Loco, the world’s leading independent esports and live streaming platform, recently conducted one of the largest esports and gaming surveys to understand the gaming habits and preferences of gamers in India for the EY-FICCI Media & Entertainment Industry ‘Window of opportunity Report 2023’. With over 13,000 respondents from the Indian gaming community, the survey has become one of the most significant surveys conducted to date in the industry.
The EY-Loco Gamer survey findings provide a comprehensive analysis of the current gaming landscape, including market trends, consumer preferences, and behavioural evolution. Titled, ‘Trends in online gaming’, the survey sheds light into the evolving demographics and profile of gamers, showcasing the importance of game accessibility to attract and retain a diverse player base. It also highlights the growing demand for competitive gaming experiences and the potential for the industry to grow in India.
Some key findings of the survey include:
● Growing Appetite for Subscriptions: Almost two-thirds of respondents were willing to pay for gaming subscriptions. This indicates a growing willingness among Indian gamers to pay for high-quality gaming experiences. This change in consumer behaviour comes at a time when improvements in delivery infrastructure via 5G and evolution of payment systems via UPI, is making high speed data and low cost payments available to a majority of users in India.
● Higher In-App Purchases: Over half of the respondents were willing to pay for in-app purchases. This presents an opportunity for game developers to create appropriate monetization roadmaps in their products
● Gaming is the preferred entertainment format: Online gamers in India are maturing and moving beyond casual gaming habits to serious gameplay, with 45% of respondents spending over an hour per game playing session. Additionally, despite working from the office, almost 50% of respondents spent more time on game play, indicating a growing appetite for serious gaming
● Increasing Popularity of Esports: The survey shows that Esports is becoming increasingly popular among Indian gamers, with almost 61% respondents indicating that they have participated in Esports events and viewed at least 1 tournament a month.
Commenting on the survey, Loco founders, Anirudh Pandita & Ashwin Suresh said, “We are thankful to thousands of Loco users who participated in this landmark survey. This survey helps industry participants like game developers, advertisers and investors, develop a better understanding of the Indian gamer and drive business impact for them. We hope to continue gathering insights that will help us shape the future of gaming in India.”
