More women in India want to pursue gaming as a career than men, HP study reveals

Gaming is an emerging space in India. While some people have been a part of it for years, the pandemic and the subsequent lockdown introduced many others to the magical world of gaming. What also saw a significant rise is the fact that people are gradually more willing to invest in gaming hardware and software to enhance their experience. A study conducted by HP has revealed that nine out of 10 people believe that a PC offers a better experience than a smartphone when it comes to gaming. While that is not surprising, about 37% of mobile gamers, who were a part of the survey, said that they want to shift to a PC for gaming. This means bigger spends.

The HP India Gaming Landscape Report 2021 has revealed that 89% of the respondents believe that PCs are better for gaming. In a country like ours, PC penetration is limited as compared to mobile phones, and the fact that 37% of the respondents wanted to move to a PC for gaming indicates tremendous growth opportunity for the PC gaming industry. The preference for moving to PCs for gaming was led by millennials and Gen Z respondents (70%), as well as by casual and enthusiast Gamers (75%). A massive 94% of respondents across Tier 2 cities, 88% across Tier 1, and 87% in metro cities also said they preferred PCs over mobile phones for gaming. Better processing speed, display, and sound were amongst the top reasons for gamers to migrate to/or want to migrate to PC gaming.

According to the report, gaming as a viable career opportunity is also on the rise. Over 90% of respondents said they considered the gaming industry to be a good career option. And 84% of all women respondents said they wanted to pursue gaming as a career, followed by 80% of male respondents, along with Gen X (91%) and school students (88%).

“It’s extremely heartening to see the increasing participation of women in gaming and it's making gaming more mainstream in India. The women in India are becoming increasingly financially and socially independent and pursuing their choices of career, entertainment, and socialising. We interpret the increased interest of women in gaming as the reflection of their desire to pursue their passions and gaming not only allows them to connect with their friends across the globe but also opens multiple career opportunities for them,” said Vickram Bedi, Senior Director, Personal Systems, HP India Market

“According to the HP India Gaming Landscape report 2021, more women (84%) than men (80%) are considering gaming as a career, which will eventually result in a large pool of talent for the global gaming industry. Not only this, 43% of women gamers are more inclined to spend more than ₹100,000 for a gaming PC, against 39% of their male counterparts. We have also found similar trends in women considering gaming as a way to socialize as 91% of women participants accepted that gaming helps them connect with their friends and families,” Bedi told HT Tech.

The report also showed that Tier 2 cities (84%) appeared more likely to choose a career in the gaming industry as compared to those from metro cities (78%). And not surprisingly, gaming, for most people, was a stress buster. Over 92% of respondents agreed that gaming helped relieve work/study pressure while reducing stress and inducing positive feelings. Additionally, 91% believed that gaming allowed them to socialise better and has helped them make new friends. Similarly, 91% of respondents also believed that gaming helps boost attention and concentration levels.

For the HP India Gaming Landscape Report 2021, the company had 1,500 respondents complete a survey between March 2021 and April 2021. These respondents came from across 25 metro cities, Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities as well. Interviews were conducted with a mix of male (72%) and female (28%) respondents between the ages of 15 and 40 years, representing SEC A1, A2, and B1 segments. All the respondents were PC and/or mobile phone users and played either action and/or adventure games on their PCs and smartphones.