The gaming industry in India has grown tremendously in recent years. The market is expected to grow from $62 billion in 2019 to $90 billion in 2020. During the lockdown, the major growth segments were esports, mobile gaming, and real money gaming. The gaming industry has also played a significant role in the creation of numerous job opportunities.
HP recently conducted a study that provided with some interesting insights into the Indian gaming landscape. What was particularly intriguing was the fact that more women than men wanted to pursue a career in gaming among those who participated in the survey.
Women, GenZ, respondents from Western India, and respondents from Tier 2 towns have a strong preference for gaming as a career.
PC gaming is gaining traction in the country, with gamers, including women, viewing the activity as more than just a stress reliever but also a viable career option.
Between March 2021 and April 2021, the company surveyed 1,500 people for the HP India Gaming Landscape Report 2021. These respondents came from 25 metro cities, as well as Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities. Interviews were conducted with a mix of male (72%) and female (28%) respondents between the ages of 15 and 40, representing the SEC A1, A2, and B1 segments.
Gaming as a viable career option is also on the rise, according to the report. Over 90% of those polled said they thought the gaming industry was a good place to work. And 84 percent of all female respondents said they wanted to pursue a career in gaming, followed by 80 percent of male respondents, Gen X (91 percent), and high school students (88 percent).
In India, gaming is a growing industry. While some had been involved for years, the pandemic and subsequent lockdown introduced many newcomers to the magical world of gaming. People are also becoming more willing to invest in gaming hardware and software to improve their gaming experience, which has seen a significant increase.
According to an HP study, nine out of ten people believe that a PC provides a better gaming experience than a smartphone. While this is not surprising, approximately 37 percent of mobile gamers polled said they want to switch to a PC for gaming. This means more money will be spent.
According to the HP India Gaming Landscape Report 2021, 89 percent of respondents believe that PCs are better for gaming. In a country like ours, PC penetration is low compared to mobile phone penetration, and the fact that 37% of respondents wanted to switch to a PC for gaming indicates a huge growth opportunity for the PC gaming industry.
Millennials and Gen Z respondents (70 percent) were the most likely to switch to PCs for gaming, followed by casual and enthusiast gamers (75 percent). A massive 94 percent of respondents in Tier 2 cities, 88 percent in Tier 1, and 87 percent in metro cities said they preferred PCs for gaming over mobile phones.
“It’s extremely heartening to see the increasing participation of women in gaming and it's making gaming more mainstream in India. The women in India are becoming increasingly financially and socially independent and pursuing their choices of career, entertainment, and socialising. We interpret the increased interest of women in gaming as the reflection of their desire to pursue their passions and gaming not only allows them to connect with their friends across the globe but also opens multiple career opportunities for them,” said VickramBedi, Senior Director, Personal Systems, HP India Market.
“According to the HP India Gaming Landscape report 2021, more women (84%) than men (80%) are considering gaming as a career, which will eventually result in a large pool of talent for the global gaming industry. Not only this, 43% of women gamers are more inclined to spend more than ₹100,000 for a gaming PC, against 39% of their male counterparts. We have also found similar trends in women considering gaming as a way to socialize as 91% of women participants accepted that gaming helps them connect with their friends and families,” Bedi told a leading daily.
The report also found that people in Tier 2 cities (84 percent) were more likely to pursue a career in the gaming industry than those in metro cities (78 percent). Not surprisingly, most people found gaming to be a stress reliever. More than 92 percent of respondents agreed that gaming relieved work/study pressure while also reducing stress and inducing positive feelings.
Furthermore, 91 percent believed that gaming had improved their social skills and helped them make new friends. Similarly, 91 percent of respondents agreed that gaming improves attention and concentration.
Women are carving out a place for themselves in the online gaming industry. It doesn't matter if you're a gamer, a streamer, a game developer, or an entrepreneur. Women now account for half of all hyper-casual gamers, making them an important part of the industry.
Sooneeta Thapa Magar, a gamer, content creator, and a streamer has 3.95 million YouTube subscribers. Other well-known gamers include VidushiSuryavanshi (Mogambo), Mudra Roy (thewallflower), ManasviDalvi, and Shagufta Iqbal (Xyaa). It is now easier to break into the world of gaming.
India currently has over 250 million mobile gamers, a figure that is expected to rise to 368 million by 2022. The gaming industry is expanding, and women account for a sizable portion of this market.
