Rome was not built in a day. So is the online gaming industry, the rise of which did not happen overnight. Due to decades of persistence and perseverance, the gaming industry has been able to consistently record achievements in terms of revenue and popularity year after year bettering its own record. It is very difficult to single out a particular factor as a reason behind its extraordinary success in the last few years. As a matter of fact, an uncountable number of factors have resulted in its success in so many ways. Let us now figure out and identify the elements which have resulted in the extraordinary growth of the online gaming industry.
Advent of smart mobile phones and cheap data cost:
The online gaming, more than a decade back, was confined to PCs which looked not so much affordable for the common man. But when the opportunity presented itself in the form of the advent of smartphones, the gaming industry, seizing the occasion, started developing gaming apps easily operated through them. As per Statista.com, the number of smartphone users which stood at 199.08 million in 2015 is expected to be 442.5 million by 2022. This overall penchant to use smartphones, prevailing among the public, made it easy for the game developers to come up with ambitiously unimaginable games. Simultaneously, the smartphone manufacturers also have been getting a helping hand from mobile service providers like Jio, Airtel, Vodafone, etc., who are able to provide 4G data at a very affordable cost. As per an article published in “Businesswire”, there are as many as 1 lakh mobile games available in both Android and iOS. This statistic is enough to accentuate the fact as to how smartphones have facilitated the rise of online gaming across the world.
Localisation of gaming apps:
The gaming industry is able to incur huge gains thanks to the localization of apps. For a gaming app to be popular, it has to be made acceptable to all gamers irrespective of their geographical and cultural background. So, it is imperative that when a gaming company develops a luxurious game with an intention to have a far wider reach, it has to contain all the elements for an ambitious global appeal. The localization, in fact, is being done simultaneously by the gaming companies as and when a new game is developed which ensures that the finished product is available to everyone without any delay. For example, the localization of the Indian Rummy has made people throng to play Rummy online Real money which comes in major languages of India apart from English. So, localization is indeed one of the primary forces behind the rise of online gaming as the customers feel satisfied that the gaming companies give them the importance which is due to them.
Machine learning and Artificial intelligence:
If online gaming industry is predicted to generate a revenue of 3 billion USD in India by 2019 as per Analytics India, the introduction of machine learning and artificial intelligence has a larger say in it. “Machine learning” is nothing but a comprehensive study of a particular game based on the data amassed, monitoring the players’ behaviour. The set of algorithms are then drafted with the help of data so generated by going through each and every aspect of gameplay like the games preferred by a particular user, how long does he play them, how frequently does he log in, the promotions and bonuses he is interested in, up to which level an user is able to play with ease, the ratio of wins and losses, etc. Such data are used to formulate the games and make them presentable to the users, providing them a challenging experience. In India, three of the engineering dropouts have formed a company called Absentia Virtual Reality specifically for this purpose which endeavors to successfully make machine learning and Artificial intelligence a stronger force in India.
Marketing strategies:
Last but not least, the marketing strategies that the gaming industry is able to come up with have really revolutionized online gaming In India besides setting an example for other industries to follow its footsteps. It all starts by naming the brand. If you analyze the titles given for each game, they are not only catchy but also you can find that they are named in such a way that the gamers can understand what the game is all about just by knowing the name. For example, if you are interested to play Rummy online, you can easily identify the gaming sites that offer them because they are named so. A portion of marketing strategy also includes utilizing the technological advancements which are constantly evolving in the world. The Indian gaming industry also seems to have understood the same and so most of the gaming companies are switching to Augmented and Virtual Reality which helps in the promotion of the game much better. In addition to it, “Brand storytelling” has also been done comprehensively which enhances people’s interests in playing these online games.
Conclusion:
Thus, the gaming industry has evolved comprehensively in the last couple of decades due to so many factors as aforesaid. It all depends on how an industry sees an opportunity and utilizes it to its benefit which the gaming industry seems to have done perfectly and painstakingly.
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