Over 40 pc real-money gamers in India from non-metro regions: Study

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New Delhi, March 14 (IANS) As gaming is becoming more prevalent across India, a new study on Thursday revealed that 6 in 10 smartphone users game daily, and almost 90 per cent of real-money gamers play such games at least weekly.

According to the Meta-GWI study, nearly half of casual gamers and 43 per cent of real-money gamers come from non-metro regions.

The study also identified Reels, video ads on Meta and influencers as top drivers for gamers to discover and purchase new games.

"Gaming is a top three vertical for Meta globally, and we’re particularly seeing our Advantage+ suite of automated ads drive growth for gaming brands. Equally, as the study reveals, Meta is a leading channel for gamers to discover and purchase new games," said Arun Srinivas, Director and Head (India), Ads Business, Meta.

According to the study, over three out of four casual and real-money gamers discover new games to play and purchase on social media, and more than 90 per cent of these do so on the Meta platforms.

About 88 per cent of the consumers said they are more likely to switch from playing other real-money games to playing fantasy sports games during tentpole sporting events (such as the IPL and World Cup).

Artificial intelligence (AI), Virtual Reality (VR), and Augmented Reality (AR) are the top three most popular gaming technologies among casual gamers in India.