Busting myths around gaming and how it can be used for new-age marketing

New Delhi: In India, casual gaming has been quite prominent for the last 10-15 years. Since the time we saw smartphone penetration increase and good quality devices being available easily at competitive pricing, there has been a surge in the usage of games as well as other entertainment apps. 

With the increase in reasonably priced handsets and ease of access to the internet, India's smartphone market is growing steadily, with over 600 million users now.

This has given a boost to time spent on devices and apps, and India now is culturally tilting towards casual gaming. This rise in the gaming culture in India can be credited to various factors, particularly the development of broadband connectivity in Tier-II and Tier-III cities, cheap data and affordable smartphones, which is now broadening gaming accessibility to a diverse audience. 

The idea that gaming is only found in large cities has been debunked, and the trend has spread to Tier-2, Tier 3 cities and beyond.

Gaming which was earlier seen as a medium used by young teens, especially boys, has undergone a massive evolution. Today, casual gaming has risen, and the core audience is across age groups and genders.  

Localised content development and regional gaming events have also been made possible. 

According to the India Mobile Gaming Report, Uttar Pradesh has emerged as the top destination of mobile gamers. Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow, Kanpur, Varanasi, Ghaziabad, and Allahabad have the highest share of gamers. 36% of the total gamers in UP hail from these cities and the gaming culture is now more diverse and inclusive.

Marketers and Advertisers should consider gaming audiences as serious TG for marketing and influencer activities. While niche, this space holds the right nerve. A gamer is happy and stress bursting while playing any game on the phone, and naturally is born to be more positively receptive to any brand or ad/communication. This is proved by various consumer research studies and multiple brand lift studies too.

There are a lot of myths around gaming. Here are a few key ones below:

1. Gaming is meant only for Kids

This is completely incorrect and is one of the biggest myths for those who don’t play. 

85%+ gamers are adults, and this age goes up to 60s and 70s too. While the majority of mobile gamers are between 18 and 35 years of age group, there is a very big market for elderly consumers. These are mostly first-time gamers and are highly active in casual games. Today gaming is not confined to just men, in fact as per a recent report by Lumikai, almost 41% of the gamers in India are women.

2. Gaming penetration is very negligible in Rural markets

Infact, rural India has more active users. The lifestyle in metros and cities does not allow people that much time to play causal games vs people in the rural areas. 

The time spent on leisure activities there is more. Also, thanks to smartphone usage and internet penetration across towns and villages mobile gaming has gone to a substantial reach in tier 1,2,3,4 and 5 too.

3. Ad on Gaming are all force-fit

On the contrary, only mobile gaming ads are democratic in nature as they give the consumer/gamer a choice to watch the ad and get a reward or instead the same level in the game to move over to the next level. While all other content plays ads on its own without the user calling for it.

4. HNI’s/ NCCS

Massive numbers support that HNI’s do play games, basis the mobile price band and signals coming from users located in posh colonies across major cities and towns.

As the gaming business grows and diversifies, the myths around gaming and its marketing possibilities are being dispelled more quickly. Marketers will be in a good position to draw in the attention of new-age gamers if they comprehend the wide attraction of gaming, its growing presence in rural areas, the possibility of non-intrusive advertising, and the involvement of high-net-worth individuals. 

Brands may take advantage of the dynamic gaming industry to connect with a large and interested audience by debunking these beliefs and adopting creative tactics.