COVID-19 Lockdown Fueling India’s ESports or E-Gaming Industry

ESports or E-gaming is comparatively new in India in comparison to other countries. The Indian market and the enthusiastic young gamers are now observing the potential of this ever-expanding industry. The covid pandemic has acted as a catalyst for the eSports industry in India and around the world, when the nation was under lockdown and social distancing was a must, source of entertainment was limited and time was in abundance. Hence, eSports flourished during the pandemic and is still on the same trajectory.

Scope for ESports in India

The gaming sector is mostly dependent on young individuals who have a craze for video games. ESports gives individuals an opportunity to take video games as a viable career option given the industry has grown many folds in the last few years. In 2019, the competitive gaming industry was a billion-dollar industry and since 2014 the industry has increased by five times. Jio, Qualcomm Snapdragon to Bring CODM Aces Esports Challenge on JioGames Platform.

In India, a major factor that is fueling ESports is its young Population. The youth population is the reason why India is a large market for esports companies that can reach the gamers and the audience to flourish the industry in India.

ESports binding the youth during COVID-19

During the pandemic, college students interacted over games like PUBG, Call of Duty, Free Fire, Mini Militia, and several other games. There are ample examples where an individual took on ESports as a hobby during the Covid pandemic but after a short time, it was one’s passion to make that game into a viable career option.

The ban of PUBG in India due to security reasons lead to a huge outrage in the young population, which clearly shows how deep ESports has established itself in the country. As a result, to capture Indian Market, PUBG is working on a new version - PUBG INDIA - which is in line with the Indian security laws.

A tool of Marketing during COVID-19

Online ESports tournaments by different companies have attracted a huge number audience during the pandemic. Companies like VIVO, Oppo, DELL, Lenovo, Nvidia, Asus, and several others are using online ESports tournaments to market their products like gaming laptops, gaming phones, and accessories. Therefore ESports is rapidly turning into a tool of marketing that is targeting a huge audience.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 01, 2021 08:59 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).