India is a ranking nation in mobile gaming. The progress in the space will soon have impending legal and regulatory regimes as currently, there is no regulatory framework in place governing esports in India barring Esports Federation of India (ESFI) the governing body of esports in the country, currently. However, ESFI is not recognized as a national sports federation by the Ministry of Youth Affairs lacks mainstream recognition from Indian Olympic Authority, for it to have democratic elections to be recognized as national sports federation.
Online gaming has changed in recent years with the emergence of affordable smartphones and free multiplayer games available on mobile app stores. Affordability and introduction of Android OS in the market, cheap mobile data packages and digital adoption among the youth has grown mobile gaming in India.
Globally, competition integrity is managed under certain policies formulated by Esports Integrity Coalition, a nonprofit member-based association based out of Australia. Its current members as part of national federations include Mongolia, Switzerland, New Zealand, Portugal and Bahamas.
The absence of other esports competing bodies has made ESFI the nodal body for esports governance.
Mobile gaming firms are converting to professional gaming and rapidly increasing their presence in India. The Indian regulatory and legal regime is still evolving and currently draws from the following combination of laws:
- India is not part of the Esports Integrity Coalition and therefore, adheres to the Indian Penal Code, 1860 and Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 to regulate matters of corruption and bribery.
- Individual esports player contracts are governed by the Indian Contracts Act 1872.
- Computer programs including source code, background music is protected under Copyright Act 1957. Game logos, tag lines, gamertags, past content created by individual esports players and unique characters in games can be protected under the Trademarks Act, 1999. Joysticks and other unique gaming peripherals are protected under Patent Act, 1970.
Game of Skill
Strategy and game of skills have been topping charts in terms of average player numbers and downloads. Indian developers are trying to approach the grassroot market with more emphasis on games which are traditionally popular. Developers are filling the COVID void by developing various cricket and football multiplayer games.
Cricket Games
Sachin Saga and Real Cricket have garnered humongous downloads during the lockdown. USP of the games are, that they can be played solo or with friends from the comfort of ones living room. According to a report provided by KPMG International, the Indian mobile gaming sector has been topping download charts with downloads at an all-time high of 5B during the first half of 2021.
Indian Gaming
Indian game developers like JetSynthesys have partnered with Japanese gaming giants SquareEnix earlier this year to develop mobile games like Ludo Zenith. JioGames has partnered with mobile chipset giant, Qualcomm, to launch an esports platform in the country. Casual gaming was the go-to genre for mobile gamers in the country but that was changed with the introduction of PUBG Mobile back in 2018. Banning PUBG did not make a significant dent in the gaming industry. Other mobile games like Call of Duty and Garena FreeFire have kept the free-to-play multiplayer games revolution alive.
Brands and advertisement on the e-sports wagon
Report submitted by KPMG International states that ad revenues reached INR 36.2B in 2021 with projected growth of INR 98.9B by 2025. Regular investment and growth in the average player base have boosted the gaming market immensely. Industrial giants like Coca-Cola, Oppo, OnePlus have also joined the esports bandwagon and are coming up with unique and innovative ways to promote products during esports tournaments. All advertisements and promotional activities are governed under Advertisement Standards Council of India guidelines. The guidelines state no minors can be depicted on online gaming in advertisements. It confirms that online gaming for real money winning shall not be considered as an alternative employment option and definitely not as an income opportunity.
With staggering laws in the space in India and a lacuna in the space, mobile gaming can become a major catalyst behind the growth of esports in India.
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Sources – LiveMint and EYIndia