Since the arrival of games like Call of Duty and PUBG, so many have almost forgotten the first set of Indian smartphone games. Before games like Battle Royale became popular, we had titles like Doodle Army 2 and Bombsquad. But even before we knew these, social games, especially cards dominated.
Games like Teen Patti and Rummy which connected many over the internet brought thrills to the players. Players in their millions played card games online daily. Saurabh Aggarwal, CEO of Octro Inc, the developer of popular mobile titles including Teen Patti, Tambola, Play Rummy, and Tambola, recalled how the company recorded over 3 million daily active users in 2013. Since then, Octro mobile gaming apps have remained popular.
However, in 2020, the company recorded a massive spike in users as a result of the lockdowns caused by the pandemic. Many Indians turned to card games to stay off boredom. Octro claims to have recorded an 800 percent increase in the number of its Teen Patti app users in 2020. The Indian Rummy app which was launched in 2017 experienced a 150 percent increase in the number of players making deposits. Currently, the Teen Patti app has more than 150 million registered and active users.
Real money card games also recorded huge growth
Games like Teen Patti, Rummy, and Poker were already associated with gambling in India even before they were available in digital versions. When they appeared on the mobile scene, it became a challenge due to regulations on gambling.
Finding real money apps on the Google Play Store or Apple Store was complicated. Only a few real money apps were found on these online stores. And they were only found in countries with regulated gambling markets. In places like India with unregulated online gambling, real money apps are not available on Playstore.
Out of many card games, Rummy is the only game that was allowed to be played for real money in several Indian states. Games such as Teen Patti are banned in many states as they are mainly based on chance. As a result, many Indian gaming app developers could only offer Rummy for real money.
However, with the increase in the availability of offshore online casino sites in India, it has become easier to play more real money games. Several online casinos now offer games like Teen Patti, Poker, and Blackjack. This makes it possible for players to compete for real money and also socialize with these games.
Nevertheless, players have to be careful when playing on these offshore sites. There are many fraudulent casino sites out there that only exist to rip players off their money. It is therefore advisable to check out how safe an online casino is before playing there.
One of the popular ways Indians find safe casino sites is by checking honest gaming review sites. These sites make recommendations of trusted casinos where you can play safely. For example, teenpattibaba.in lists sites where you can play Teen Patti with real money safely. Through sites like this, Indians were able to find real money card games to play during the lockdown. And just like the usage of card gaming apps increased, there was also a huge growth in the number of players at casinos.
The evolution of social games over the years
Compared to the early years of digital social gaming, online multiplayer games have become so different. Multiplayer features have become so important in games. And even when it isn’t possible to include multiplayer in games, features like leaderboards are included to create a sense of competition with others.
Furthermore, access to multiplayer games has also become easier than it used to be years ago. This can be attributed to the availability of affordable smartphones and internet services in recent times.
Going forward, social gaming is expected to grow alongside the entire gaming industry. A report by IDC suggests that gaming is already becoming bigger than Hollywood and this means gaming could become the biggest niche in entertainment. According to reports by Mordor Intelligence, the global gaming industry is expected to grow into a 300 billion dollar industry by 2025.
The CEO of Octro, Aggarwal, believes that India, which is also one of the fastest-growing players in the gaming industry will record exponential growth. According to him, the country will most likely see between 40 to 50 percent year on year growth and soon become the largest gaming market in the world.
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