India online gaming industry finds new key driver-it’s the female gamers
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The times are changing fast, and it’s even more evident in the world of gaming. In fact, what was once believed to be the domain of male players is now seeing a new major driver—women gamers.
Women carving niche in gaming space
The gaming industry in India has started to bloom in the past couple of years, with an estimated 365 million online gamers playing on their mobile phones. It’s no surprise that the gaming industry is growing, but what is outstanding is that women form a major part of this market.
According to the 2021 Women Mobile Gaming Report, India, women account for more than 43 percent of smartphone gamers in the country. Even more interesting is that 49 percent of the report’s respondents are above 34 years old, which means they are consumers with paying capacity to play onPure Win among the many popular online gaming platforms available in the market.
Samrat Das Gupta, head of marketing at Microgravity,said in a recent piece that the space right now “offers a bright future for women from all walks of life.”
“We’re dawning upon a new age for female gamers. It won’t be surprising if we start noticing more women themed designs, graphics and lead characters. As women shape the gaming industry, they’ll soon have more influence on the overall ecosystem as well,” Gupta notes.
COVID pushes online gaming growth to new highs
Another factor that has made a mark in India’s gaming landscape is the COVID-19 pandemic. The current situation calls for people to stay inside, which effectively means virtually everyone is “chained” to their devices as they conduct their daily businesses, play casino and casual entertainment games with their friends and family from the comforts of their homes. The bottom line, said Pradeep Gupta, head of growth, data and marketing at Gameberry Labs, is that “gaming took off in a spectacular way” during this time.
Validating this statement is thelatest ENV Media report which showed that India has seen a 35 percent increase in the number of games played on a monthly basis by an average user during the pandemic. According to ENV Media researchers, “The above chart showed the growth of online and mobile gaming in many prominent markets during and after COVID-19 changed consumption patterns. While emerging economies were quicker to react in volume, established markets succumbed to the drop in total gambling revenues (for private businesses, public monopolies, and exchequers).”
Future of women in gaming looks bright
In conclusion, women are about to shape the growth of the online gaming sector in the coming years. But to fully utilize this, Gupta said India can take inspiration from Southeast Asia, where female game developers not just enhance the games available today but are also involved in creating new formats and styles that will give female gamers exclusive experiences.
“The engagement of women in online gaming is poised to increase exponentially in the coming years with the increase of accessibility and affordability of gaming technology. At the same time, the industry is evolving for the better, into a more inclusive and gender-sensitive one and encouraging women gamers, content creators and hosts. This is an ideal time for women gamers and developers to excel in and mould this ever-emerging industry,” Gupta said.
