Mobile Gaming in India is on a high like never before. A recent report said, In the Top 10 countries accounting for 83 per cent of the total downloads, India contributed 52 per cent. The count is expected to rise further. Gaming is no more just aimed as a source of fun and leisure for the user – marketing through mobile gaming is the latest trend that has picked up steadily in the recent past.
A number of underlying factors contribute to this growth –
- The evolving mobile technology environment: Better and faster wireless networks: We had 2G and now we have 3G. Even 4G is coming in India by the next year.
- More advanced and easy-to-use handsets are enhancing the user experience.
- Features such as touchscreens, 3D capabilities and online interactivity allow content developers to improve games
The year 2008 kick-started the advent of advertisers in the mobile gaming world and the trend has been on the rise ever since. According to a recent report by Gartner, mobile ad revenue in the world is forecasted to reach $3.3 billion in 2011, more than doubling the $1.6 billion generated in 2010.
The reason for this is obvious; the penetration of cell phones has taken all of us by storm. In India it is higher when compared to personal computers; hence more people are likely to get their first gaming experience on a cell phone. Moreover, a large proportion of youth is keen to try out new games.
- Cellular service providers such as Vodafone and Reliance had capitalized on the popularity of mobile gaming in order to attract more subscribers by offering games for download through their websites.
- Companies like Reebok exploited the mobile gaming advertising arena with its game Zigtech, developed to promote the company’s ZigTech brand of trainers. The game was localised to suit the Indian market with features like a TV commercial showing the Captain of the Indian Cricket Team (Mahendra Singh Dhoni) and wallpapers with Reebok brand ambassadors from India.
- On similar lines, MRM Worldwide, the global digital advertising company has recently launched a first of its kind, interactive mobile technology based game for their client Lufthansa German Airlines. The game uses the player’s phone and giant LED screens to create a real life experience of taxiing the world’s largest commercial aircraft into its hangar. Players simply have to dial in from their mobile phones to turn their keypad into a control panel that then manoeuvres the Lufthansa A380.
The above games, all launched by global organisations are aimed at marketing their brands to the consumer. They help support the company’s overall marketing campaign is a clever way, and are especially a hit if the game turns out to be simple and fun to play.
India with its strong IT sector should also have a strong role to play in the mobile apps and games industry. It has great potential to become an attractive destination for outsourcing of game development activities. It can capitalize on its strong reputation for outsourcing of IT/ITES services in this regard. But India will have to compete with South Korea and Taiwan whose talent pool is greater than that of India with regard to game development. Privacy, copyright issues and lack of skilled developers would be major roadblocks.
P.S. – Can we not do better than just outsourcing? I think we can. We can be world leaders in mobile development. On seeing the quality and usefulness of Indian apps like Taazza, SMSGyan, and SMS Blocker, I feel we are headed in the right way.
0 comments: