The document discusses the gaming market potential in India, which is expected to reach 1 billion gamers by 2022. Currently, India has about 250 million smartphone users, which is the second largest in the world. However, only 30% of mobile users own smartphones. In 2016, India ranked fifth globally for game downloads. The largest demographic of Indian gamers are students, who make up 39% of gamers. Most gamers spend under Rs. 1000 per month on games. Popular genres include simulation, sports, and social card games. However, limited access to gaming hardware, low internet connectivity and data caps, and lack of credit cards present challenges to the gaming market in India.

1. Unlocking India’s gaming potential –
The next billion gamers by 2022
Chandan Singh, SmartVizX

2. About me
• Game developer with 10 years of development experience
• Started by modding games and making maps for UT & CS 1.6
• VR, PC, PS4, PS3, PSP, PS2, Wii, Xbox One, Xbox 360, iOS, and Android
• Trine Games, Lakshya Digital, BlueGiant Interactive
• Head of VR - SmartVizX

3. Indian gamers by the numbers
• About 250 million smartphone users - 2nd largest in the world
• Still only 30% of mobile phone users own a smartphone
• In Q2 2016, India ranked fifth globally by game downloads

4. Indian gamers - who they are
39%
28%
6%
10% 10%
7%
Students Employed Self Employed Own Business Homemaker Others

5. Indian gamers - spending habits (per month)
28%
18%
28%
17%
9%
Upto Rs 100 Rs 100 to 200 Rs 200 to 500 Rs 500 to 1000 More than Rs 1000

6. Kind of games
• Indian gamers embrace globally popular titles
• Local publishers have found success in simulation, sports and social
card games
• Multiplayer and social features are key engagement drivers

7. Hardware
• Limited access to gaming consoles and PCs
• Dominated by low and mid range devices
• Low system specs
• Low device storage on mobile devices

8. Internet connectivity
• Internet penetration still at only around 28%
• 4G & broadband connectivity is a luxury
• Low monthly data caps

9. Transaction options
• Majority of gamers don't own a credit card
• Ads are the primary source of revenue
• Local payment solutions – Carrier billing, E-wallets, Net banking
• Steam & Google Play Store have good options for locals

10. eSports
• Around 1.5 million users play Dota 2 or CS:GO everyday in India
• 20 hours a week playing such games
• Majority of such players do watch global tournaments in game and on
streaming platforms
• ESL, hardware vendors and local organizations are hosting tournaments
with decent prize pools

11. AR / VR & other mediums
• Mobile based AR & VR games
• Need time for devices to reach good level of processing power
• Lots of unexplored potential here

12. Conclusion
• Indian gaming ecosystem offers a sizeable and distinctly unique
opportunity for game developers
• Students are the biggest demographic
• There are some hurdles in distribution, connectivity and payment
infrastructure – but there’s rapid progress made in the past few years

13. Questions?

14. Thanks!
chandan@smartvizx.com
Sources for data used:
• Mobile Gaming on the Rise in India – App Annie
• Inside India’s gamers – GamesBond & NASSCOM
• www.steamspy.com
• www.statista.com
• www.wikipedia.com