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The influence of the rich cultural traditions ingrained in Indian society can be seen in the entertainment sector as well. From the age-old travelling theatre groups to the modern HD movie theatres, visual entertainment has evolved in India over many centuries. The same holds for recreation.
Card playing and indigenous games have been a part of the social fabric, which is why many Indian pastimes like rummy and Teen Patti are popular even in the online format. No doubt, the ingrained knowledge of rummy rules and Teen Patti bluffs have aided the popularity. While visual entertainment like cinema and recreational games have a separate existence, they have the same target audience. For the first time, online games have surpassed movies as the most lucrative form of entertainment.
The Gaming vs Cinema Race
For decades, cinema has been the final word in entertainment. It continues to be so, with Pushpa 2 recently becoming the quickest movie to gross ₹1,000 crores. However, somewhere along the way, gaming has proven to be an able competitor to movies.
By 2022, gaming in India had surpassed filmed entertainment. While gaming was valued at ₹181 billion during that year, film-based entertainment was valued at ₹172 billion. By the end of this year, the gap is expected to widen further. While gaming can reach ₹269 billion, filmed entertainment is expected to reach ₹207 billion. Last year, films grew to ₹197 billion while gaming was valued at ₹220 billion.
In 2023, films grew by 14% year-on-year. Nearly 1800 films were released during the year, out of which 339 films were released overseas as well. Theatrical releases alone accounted for ₹120 billion in revenue. On the other hand, even the most conservative of estimates suggest that there are no less than 450 million gamers in India. This results in millions of active users on popular rummy platforms like RummyPrime, where gamers test their rummy rules expertise. Across all games, 100 million Indians play games daily. The strong volumes have ensured a 22% growth for gaming in India.
A Shared Experience
For decades, moviegoing has been a shared experience. Hundreds would queue up for the tickets and experience the cinema together. This magic of the cinema has survived even the onslaught of the smartphone, with multiplexes continuing to do brisk business. Gaming has had this makeover the other way around. Online gaming has predominantly been an individual recreation, barring console games and LAN parties. However, shared experiences are becoming more and more prevalent in gaming.
The BGMI Pro Series 2024 had a footfall of nearly 5 lakh gaming enthusiasts. The event saw a total live streaming of over 11 million. Apart from big-ticket events like this, various smaller events are popularising esports at the grassroots level. Ampverse DMI’s College Rivals, for instance, is an esports event engaged with over 2.5 lakh students at the collegiate level. To give a sense of occasion to esports events, organisers integrate other attractions like celebrity cameos, music concerts, interactive fan zones and so on.
Also adding entertainment value to the gaming landscape are the live streaming platforms. It is estimated that there are more than 3 lakh gaming content creators in India, with many of them already accumulating more than 20 million followers. One can surmise the influence of live streaming from the fact that 57% of Indian gamers discover new games through the recommendations of celebrity gaming content creators.
Technological tools like AR and VR are making gaming even more entertaining with public gaming outlets like VR arcades.
High-Tech Entertainment
Indian entertainment is undergoing technological upgrades on all fronts, including in cinema and gaming. The use of computer-generated imagery and visual effects has elevated the production value of movies. Technologies like 4K have redefined movie-going with an immersive and hyper-realistic experience. 4DX technology, on the other hand, is giving moviegoers a multi-sensory experience. VR technology is also made available by many theatres.
VR has, however, revolutionised the gaming experience with options like free-roam VR gaming and VR headgear. Similarly, AR technology gives a gaming experience in real-life settings. This technology became popular with games like Pokemon GO and Zombies, Run!
Change in Landscape
The change in the entertainment experience in India is apparent, be it in movies or gaming. For movies, the transformation has been driven by a steady integration of emerging technologies from time to time. But the same cannot be said about gaming.
Gaming remained a niche recreation in its early decades before transforming itself at a galloping pace to become a universal craze. This coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in a 24% decline in revenue in Indian cinema at its onset. With mass gathering out of the equation, movie revenues declined to 2017 levels, and people turned to personal media devices instead. While this was a golden opportunity, the gaming industry deserves credit for grabbing it with both hands. Since then, it has consolidated its position as the top entertainer in India.