During this time of lockdown when the whole world is kind of on hold, various businesses and industries are all closed down, companies are facing huge losses, amidst all these, however, there are some industries that are profiting due to this and one of them is Online Gaming Industry. There has been a significant increase in the use of Online Games which is anticipated due to lockdown, as people are isolated in their homes away from their friends and relatives and in some ways these games allow them to stay connected and socialize with their loved ones.
The increasing use of smartphones and tablets has been motivating gaming companies to increase their focus on developing more and more mobile games. Reports say that new opportunities are created due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Smart Phone Revolution in India is proving to be of a very vast potential market to these online gaming industries. According to Reports of All India Gaming Federation, there are about 300 Million Online Gamers and among them 60% are below the age of 24. With COVID 19, this trend of more users and more time being spent on games is only multiplying, and as more and more people are playing games online, more these gaming companies are cashing in on these rising interest in India.
India is counted among Top 5 Mobile Gaming Markets in the World.
Games like Ludo King, Tambola, Houseparty are becoming more popular than ever before during this time of crisis. There are many classic old-school board games and puzzles available with mobile application versions, which are not only attracting the younger generation but also engaging the older population.
Here takes a look at some of such top trending games:
Ludo King
Ludo King developed by an Indian studio Gemmation Technologies Pvt Ltd is a free online gaming app. It is owned by Vikash Jaiswal. It is developed on the Unity game engine and can be accessed by Android, iOS, Kindle, and Windows Phone platforms.
The game was launched way back in 2016 but it came into existence during this lockdown period in fact it was among the top 5 most downloaded apps in India between March 25 and April 10 and it currently has more than 50 million active users daily which was only 13 million earlier. With almost 350 million downloads, the game has actually overpowered many other old and popular players in the market such as Candy Crush Saga.
Houseparty
The app was launched in early 2015 but received a significant rise in popularity during this pandemic. As of March 2020, it became the sixth most downloaded app in The United States of America.
The app allows video chatting through Mobiles and Tablets. Player gets an alert as soon as their friends are online so that they can join them.
There are many fun games available like Guess the Trivia, Pictionary, Heads Up, etc., and also there is a multiplayer option wherein you can join with more than one friend, which keeps the audience engaged and entertained.
Skribbl.io
Scribble, an intentionally misspelled form of ‘scribble’, is an easy and simple game to play online which allows users to compete against each other, they are given a picture on a prompt, which one has to draw and others have to guess. It can be said like a modified version of Pictionary and up to eight players can play at a time. The game mainly involves picture-based charades which one has to guess from the drawing of the other player, the faster one guesses the more points one score. The game also has customization options available.
Uno
The ever-popular card game Uno is another game that is becoming more and more popular with its inclusive nature and also people’s memories attached to it. Mattel has received more than 50 million downloads, and the fact that it has multiplayer mode both online and offline is drawing more people to it.
More
Other than these, there are some more games that have contributed towards keeping families together and friends have bonded over them. As of now, Call of Duty is the most popular mobile game followed by another Battle Royale Game PUBG Mobile.
Another popular game is Tambola (can be referred to as Indian Bingo) has also stood out as can be played on over video calls giving a real-life experience to the players.
Then there are various Card Games like Rummy, Teen Patti (Indian Poker), Bluff, which are gaining popularity by engaging users to compete against each other as they are super easy and fun to play. Players can have mega tournaments and compete against each other. Most of you must be familiar with most of these games and also must be frequent players of these. If not, you can take these as recommendations and try your hands on some of these. In these difficult times, it is important to keep ourselves refreshed and engaged, also these games are a great way to spend some quality time with your friends and family.