Indias Gaming Sector

India’s Gaming Sector 

Context: The India Gaming Report 2024 was jointly released by the Interactive Entertainment and Innovation Council along with the online gaming firm Winzo.

Key Findings:
• Annual Revenue: Its projected that gamings annual revenue will reach USD 6 billion by 2028.
• Mobile gaming dominates Indias market with 90 percent share, compared to 37 
percent in the US and 62 percent in China.
• Nearly 50 percent of gamers are aged between 18 to 30 years.
• Job Demand: The Indian gaming sector currently sees a high demand for talent, with 
50,000 to 60,000 job openings across roles like developers, programmers, testers, 
artists, and customer support.

Gaming Sector in India:
• India leads globally in mobile gaming market with the highest number of app downloads.
• The sector is anticipated to grow by 20% by FY25, reaching INR 231 billion.
• Indian gaming attracted $2.8 billion from domestic and global investors in the last 5 years.
• India boasts 3 gaming unicorns: Game 24X7, Dream11, and Mobile Premier League.
• Its widely projected that AI and online gaming could contribute up to $300 billion to India’s GDP by 2026-27.

Government Initiatives:
• The government has launched a digital gaming research initiative, recently organizing the SERB-INAE Conclave to support Indian digital gaming research and industry.
• The Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) of the Department of Science and Technology has outlined three key areas for its Digital Gaming Research Initiative:
1. Research and development in learning and leisure gaming platforms.
2. Creation of immersive game prototypes reflecting Indian culture and values.
3. Collaborative technical design process facilitated by SERB Game Labs.
• Additionally, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has formed the Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, and Comic (AVGC) Promotion Task Force.
• Recognizing the potential of the Indian AVGC industry to promote Make in India and showcase Brand India, the government aims to support its growth and development.

Regulation:
• Currently, there is no uniform federal law regulating Indias skill gaming industry.
• The Public Gambling Act, 1867, and the Prize Competitions Act, 1955 oversee the countrys online gaming sector at the federal level, while state-specific legislation takes precedence.
• Indian state governments have the authority to legislate on gambling, as granted by the constitution.
• The recent decision to appoint the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) as the nodal ministry for online gaming has brought legitimacy to the sector.
• The government plans to draft regulations for intermediaries in the online gambling industry and will initiate a public consultation process soon.

Way Forward:
In recent years, India has experienced a notable increase in e-sports, console gaming, mobile gaming, and game development, largely propelled by the pandemic. Future expansion in the Indian gaming industry will be driven by accelerated digitalization, growing internet access, and rising smart