'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The Indian esports and video games market, though still in its nascency, has indeed seen a tremendous boom over the last couple of years.
Mobile and PC gaming are enjoying an incredible amount of community participation today.
Many industry leaders believe that the addition of esports as a medal event in the now postponed 19th Asian Games will significantly impact the region’s esports scene, with more Indian youth seeking a career in it.
In a conversation with Abhishek Mallick of Sportskeeda Esports, Sooraj Balakrishnan, Head of Marketing in Acer India, echoed a similar sentiment. He opened up about esports’ growth in the nation and how women gamers are steadily carving a niche in the industry.
He also discussed Acer’s plans for gamers in South Asia and the importance of affordable and accessible gaming devices for the growth of the grassroots scene.
Sooraj Balakrishnan, Head of Marketing, Acer India, on Indian esports market and 19th Asian Games
Q. Sir, what are your thoughts on today’s Indian video games and esports industry? What would you say have been some of the biggest benefactors that led to its growth in recent years?
Sooraj: There has been a massive development in the Indian video games and esports industry in the last couple of years. According to a recent report, the online gaming industry has witnessed significant growth and is expected to grow at a compound annual rate (CAGR) of 40 percent to 2.8 billion by the end of this year.
As for the esports industry, up until recently, esports was primarily considered a PC trend. However, the explosive popularity of gaming across platforms has triggered a surge in esports tournaments and livestream events.
The biggest factors that have led to the growth of video games and the esports industry are the explosion in mobile gaming. In recent years, mobile gaming has taken off in a big way, and lots of mobiles today support high-end gaming.
People usually start playing on their mobile phones and slowly transition to serious gaming using PCs and laptops. Gaming hardware at affordable prices encourages people to take PC gaming seriously. A plethora of affordable options in gaming laptops and PCs make the entry easily accessible to enthusiasts.
Moreover, flexible payment options, as banks and financial institutions are offering finance schemes like EMI, cashback, and flexible payments, are making buying experience of gaming laptops much smoother without burning a hole in the consumer’s pockets.
In the past couple of years, the pandemic-induced work-from-home culture also led people to take up gaming as a hobby during lockdowns. While life is slowly returning to normalcy, people continue playing video games to relax and unwind, leading to growth in gaming.
Better internet connectivity has also popularised esports, and multiplayer games have been some of the biggest benefactors of improved connectivity and bandwidth. This number is expected to grow even further with the introduction of 5G connectivity soon.
Q. While gaming was primarily considered a PC trend, its popularity on different platforms, especially mobile, has recently boomed. What kind of opportunities do you think it provides gamers, especially those who are at the grassroots?
Sooraj: Yes, while PC gaming is considered the pinnacle of gaming, mobile gaming is one of the main reasons behind the growing gaming industry, which translates to more PC gamers as they outgrow mobile gaming.
The reason, as mentioned earlier, is the availability of better and faster internet services even in the remotest places. Today, competitive gaming competitions are happening over mobile phones as well.
Esports and other multiplayer games also take place over mobile phones, and this is because of the internet penetration and improved bandwidths. Larger screens make gaming easier, so mobile phones are becoming larger, and the gaming experience has also improved multifold.
Today, everything is becoming digital, so we need better internet services. And while everyone may not have a laptop or PC, they do, however, have smartphones.
This has allowed many aspiring gamers to take up gaming seriously. For those at the grassroots level, the boom in mobile gaming has helped widen their network and knowledge about the industry and participate in different gaming tournaments. However, there has also been a transition from mobile to laptop gaming.
Many gamers like the immersive experience that PC gaming offers. Today, brands are tapping into the affordable gaming laptops segments allowing gamers who opt for a better option for gaming.
The popularity of online tournaments shows how people can make careers in professional gaming, even on mobiles. Aside from gaming, there are various career options to explore in the sector, from animation and VFX to becoming game developers.
Q. You have been quite vocal about how women have steadily carved a niche for themselves in the video game industry. According to you, what is the future for women in the competitive esports scene? Where do you exactly see them in the next five years?
Sooraj: In India, we have over 250 million mobile gamers, estimated to grow to 368 million by the end of 2022. There is no doubt today that the gaming industry is growing, and women are a massive part of this market. In the Asian gaming population, almost 40-50% of the global population are female.
A recent mobile gaming India report 2022 shows that women make up almost 43% of the entire mobile gaming audience. So, in the coming years, they will shape the growth of this sector.
As more women take up gaming, there will be massive potential that the gaming companies can tap into and develop games marketed and targeted at women.
Another aspect that will be important in the future of women in gaming is the popularity of female gaming influencers, notably on social media platforms.
Until recently, esports was primarily considered a PC trend. However, the explosive popularity of gaming across platforms has triggered a surge in esports tournaments and live stream events.
Today, many women actively participate and compete in esports events and tournaments. Many brands focus on marketing games and encouraging women’s participation through various initiatives and campaigns.
Different global brands are working toward balancing gender diversity by planning various campaigns to bring women to esports events in India and globally.
Q. Talk to us about some of Acer’s initiatives that are helping women in the field of esports and video games.
Sooraj: The Predator League is held annually by Acer to reinforce the Predator brand’s commitment to supporting the gaming industry and in the Asia Pacific region. Predator is the brand with a complete gaming device line ranging from laptops, desktops, monitors, and accessories.
The Predator series offers the latest technology in gaming, made especially to enhance the gaming experience of any hardcore gamer.
Starting in 2018, the Predator League rolled through the Pan Asia Pacific in two phases. In 2019, the cross-continent tournament included more than ten countries, bringing top-tier talent.
The league attracts millions of audiences and thousands of gamers playing for hundreds of hours throughout the month-long festival.
This league is the pioneer in developing the gaming community and is instrumental in the growth of esports in India. In our flagship Predator gaming tournament, we had an exclusive for women where we saw great participation from women gamers.
It was encouraging to see women take up gaming seriously. Esports is a gender-neutral tournament where women can compete in the same tournament as men and achieve the same level of excellence.
So, it’s a desirable industry for women, and we find more and more females taking to esports. We believe that women will play a significant role in the growth of the gaming industry, and the industry will be more gender-balanced as we move forward and as gaming becomes more mainstream.
Acer will continue to stay invested in the growth of the women’s gaming community.
Q. Gaming as a career is often looked down upon in a region like India and South Asia. With the inclusion of esports as a medal event at the 19th Asian Games, what kind of an impact do you feel the games will have on this region?
Sooraj: In my opinion, the inclusion of esports as a medal event will boost and encourage people planning to take up esports as a career. In India, esports is slowly becoming one of the most sought-after professions among the youth today.
Even though the industry is relatively new, there is a vast potential in terms of popularity, reach, and earning. Also, the opportunities for innovation and entrepreneurship are plentiful in the gaming sector. Low-cost & high-speed internet has opened gaming as an avenue of employment.
Global brands like ours, in collaboration with the government bodies, are part of this ecosystem and driving the growth of esports. We see massive potential in the esports sector in India going forward.
Q. With gaming becoming a more mobile affair by the day, talk to us about the importance of affordable gaming laptops. Players today primarily look for devices that can be used for work and casual gaming. Hence, where do you feel entry-level gaming laptops sit in the ecosystem?
Sooraj: Gaming on PCs/laptops is an immersive experience. With the advancements in processing and graphics performance along with cooling technologies, laptop gaming provides gamers with an experience that is hard to get on a smaller screen like a mobile phone. The quality of games and experience is far better on a laptop.
At Acer, we realized the importance of affordable gaming laptops. Hence, we offer various products in this category. We have also seen dual-purpose gaming laptops as customers use them for work or study and game on them in their leisure time.
Acer is known for its performance laptops, and we will continue to offer a range of products in this segment. Acer is a proud contributor in this space with entry-level gaming laptops for gamers requiring laptops for gaming and work/study.
Q. What would you say are some of the biggest hurdles that gamers, both professional and casual, and video game content creators face today? What would you say would be some of the best solutions to their problems?
Sooraj: I think the most significant hurdle gamers and video game content creators face today is to be up to date with the ever-evolving and changing technological innovations. The professional and casual gamers need to update themselves with all the changes happening around the gaming ecosystem and the gaming apps being launched.
For video game content creators to stay relevant, getting the required sponsorship and collaboration with the brands can be challenging.
One challenge for professional gamers is that, since games are ever-evolving, when you master one, another becomes popular, and you need to master that title as well.
So, for professional gamers, the constant need to learn, unlearn, and then learn a new game is a challenge, unlike other traditional sports. The cost can be prohibitive for casual gamers once they decide to take up esports professionally.
For video game developers, it takes considerable resources to create a title, but it can also bring in massive rewards, so great rewards come with downside risks.
Q. What’s next for Acer in the region? What can fans and users look forward to in the coming years?
Sooraj: In our recently held global press conference, we announced the launch of several laptops and technologically advanced products. The Predator Helios 300 with 365Hz high refresh rates is another high-end gaming laptop Acer has announced at the GPC.
The SpatialLabs lineup of stereoscopic 3D products expands with a pair of new standalone, portable displays for creators and gamers.
We have added two additions to its SpatialLabs™ lineup of products: the Acer SpatialLabs Views for personal entertainment and Acer SpatialLabs View Pro for commercial audiences. This generation of devices brings glasses-free stereoscopic 3D technology to gamers and home-entertainment enthusiasts.
We have also expanded our reach and tried to bring change and make the environment healthier by using the available technology. We have already taken a step toward this by introducing the Acerpure air purifiers and Ozone Antibacterial Sanitizers in the Indian market.
We have an initiative called Earthion to engineer a better tomorrow. We are honoring our commitment to support a more sustainable future by offering consumers, businesses, and institutions more options to reduce their ecological footprint. We have also announced an array of new eco-minded devices for the Vero brand.
Acer’s Vero brand will offer laptops, monitors, projectors, accessories, and more, all made with eco-friendly material and reducing carbon footprint.
