Chennai: With India’s mobile app market growing at breakneck speed, mobile gaming platforms are increasingly commanding a substantial share of the advertising pie. On that basis, a report has stated that by 2022, the number of mobile gamers in the country is set to reach 368 million.
The study, released by Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) and Kantar IMRB in association with POKKT, a smart phone advertising platform for mobile games, stated that three out of four Indian gamers play mobile games at least a twice a day, for an average of 60+ minutes, each day. Mobile gaming is also quite prevalent in tier 2 and tier 3 cities, with similar amounts of time spent on gaming by users in these regions.
“With over 250 million mobile gamers, India has emerged as one of the top five gaming countries, globally. Gaming is becoming increasingly popular across all age groups, as 21 per cent of Indian gamers are over 35 years of age,” the report stated.
“Although puzzles, quizzes and word games are popular mobile game formats across all age groups, gamers in the 20-34 years age group are heavy users of action/adventure and racing games, followed closely by online betting, card games, or poker apps. Younger male gamers play games that are more action-oriented, while users older than 35 years prefer mental stimulation games,” the report added.
“While it is common to assume that gamers tend come from a younger generation, this research has proven otherwise, and removes the stereotypes of a typical gamer. By changing their perception of what a ‘gamer’ is, marketers can tap into a relatively untouched space and reach out to a sea of customers. Furthermore, since 55 per cent of gamers perceive ads to be more personalised on gaming platforms, there is a much higher level of acceptance,” said managing director of MMA in Asia Pacific, Rohit Dadwal.
“Consumers have taken to mobile gaming in a big way, yet it still remains a relatively untapped advertising channel in India. Our study shows that mobile gaming is truly mainstream today, attracting a wide range of audiences. Besides being a highly sticky medium, it offers high engagement levels akin to OTT platforms. Personally, one of the most interesting findings was the low resistance to in-game advertising, as compared to other channels. This is a golden opportunity for marketers to communicate with their consumers, especially since mobile gamers perceive in-game ads to be more personalized and relevant than traditional media,” said MD, Kantar IMRB, Hemant Mehta.