Mobile gaming on the rise, driven by homebound consumers: CMR

Mobile gaming in India is on the upswing, driven by consumers staying at home amidst the pandemic-induced lockdown.

As per a new CMR Report, The Next Gen Mobile Consumer, mobile gaming has increased among three in every five serious gamers, with four hours being average duration of increase since the lockdown began in India.

Interestingly, in line with the increased time spent on mobile gaming, the study points out the shift from freemium to paid gaming apps. Interestingly, 15 per cent of the gamers switched to paid mobile gaming apps during lockdown.

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Across the board, three in every five gamers believe that mobile gaming enabled them in overcoming social isolation during the lockdown period.

"The growth of mobile gaming led by powerful smartphones, across price-points, and backed by reliable internet, is driving mobile gaming in India. Mobile gaming in India is driven by an array of gamer personas, ranging from the serious to the hyper-casual gamers. They differ from each other in terms of the time spent, the genres played, the places played at, and most importantly, their outlook to mobile gaming," said Prabhu Ram, Head-Industry Intelligence Group, CMR.

As per the CMR study, Indians tend to play mobile games based on family and friend recommendations. On an average, Indians have seven games installed on their smartphones. Of these, there are atleast four games that they play regularly.

Indians mostly play action/adventure games followed by first-person shooter game. 'Call of Duty Mobile' and 'Garena Free Fire' are popular first-person shooter games.

While Covid-19 has propelled the use of mobile as a way to work, learn and communicate, it is also providing consumers with some much-needed interactive and imaginative entertainment. Casual gamers indicated playing for 'fun' (47 per cent), whereas serious gamers sought to 'relieve stress' (40 per cent).

"Among mobile gamers, the top three pain points include phone heating, fast battery discharge and slow network. Going forward, mobile gamers expect more from their smartphones: more RAM, better battery life, increased storage and powerful SoCs," said Amit Sharma, Analyst- Industry Intelligence Group (IIG), CMR.

"Whether it be a serious, casual or a hyper - casual gamer, the key pre-requisite for today's gamer is the need for a great mobile gaming experience. And interestingly, today's consumers are well-aware that the Gaming SoC enables and enriches the overall experience," added Prabhu.

Qualcomm (65%) and MediaTek (61%) are the top two brands that Indian gamers are aware of. However, it is interesting to note that more serious gamers show a preference for MediaTek (68%) over Qualcomm (66%).