Tag: Gaming

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PM Modi Turns Gamer ‘NaMo OP’

The Prime Minister’s meeting with the gaming community became a talking point in the nation, due to e-gaming’s vast engagement with the youth.

While calling him the coolest PM in the world, leading Indian creators on Saturday gave Prime Minister Narendra Modi a new name in the world of livestream gaming – ‘NaMo OP’, where OP stands for “overpowered”.

In a free-wheeling conversation with the Prime Minister at his residence in New Delhi, gamers decided to give PM Modi a new gamer tag.

A smiling Prime Minister said that India has already given him a name: ‘NaMo’.

The gamers replied: “We all have gamer tags. Since you are a Gen Z like us, we would now call you ‘NaMo OP’ (overpowered), as you are the most powerful person in the country, in our livestream chats.”

PM Modi also learnt several gaming phrases like GTG (Got to Go) and AFK (away from keyboard), among others, which are used during live-streaming by the creators.

Later, PM Modi also played some indigenous games with the creators.

The Prime Minister’s meeting with the gaming community became a talking point in the nation, due to e-gaming’s vast engagement with the youth.

PM Modi’s outreach to the gaming community reinforced his resolve to maximise youth connection in the nation’s growth.

ALSO READ: Musk to Meet Modi, Unveil Investment Plans

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Business Sport Woman

Women breaking stereotypes in gaming

5G to spruce up mobile gaming, OTT streaming for millions of Indians.

Making great strides in the industry as video game designers, programmers, animators, video game testers, game writers, and audio engineers, women are chasing their dreams by taking up a career in this exciting industry…reports Asian Lite News

For a long time, gaming has been considered a male-dominated field. Women who are passionate about gaming have often faced gender-based discrimination and stereotypes that hindered their progress in the gaming ecosystem.

However, in recent years, women have been breaking down barriers and changing the narrative around female gamers. They have been actively pursuing their passion for gaming and making their mark in the industry, pushing back against the stereotypes and biases they have faced.

According to the “Gaming India Report 2022 – For The Game” by Dentsu, 46 per cent of the gamers in India are females.

Payal Dhare aka “Payal Gaming”, a well-renowned creator of 8Bit Creatives believes that women bring unique perspectives, ideas, and creativity to the industry which helps to drive innovation and progress. Women’s contribution to the gaming industry has been proven to be instrumental in bringing in a new audience and increasing revenue, she said.

Concurring with Payal’s point of view, Krutika Ojha aka “Krutika Plays”, another creator of 8Bit Creatives said, “Embracing diversity and inclusion in the gaming industry is a goal that we are constantly striving towards. The gaming industry can tap into a wider pool of talent, ideas, and perspectives, and create games that appeal to a more diverse audience. This not only helps to drive the growth of the industry, but it also helps to break down barriers and stereotypes associated with gaming. The push for greater diversity and inclusion in the gaming industry is not only important for women, but for the industry as a whole.”

Making great strides in the industry as video game designers, programmers, animators, video game testers, game writers, and audio engineers, women are chasing their dreams by taking up a career in this exciting industry.

There are also a few notable gaming creators like Kaashvi Hiranandani aka “Kaash Plays” who have left their financially secure jobs to pursue a career in gaming. Working as a finance consultant, she started streaming video games on Youtube at the age of 25 but later left her job to become a full-time streamer.

“It was a tough choice for sure, especially being a woman getting into a male-dominated industry, but I followed my passion and have never regretted it. When I started, there were hardly any women players but glad that things have changed in a really short span of time. It’s encouraging to see that perceptions are changing and that women are becoming more confident in taking risks and pursuing their passions,” she said.

Kaashvi further said that there is a lot of scope for youngsters to get into the business of Esports like as a video game writer who pens down the stories and dialogues, a video game producer who manages the development of video games from concept to completion while virtual reality is another space anyone can explore and benefit out of.

The prominence of women in gaming is not just limited to Esports athletes or streamers as they are also making their presence felt in the sector by establishing their own startups.

Richa Singh, the co-founder, and CEO of FanClash, has debunked the widespread stereotypical notions and proved that women can lead in the business of gaming and become among the key industry players.

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Business Tech Lite

Here are the top 5 mobile games that will make their mark in 2023

Five mobile games that will win the hearts Indian players in 2023.

With 15 billion downloads, India was the world’s largest consumer of mobile games in FY22 (fiscal year 2022)…reports Asian Lite News

Mobile gaming has taken India by storm this year, with the popularity of mobile games surging among the youth, especially millennials and Gen Z.

India’s gaming market reached $2.6 billion in revenue this year, which is expected to quadruple to $8.6 billion by 2027, according to a report by Lumikai, a gaming and interactive media venture capital fund.

India is home to 507 million gamers, of which about 120 million are paid gaming users, with at least $20 revenue per user. With 15 billion downloads, India was the world’s largest consumer of mobile games in FY22 (fiscal year 2022).

Nearly 48 per cent of gamers spend money on mid-core games, while 65 per cent of paying gamers claimed they had engaged in in-app purchases at least once, the report mentioned.

Indians are spending an average of 8.5 hours per week on mobile games.

Three big trends are changing the mobile gaming industry — better gameplay, improving graphics and new monetisation models.

As the gaming community is growing in India like a rollercoaster, developers are trying their best to offer new games to satisfy the gamers.

Here are the top 5 mobile games that may make their mark in 2023:

Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile

Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile from gaming company Activision Publishing is a tactical shooting game with Battle Royale mobile game experience. The game will allow for up to 120 live players in a match on mobile. It is the next era of the Call of Duty franchise.

The game will be available on both iOS and Android devices, and is expected to release next year. However, pre-registrations for the game have started on both the Google Play Store and Apple App Store.

Underworld Gang Wars (UGW)

Underworld Gang Wars (UGW) from the Mayhem-Studios is the most promising upcoming battle royale mobile game which will be rooted in India and is built for gangsters. It will be available on both Android and iOS devices, and pre- registrations for the game are open and even crossed over 2 million.

The game features a gang war between two opposing sides. It’s up to the gamers “to pick a side and defend it with your might”.

iPhone game for kids secretly turns into casino.(photo:pixabay.com)

Rainbow Six: Mobile

Tactical shooter game Rainbow Six: Mobile is a competitive and multiplayer first-person shooter experience game. Gamers can compete in the game’s classic ‘Attack vs. Defence’ game modes. Gamers can play as an Attacker or Defender in fast-paced 5 versus 5 matches and face intense close-quarter combat while making timely tactical decisions.

The Ubisoft-owned game will be available on both iOS and Android devices. The game developer in September had announced that it is rolling out a closed beta version to some gamers who pre-registered the game.

Battlefield Mobile

Battlefield Mobile is from the video game company Electronic Arts. It is an action shooter game where gamers can play high intensity player versus player combat in epic large-scale battles. The game allows players to explore massive 3D destructible maps and wartime environments at the scale only Battlefield can bring to mobile.

It will be available on both Android and iOS devices, and is expected to launch in early 2023. However, pre-registrations for the game have started at the application stores.

Dragon Siege: Kingdom Conquest

Dragon Siege: Kingdom Conquest’ is a massively multiplayer (MMO) casual fantasy game from NDREAM Corporation. In this game, players can start an exciting adventure at the Fantasy World, Dragonia. Gamers can expand their village, farm and harvest resources, and can even battle with other players. They can also build their troops in real-time and can enjoy strategic combat.

This game will only be available on Android devices and pre-registrations for the game have started on the Google Play Store.

ALSO READ: China: Covid outbreak leaves foreign investors in limbo

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Arab News Saudi Arabia

‘World Forum an opportunity to shape future of esports and gaming’

More than 1,200 delegates from across the globe will gather in Riyadh to discuss the most pertinent issues in esports and gaming at the in-person Forum…reports Asian Lite News

The Next World Forum, an esports and gaming forum that will bring together sector leaders and experts from around the world, is to be held on Wednesday, September 7 and Thursday, September 8 in Riyadh.

Hosted at the Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh At Kingdom Center, the inaugural Next World Forum is where the global gaming and esports community will gather to discuss the development of this vibrant, economically flourishing, and collaborative ecosystem.

Showcasing new ideas, investment, and talent development, the Forum is also an ideal setting to highlight Saudi Arabia’s thriving role in the gaming and esports industry, as the nation strives to contribute substantially to the dynamic value chain.

Organized by the Saudi Esports Federation, the Next World Forum additionally brings the curtain down on the phenomenally successful summer season of Gamers8, the biggest esports and gaming event worldwide, which is currently being held at Boulevard Riyadh City.

With a highly impressive list of speakers, those attending the Next World Forum include ministers of sport from various leading nations, investors, gamers, developers, tech providers, start-ups, public sector representatives, brands and advertisers, publishers, broadcasters, and federations and leagues.

His Royal Highness Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan, Chairman of the Saudi Esports Federation, said: “The Next World Forum is an opportunity to shape the future agenda of esports and gaming – including the complete capture of full sector growth through investment and collaboration.

“All of us involved in gaming – an industry bigger than Hollywood and the music industry combined – are abundantly aware that there is still enormous room for development and advancement. But while we know that gaming is growing exponentially, the key aspect is about how we work together to make it even better.

“It is imperative that we propel a gaming and esports sector that offers rich opportunities for industry and governments while meeting and exceeding new expectations from gamers around business models.

“In pursuing that quest, Saudi Arabia, which has an aim to become not just one of the global leaders in esports and gaming, but the global leader, is a fitting host for the Next World Forum. We look forward immensely to welcoming the esports and gaming world to Riyadh on September 7 and 8, as we convene for productive, purposeful, progressive, and prosperous discussions.”

More than 1,200 delegates from across the globe will gather in Riyadh to discuss the most pertinent issues in esports and gaming at the in-person Forum.

High-level speakers at the Next World Forum include: His Royal Highness Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan, Chairman of the Saudi Esports Federation; Chester King, CEO, British Esports & Vice-President, Global Esports Federation; Mario Pérez Guerreira CEO, MENA & Partner, GGTech; Sayo Olowabi, Security General, Africa Esports Development Federation (AEDF); and Grant Johnson, Chairman and CEO, Esports Entertainment Group.

Across two days, the Next World Forum will highlight:

  • Key tech development challenges affecting the shifting landscape of the gaming and esports ecosystem
  • Trends including cloud gaming, distribution platform development and appetite for fresh content
  • The rise of thinking around impact-driven gaming, real-world impact and gaming for innovation across multiple sectors
  • Solution-based discussion on government attitudes to gaming, ecosystem talent development and infrastructure development
  • The emerging Saudi market landscape and opportunities to be part of its story
  • Genre innovations, regulation, and legislation

Specific September 7 panel topics at the Next World Forum include the Industry Keynote speech on Gaming and Esports as the Next Frontier of Media, Gaming as an Untapped Economic Powerhouse, and VR/AR and the Metaverse in the Spotlight.

Specific September 8 panel topics at the Next World Forum include Governments as Ecosystem Enablers, Leveling Up Esports and Gamer Health, and Build it and They Will Come – The ‘Third Place’ Experience and Rise of Gaming Venues.

The Forum will also feature a series of activations, gaming masterclasses, and bilateral meetings.

More information on the Next World Forum can be found at https://www.nextwrld.sa.

Gamers8 recap

Organized by the Saudi Esports Federation, Gamers8, the biggest esports and gaming event worldwide, runs daily throughout this summer until September 8 at a purpose-built venue at Boulevard Riyadh City. Elite esports tournaments are featuring alongside a series of big-name concerts, festivals, shows, and fun-filled activities for all ages.

Gamers8 focusses on four main pillars, each with something to offer for everyone. These four pillars are: Professional Esports, Festivals, Music and ‘The Next World Forum’.

Elite esports teams are competing across: Rocket League, Dota 2, Fortnite, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege, and PUBG MOBILE. A staggering $15 million prize pool is on offer. Gamers8 tournaments are broadcast live on the event channels in more than eight different languages.

In addition, big-name international artists, each of whom is guaranteed to captivate music lovers, are appearing at Gamers8 concerts alongside numerous local and regional talents each weekend throughout the event. Over 1,000 activities and attractions, such as comedy, cosplay, magic shows, and much more, are also on the Gamers8 entertainment agenda. Further details, including ticket sales, are available on the event website.

ALSO READ-Hackers target Indian gamers

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Business India News

‘5G to take gaming and streaming services to a top-notch level’

Global smartphone player OPPO, which partnered with Reliance Jio to conduct 5G trials in India, said that Jio tested its fast and low latency 5G network on the Oppo Reno 7 series smartphones…reports Asian Lite News

Millions of Indians are spending close to five hours on their smartphones daily and 5G promises to revolutionise the Internet with super-fast connection speeds and reduced latency, giving gaming and OTT streaming a much-needed boost, industry experts have said.

The Indian gaming industry is set to become a $5 billion sector by 2025, with more than 450 million online gamers by 2023. OTT streaming is also picking up pace in the country.

The installed base of smartphones with 5G capabilities has crossed five crore in the country. The 5G smartphone shipment share reached 29 per cent of overall shipments in the April-June period this year, which was the highest ever, according to Counterpoint Research.

“5G will help in enriching viewer experience on regular as well as OTT platforms. For instance, at times, we see low-grade video performance during live streaming of cricket matches or other events on OTT platforms,” Charu Paliwal, Research Analyst, Counterpoint Research, told IANS.

“5G can accommodate large bandwidth and offers low latency, which will result in video streaming in high resolution and without any buffering issues,” Paliwal said, adding that 5G will take services like gaming and streaming to a top-notch level.

Nitin Bansal, MD, India Head-Networks, Market Area South East Asia, Oceania and India, Ericsson, told that 5G, with its characteristics like high throughput and ultra-low latency, would enable an immersive mobile gaming experience in India.

“5G will help offload heavy computational power, offering gamers higher speeds and lower latency, meaning in-game action will be smoother than ever, with no lag between a gamer’s input and the game’s response — whether it is for a single VR player at home, or an esports gaming community,” Bansal told.

Global smartphone player OPPO, which partnered with Reliance Jio to conduct 5G trials in India, said that Jio tested its fast and low latency 5G network on the Oppo Reno 7 series smartphones.

“While most 5G tests in India involved non-standalone models, OPPO developed its solutions on the SA network. Further, we have been collaborating with industry players and telecom operators for the most comprehensive 5G experience for our users,” Tasleem Arif, VP, and R&D Head, OPPO India, told IANS.

“With the advent of 5G, the user experience will transform in data download rates, up to three times greater spectrum efficiency, and super low latency, and next-generation technologies will become omnipresent,” he added.

According to Madhav Sheth, CEO, realme India, VP, realme, and President, realme International Business Group, 5G will help drive greater use of smart technologies such as IoT, AI and VR, which in turn will revolutionise the development of new products and services that can be offered to customers.

Another report this week said that 5G shipments in India grew 163 per cent (year-on-year) in the April-June period, and Samsung led the segment with a 28 per cent market share.

One out of every three smartphones shipped in Q2 2022 was a 5G capable smartphone as shipments grew 7 per cent (quarter-on-quarter), according to Cyber Media Research (CMR)’s India Mobile Handset Market’ report.

Muralikrishnan B, President, Xiaomi India, told IANS that with the 5G auction now complete, we expect the consumer demand for a well-rounded smartphone equipped with 5G to only increase.

“We believe 5G is one of the innovations that has the power to transform, upgrade and uplift our nation. 5G will strengthen the AIoT ecosystem, offer the opportunity for real-time gaming, and enhance AR/VR experience,” Muralikrishnan said.

ALSO READ-Jio 5G roll out likely from August 15

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Hackers target Indian gamers

“In these challenging times, it is crucial to stay updated and aware of the threats that can compromise your safety and privacy in this complex digital world,” he added…reports Asian Lite News.

As online gaming becomes mainstream in India, here comes bad news as four in five Indian gamers have been impacted financially by hacking while playing, losing Rs 7,894 on an average to cyber criminals, a new report showed on Monday.

Three quarters of Indian gamers (75 per cent) among those surveyed experienced cyber attack to their gaming account, most commonly detecting malicious software on a gaming device (35 per cent) and detecting unauthorised access to an online gaming account (29 per cent).

Of those who experienced a cyber attack, more than four in five (81 per cent) reported that they were financially impacted as a result and have lost Rs 7,894 on an average, according to the report by cyber security company NortonLifeLock.

“With online gaming come concerns including hidden fees and in-game currency, characters, or other items being lost or stolen, as our survey showed to be the case for over half of respondents (fees 60 per cent and in-game items 58 per cent),” said Ritesh Chopra, director, sales/field marketing, India and SAARC countries, NortonLifeLock.

“In these challenging times, it is crucial to stay updated and aware of the threats that can compromise your safety and privacy in this complex digital world,” he added.

Gamers are also willing to take various actions that could compromise the security of themselves or others simply to give themselves a competitive edge.

Two in five Indian gamers (42 per cent) said they are at least somewhat likely to hack into the account of a friend, family member, or romantic partner if they knew it would give them a competitive advantage, the research discovered.

In India, 56 per cent of respondents say that they are at least somewhat likely to exploit a loophole or bug in a game to give themselves a competitive advantage, and around two in five or more would consider paying to take possession of another user’s gaming account (48 per cent), installing cheats to their gaming account or gaming device (46 per cent), or hacking into the gaming account of a random player (39 per cent).

More than six in 10 gamers in India (62 per cent) said they picked up gaming during the Covid-19 pandemic and many (60 per cent) said the amount of time they spend gaming has increased since the start of the pandemic.

Over two in five gamers (41 per cent) have been tricked into compromising their personal security, either by downloading malware onto a gaming device, or tricked into sharing account information online.

Notably, one in five gamers have been doxed and had personal information stolen and posted/shared publicly online without their consent), the report noted.

ALSO READ-India’s mobile gaming market to reach $3.9 bn by 2025

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-Top News Arab News Business

Lockdown fuels growth of E-commerce, OTT, gaming

E-commerce, OTT, gaming saw over 100% growth in 2020. The OTT segment witnessed an incredible 144 per cent increase in the number of transactions and a 139 per cent increase in expenditure between 2019 and 2020

Advantage OTT, Gaming and e-commerce. Covid spread has fuelled the growth of tech sector. Amid the pandemic, online payments, indoor entertainment and gaming witnessed over 100 per cent growth in India last year, a new report said.

 As theatres and offline entertainment avenues remained shut consumers turned to indoor entertainment, the OTT segment witnessed an incredible 144 per cent increase in the number of transactions and a 139 per cent increase in expenditure between 2019 and 2020, according to online payments solution provider PayU.

 The pandemic gave a huge boost to online payments, seen in the 24 per cent increase in the number of transactions and 23 per cent increase in expenditure across the PayU platform, year on year.

 “PayU is committed to partnering with merchants to facilitate adoption of digital infrastructure,” said Hemang Dattani, Head- Data Intelligence, PayU.

 Interestingly, during the festive season (October-December 2020) there was a 45 per cent spike in the number of online transactions vis-a-vis the same period in the previous year.

 The number of UPI transactions grew by 288 per cent and expenditure through UPI grew a phenomenal 331 per cent between 2019 and 2020.

 The gaming segment saw a phenomenal 100 per cent increase in expenditure and a 154 per cent increase in average ticket size between the two years.

 “For gaming and entertainment, the number of transactions made at night increased by 34 per cent while the number of transactions made during the day decreased by 11 per cent in 2020 vs. 2019, an indication of the increased dependence on indoor entertainment while working from home,” the findings showed.

  Travel and hospitality were some of the most impacted sectors with an 86 per cent drop in the number of transactions and expenditure between pre and post-COVID quarters (January-March vs April-June 2020).

 Compared to 2019, there was a 46 per cent drop in the number of transactions and a 52 per cent in drop in expenditure in ’20.

 “Edtech emerged as a winner, with a 78 per cent increase in the number of transactions and a 44 per cent increase in expenditure,” the report mentioned.