng, these cloud based technologies will reduce the cost of playing computer games significantly.
Not just these, the ongoing pandemic situation has further boosted the growth of the segment in the country. According to Tushar Garg, EVP, Twenty First Century Media, several reports indicate that in covid, the country has seen a 11% growth rate in terms of the players playing esports and fans consuming esports. “In terms of usage, the average time spent per user has grown up almost by 50% during covid,” he added. He further pointed out to the monetisation in the segment stating that while the average revenue per user is still low in India, there has been an increase in the number of tournaments, prize money being offered collectively for both PC and console games.
For Paul J. Foster, COO, Global Esports Federation, the boundaries between entertainment, sports, technology and esports are slowly blurring as the segment is growing — this has provided an opportunity for brands to tell their stories in an entirely new format. “Brands are beginning to lean in the conversations and wanting to have those connections that are linked to the values which esports offer around equality, fairplay, diversity, inclusion and innovation,” he added. Hence, esports has enabled brands to go exactly to where consumers live and where they are enjoying connecting with each other.
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