The Growth of E-sports industry in India
Articles contributed by The Community Members of The Builder's Club
The narrative around Esports is changing, people & mainstream media are accepting it at a faster rate, especially as it continues to get broadcasted on different channels (Twitch & Youtube) and sponsors coming in due to increasing viewership thereby increasing the prize pool and attracting players to play more and think of it as a career option while the traditional sports remain suspended due to Covid.
In fact, the International Olympic Committee has recognized eSports as a sport, and it will be a medal event at the 2022 Asian Games, which will further boost its acceptance and popularity.
The Indian Scenario
Currently, India stands at a global number 17 in the soon-to-be USD 1.5 billion Esports industry. Estimated to be about $818 million, the Indian Esports sector while vastly unstructured, is growing rapidly. The number of online gamers worldwide has increased from 20 million in 2010 to 250 million in 2018, whereas the number of game developing companies has grown from 25 in 2010 to 250 in 2018.
All thanks to the Jio revolution, making the data rates in India the cheapest in the World and secondly availability of quality smartphones at affordable prices has led to significant growth of E-sports industry in India. Thanks to digital innovation, use of AR & VR to make the games more engaging, consumers have started loving Online games and its one of their best past time activities and source of entertainment. Online games are all about the dopamine rush and developers of the game understand that. That’s why they are constantly trying to innovate so that’s the consumers get a seamless experience and enjoy playing the game and dopamine gets induced in the body again & again which ultimately forms a vicious loop. Consumers get addicted to it and come back again for the dopamine rush.
Indians just love sports. It runs in their veins like Blood. Sports like Cricket is even treated like a religion in India. Just imagine giving people another platform ( digital) to play it virtually and satisfy their hunger for games. It’s the same with other sports as well. Esports has provided consumers with another platform to play all these sports. Traditional sports are losing their appeal for the younger viewers due to the multi-hour formats and length of tournaments, making E-sports attractive for quicker gratification and results. Online gaming platforms like MPL ( Mobile premier League) , Dream 11 even reward consumers on the basis of their skills and knowledge of the sports by making their own teams and rewarding points on the basis of players score and eventually providing them with financial incentives as well.
Role of Covid
The current COVID-19 crisis may even lead to a more permanent role for eSports in peoples lives as it continues to grow and develop. Brands and Entertainment companies have certainly taken a note of it. The engagement level of audience is also comparatively more than other industries.
It will be interesting to see the growth of Esports in India, US , Japan and other countries in coming years due to increasing youth population and more capital being invested into the industry.
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