Gaming sector is becoming mature with days passing by. One of the reasons which is responsible for the maturity is the propensity of pay-to-play games which is further bolstering the growth of the sector. As per KPMG report, in India currently there 92 million RMG card and casual based players and 60 million RMG card and fantasy sports users. As per ‘India Gaming Report 2021’ by Lumikai and Redseer the paid gamers will be driving further growth, as paid gamers in India are set to approximately become 235 million in 2025.
Today, skilled based real money games have become an earning source for many, and a player needs to have knowledge, expertise, attention, and training in order to achieve success. In conversation with AnimationXpress, Tamasha Live co-founder and CEO Saurabh Gupta shared, “Skill based games like chess, checkers, puzzles and rummy have been popular in India since ages. These games require both skill and luck to win the game. These games not only offer a solution to kill boredom and provide enjoyment, but have become a source of earning for many people. It’s because of this reason that Indians are using their skills to win cash prizes.”
Today gaming is a recreational tool as well as an earning source for many. The gaming industry has become immensely popular among the millennials who are the active users of the internet today.
“However, there is a negative side to these games as well. Therefore these games can end up being addictive for the users and affect their physical and mental health. These are a few reasons that governments in India and in other countries are in a dilemma if the online gaming industry should continue to operate or not. Since the gaming industry is at an initial stage, it’s essential to have a set of defined rules and framework which will benefit the industry and players as well. A structured system with rules and regulations is essential for successful outcomes and smooth functioning. With respect to the regulatory landscape, the Supreme Court has affirmed the status of fantasy games as skill-based games. And, Madras High Court has dismissed the ban on skill based games. Skill based games have immense potential to bring great revenue, hence it’s important to have regulation instead of banning the games,” Gupta added.
Earlier it was only card games and fantasy sports which were under RMG umbrella and now even casual games fall under it. He believes that casual games have become a great recreational tool and a way to engage with friends and other like-minded people.
Gupta shared, “Gaming platforms are taking advantage of the popularity of casual games to make the consumers stay on the platform for a longer duration, influence the people by their marketing messages, provide them a better and enhanced experience which would lead to the addition of more users on the platform. Brands also earn revenue by leveraging in-app advertising to expand their reach and promote in-app purchases.”
Currently there are five games (Ludo, Tambola, Fugga fod, Chidiya Udd, Trivia) live on the Tamasha Live platform where gamers can win money, and they are adding new games day by day. They are planning to bring 50 games in the next five months on the platform. The interface of the platform is in English as of now, and the makers aim is to add 15 more languages by the end of this year.
In India a lot of gaming platforms and games are incorporating regional languages to gauge more audience. Gupta believes regular internet users speak more than one language and prefers content in their own mother tongue. “Game publishers and gaming platforms will benefit from translation of games into Hindi, Tamil, Urdu, Bengali, Kannada and Telugu as 90 per cent of new internet users will prefer content in local languages over English. Hindi is the most preferred language if you are looking at localizing games in India. But if you plan to reach a wide user base whose mother tongue is not English or Hindi, then the languages which you should target are Tamil, Kannada and Telugu,” he added.
He shared as of May 2021, total transactions on the platform have grown 50x and the numbers are growing at a very fast pace. They have 50K+ monthly active users and by the end of 2022 they plan to add 25 mn+ monthly active users. They also have 1000+ creators who engage with their micro communities and monetize from the engagement. “There are multiple ways of revenue and we are constantly working on opening new channels to make money for communities as well as for the platform. Rake in real money games, commission through virtual gifting, sponsorships and ads are some ways to make revenue,” he shared.
He believes that there is a lot of room in RMG for innovation in games format, since the space is currently dominated by few formats like Poker, Rummy and Fantasy. He has also witnessed a lot of real gaming companies adopting crypto and NFT’s in their ecosystem.
“The year 2022 will witness the implementation of blockchain technology which will lead to privacy, security and transparency for the users. Once users are assured and trust the platform, then it would eventually lead to success and credibility for the platform,” shared Gupta.
