The gaming industry is the biggest out there. In 2020, the gaming market generated an estimated income of over 100 billion US dollars. It is estimated that its CAGR will be at 9.17 percent from 2020 to 2025, which means that this industry is set to grow bigger.
However, one sector of the gaming industry seems to be getting more attention over the last few years. Mobile gaming has also been steadily growing and in 2020, it is estimated that it accounts for 77 billion US dollars of the overall income of the gaming industry.
Significant Rise of Mobile Gaming in 2020
Mobile gaming has been steadily rising over the last few years. However, App Annie and the IDC reported that last year, this sector of the gaming industry was able to achieve a record-breaking high. This was mainly because many people all over the world we’re stuck at home because of the pandemic.
It was reported that the weekly game downloads last year rose to 35 percent or 1.2 billion more. This makes mobile the primary driver of growth for online or digital games. It is becoming more apparent that this is now how people want to play games these days and it might even be the future.
In India, KPMG and Google estimate that there will be around 310 million active gamers in the country by the end of this year. This includes online and mobile gaming and playing at online casino games sites in India. This growth should make the gaming market in India worth around 1 billion US dollars.
Mobile gaming is particularly doing well in India because of how accessible it is. It is estimated that the number of mobile or smartphone users in the country is already around 760 million and it is estimated that around 201 million of these mobile users are playing mobile games.
It’s easy to understand why more people are resorting to mobile gaming. Smartphones nowadays do not necessarily have to be expensive to be powerful. Generally, it’s a cheaper option compared to computers and gaming consoles.
With how powerful smartphones are nowadays, people can play gaming console-like games like The Sims and Call of Duty. More and more gaming companies are starting to focus on the mobile market because it is becoming the more preferred option by many.
Aside from Call of Duty and The Sims, popular game titles like League of Legends, Ragnarok, FIFA, and many more are starting to release mobile versions of their popular games. Smartphones are so powerful these days that no one would have imagined they can eventually play big games like GTA on their mobile devices.
The Two Main Groups of Mobile Gamers in India
With how big the mobile gaming sector is becoming in India, it is now catering to different demographics and types of gamers. The two main groups of consumers are casual gamers and skilled gamers.
Casual gamers are the ones who enjoy games found under the casual category like Candy Crush. People only play such games to pass some time but they can also be extremely preoccupied with this to the point that they play it through the day. This type of game is usually free to download and free to play. Based on studies, it’s the women in India who seem to be playing this type of game the most.
Meanwhile, skilled gamers are the ones who enjoy winning. They may take gaming seriously and they are mostly willing to pay for quality games. They don’t mind games that have in-app purchases as long as it could help improve their gaming experience. Skill gamers are also likely to play casino games like rummy, poker, and blackjack.
The Future
With how the mobile gaming sector is doing, many believe that this may be the future of the gaming industry and this is not impossible to happen. Gaming has become more accessible and available to anybody because of smartphone devices.
Mobile technology is also being continuously developed. The availability of a 5G connection will surely help improve the overall mobile gaming experience of the consumers. With 5G, cloud gaming can also be developed.
Cloud gaming will enable mobile users to play PC or gaming console games with their mobile devices. This is going to be a cheaper alternative and it would help boost the gaming industry. This and 5G connection can ensure a smoother gaming experience for cloud gamers.
