The Indian Gaming Industry foresees immense growth in online markets with the existence of as many as 52 million potential internet subscribers. The fact that social networking sites like Facebook, Orkut, MySpace, etc. have roped in millions of users, drives gaming firms to constantly develop new games and improvise on existing ones.
Social games have managed to lure all kinds of consumers ranging from teens (eligible ones) to the elderly. The 60 year-old mother of Alok Kejriwal, co-founder of Games2Win, is one such example who belongs to the older audience segment and is an addict of Zynga’s Farmville where she buys virtual gifts for her online friends. There are as many as 15 million Indian Facebook users and about 50% of them enjoy gaming applications leaving a potential market of 7.5 million consumers if not more to be tapped. This is exactly the reason why major game developers consider social networking as the key motivators of their growth in India. It also proves a point as to why social gaming is reckoned as attractive by investors.
We have seen a few fortune stories of gaming firms in the recent past. One such story is that of Zynga’s, which is considered as a revolutionary gaming firm. This has definitely pepped up domestic firms like Zapak, Indiagames and Games2Win to initiate their own portals in the social networking scenario. Zapak’s idea to launch all its games on Facebook and join hands with 6waves is not just a move to compete with Zynga but also to exploit the growing online market in India, almost half of which is untapped. Another Indian player in the name of ibibo.com enables its users to become a DON through its latest game called “Mumbai Underworld” that requires users to play the online game with Bollywood stars like Ajay Devgan and Emraan Hashmi and create a criminal empire.
It is a wrong notion that most of the online gamers are males, as many women not only play social games but also spend as much as Rs 150 or Rs 200 to buy in-game items. Bearing this in mind, firms have started initiating games that require exclusive female players. Not to dishearten the male users Games2Win has launched ‘Junkyard Mayhem‘ on Facebook which shall soon feature in other social networking sites.
Having discussed all this, it is also essential for us to mull over the fact of whether social gaming is morally right. Is it ethically justified to have teenage internet users and youngsters play such games as “Mumbai Underworld?” Is it good for Madhusmita Roul, a banking professional from Orissa and a regular social gamer who claims to have stayed up all night, spoilt his sleep and health by playing online games with buddies? Every business form receives mixed responses, but it is safe to say that the Social Gaming Industry would not face a collapse in the near future.
