The report brings forth some key qualitative insights around the Indian gamers’ behavior, their preferences, devices, etc.
Key Highlights:
- 50% of Indian gamers have monthly mobile spend of Rs. 200/- or less
- Indian gamers use entry level smart phones with limited hardware capabilities
- 2/3rd of Indian male mobile gamers are multi-platform players
- 68% of mobile gamers have 5 or less games in their phones. Games must constantly compete to be in the top 5 games on the gamer’s device.
- 1/3rd power gamers find in-game ads as a powerful source of new game discovery
- Women gamers outplay men in India
- 53% of game developers localize their games.
- 61% game developers feel the need for better distribution and monetization platforms in India. Developers prefer creating their games in North America and European markets
- Link: http://www.mobango.com/Inside-Indias-Gamers
With the smartphone market in India on a growth spree, the gaming 
sector in the country has found a fresh lease of life. Mauj Mobile, India’s fastest growing mobile media company specializing in premium content market places, in association with NASSCOM Gaming Forum, has announced the release of a White paper titled, ‘Inside India’s Gamers’ that focuses on the trends emerging within the Indian gaming ecosystem. The source of this report are two online surveys conducted by Gamesbond, a premium gaming marketplace. This survey was conducted with mobile gamers and game developers. (Gamer Survey: Sept-Oct ’16 – 1336 participants, men and women; Game Developer Survey: Sept-Oct’16- 222 developers)
As per the study, it is found that limited mobile internal and external phone memory and expensive mobile data prevents people from downloading or using a certain game. Game developers, thus, should focus on designing games that are inherently smaller, faster and lighter, so that users with limited phone memory and low mobile data can also play games anytime, anywhere. About 13% of the overall gamers are power games and 75% of users who play these games are below 25 years of age.
Interestingly, the study also revealed that women gamers demonstrate distinctly divergent demographic trends as compared to their male counterparts. Contrary to popular belief, the study found that 98% of women play mobile games at home, while 25% play during daily commute.59% of the women gamers belong in the age group of 30 and above, of which 46% are homemakers.
Another interesting aspect observed in the report is the multiplatform behavior amongst power gamers.Apart from playing games on their mobile phones,2/3rd of the male mobile gamers play games on multiple platforms such as PC, laptops, gaming consoles and even in gaming parlors. 50% of women, too, displayed multiplatform gaming behavior, as per the report.
Badri Sanjeevi, Co-founder and CEO, Mauj Mobile, said, “India has the potential to witness a massive growth in the gaming sphere and it offersa sizeable and distinctly unique opportunity for game developers. The aim of this Whitepaper is to help these developersunderstand the challenges for making a successful game for Indian consumers. The developers should understand and be aware about the nuances of the Indian gaming consumer, their limitations with regards to the devices they use, their wallet sizes, etc., and accordingly come up with a tailor-made gaming experience for the Indian gamer.”
Rajesh Rao, Chairman- NASSCOM Gaming Forum said, “Some of the interesting insights presented in the White Paper include the gaming behaviour of men and womenand the monthly mobile spend of Indian gamers. The study has also pointed out that there is an increasing interest seen amongst women to play mobile games, especially amongst homemakers. The report has interesting insights that should help developers fine tune their product offerings, and hopefully better monetize their games and apps.”
The study also finds that nearly 80% of the game developers prefer to distribute their games in North America and European countries to benefit from the better monetization potential in those markets. Even though the skill of designers and the allied costs are lesser in India, 61% of developers felt that India needs better distribution and monetization platform for games. The lack of a structured system was also rued as 22% felt the lack of financial support in the game development industry and 12 % put across the need formore consumers to pay for in-app purchases.
