Games People Play
The strategy was set, the troops were in place, and I was just about to attack when I realised that the opponent had enhanced his defence by purchasing gems in the game using real world money. Erm, let us skip the part about the results. After all it is just a game, we are talking about.
The game whose result we are NOT discussing is Clash of Clans. And it’s not just me, a large number of people are being lured by online games such as these. Why you may ask? The reasons are both multiple and contradictory.
Some view social games as a medium to connect with their friends while some look at them as a form of recreational activity. Earlier people had to travel the distance if they wanted to enjoy their friend’s company. Now technology has bridged the distance. People are just a click away.
For many others, games are a way to kill time. I have seen weapons of mass destruction being unleashed during a 30-minute commute in the metro. A commuter in India spends about 1.45 to 2 hours on an average travelling and destroys about 2 clans, crushes candies about 211234 times, and solves around 5 criminal cases in that time. Okay, the latter part was pure guess work on my part but I wouldn’t be too surprised if it turned out to be true!
It all started with Farmville on Facebook and now our love affair has extended to games such as Candy Crush, Criminal Case, and Colour Switch among others on different platforms including iOS and Android. According to media reports and statistics available, King’s Candy Crush Saga, released in November 2012, is already the most downloaded game ever. It is second in revenue generation, just behind Clash of Clans. These games sustain themselves through advertisements and providing the option to the user to purchase virtual goods using real money.
These games have been particularly popular with adults. The average age of the social gamer was found to be 43 years in the West. India, meanwhile, recorded the highest social networking growth of 37.4 percent with 108.9 million people in India currently on Facebook. This can definitely explain the reason as to why companies like Zynga, Kings, EA sports are viewing the Indian market with a glint in their eyes.
But wait, what’s this fellow next to me using a VR kit? Wonder if that’s the next big thing in a country that loves videos and gaming. More about that in the next update.
For the time being, while these companies zero in on India as the next big gaming hub, I will strategize my assault on my adversary in Clash of Clans. You know what they say about the fastest finger first!
