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The world of online gaming has come a long way since its inception, a virtual space giving birth to an array of avatars, entertaining scenarios and a plethora of options to choose from. With the advancement of technologies and new developments such as speech and facial recognition, artificial intelligence, 5G and IoT, metaverse and serverless computing, the Indian online gaming industry is expected to reach the $5 billion benchmark by 2025.

In addition to technological advancements, factors such as the younger generation’s tendency towards gaming culture as their favorite leisure activity, the rise of professional tournaments and esports for gamers, high disposable income and fast internet accessibility, the industry’s future looks bright and ensures their gamers for years to come of more fun. Second only to China, with around 420 million active online gamers, trends in the booming Indian online gaming market are constantly on the rise, with some of the most species listed below.

Gaming in the cloud

Cloud gaming, also known as “gaming on demand” or gaming-as-service“, is a curved online gaming technology that eliminates the requirement for a particular gaming playstation or PC. The new advancement in the industry gives users access to video games with faster network connectivity on remote servers and streams the game directly over the user’s device, be it monitors, laptops, tablets or games. The central idea of ​​cloud gaming is to enhance the hyper-scalable cloud capabilities to promote the growth of the industry.

Hardware upgrade

From large multiple screens of a PC or a laptop to small mobile screens that fit in our palms, online gaming has not only moved on in technology, but has also evolved in terms of hardware. While professional gaming is still largely played on big screens, the same has also been successfully moved to mobile phones in recent years. Furthermore, the hardware technology is also upgrading with the introduction of faster chipsets, improved graphics cards, faster IPS and refresh rate, as well as advanced technology such as the Blur Buster to reduce the blur rate, enabling a smooth gaming experience.

Say hello to Esports

Adding professionalism to the gaming tournaments has opened more doors for gaming enthusiasts worldwide than ever. With the beginning of Esports, sports fraternity has started to organize multiplayer video game competitions between professional players as teams or individuals. The tournaments are well organized and invite worldwide participation. Taking advantage of these live streaming events on various online platforms, it is estimated that the Indian esports industry will reach Rs 1,100 crore in FY25.

Virtual meets reality

Gaming has always been a virtual world with scenarios and challenges to be overcome in different ways. In recent years, the demand to make the experience more real has led to the introduction of Virtual Reality games or VR game models. The technology involved in the virtual reality headset screens allows the gamers to become immersed in the gaming environment. Using VR headsets or gears, they can interact with other players and objects in an immersive way to explore the adventurous world of online gaming through real-time experiences.

Metaverse is the future

With the popularity and demand for the technology reaching new heights every day, companies are building their metaverse projects to leverage leading technologies such as 3D reconstruction, augmented reality, virtual reality, IoT, AI, and others.

The characters in the metaverse games are regulated by players’ unique avatars, the virtual representation of real identities, and even experience a physical sense of touch using haptic gloves and jackets. In addition, gamers can also invite their social media friends, interact with other players in the Metaverse, and collaborate to enjoy the games together. The new and highly engaging platform has sparked excitement among players and undoubtedly has a promising future in the online gaming industry.

To conclude

The Indian gaming industry is showing potential investment growth and an expanded loyal gamer community. Technological advancements will form the backbone of the industry, introducing AR, VR and metaverse. However, the technology also needs an equal amount of customer database and cybersecurity regulations to ensure a safe and entertaining gaming environment for the players.

(Sanjoy Bhattacharya, Director of Sales & Marketing, IT Business, ViewSonic India)

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