Over the past few days, online gaming has been picking up steam. A range of classic board games is making a comeback as online versions of scrabble, ludo, monopoly, chess and clue can be played with friends, extended family and even far-flung opponents virtually. All that’s required is a smartphone or a web browser, and you are good to go. “Mobile gaming, since March 21, has seen a 50-60 percent jump in usage according to him. Board games are family-centric and multiplayer-centric, so when people are confined at home, playing online and offline versions of these are an effective way of keeping one entertained,” says Alok Kejriwal, co-founder and CEO of Games2Win.
To play, all you need to do is create an account with the application and choose a username. Then, search for a family member or friend’s username and connect with them. Several apps allow users to invite their social media and phone contacts to participate. There is also the option to play with opponents who you may not be familiar with. But what adds to the appeal is that they are suitable for all age groups and the rules are the same or similar to their analogue versions.
It comes as no surprise then that the recent numbers released by online platform Apptopia, show gaming apps such as Ludo King and carrom topping download charts in India. “We are seeing an increase in traffic, installation and in-app purchases during the lockdown for Ludo King. The number of daily active users is now 50 million (it was 15 million in February). The average time spent on a game is 33 minutes and the average daily games have risen to 440 million in April from 96 million in February. We have also noticed that most people are opting for the ‘play with friends’ mode,” says Vikash Jaiswal, founder and CEO of Gametion Technologies and creator of Ludo King.
These numbers are unlikely to fall drastically when the lockdown ends since it consists of a large group of people who never sampled games before, but are now playing and enjoying them. Experts believe that there is a higher probability that they will be gaming a lot more. Vihaan Sinha, a marketing executive based in Mumbai, certainly thinks it is possible.
He says, “My entire family is currently in the midst of a chess tournament. The first game was played within the immediate family. Now the victor is taking on winners from the extended family. The champion will get `5,000. Sure, it isn’t the ideal substitute for playing in person, but let’s not forget that we are conducting business on Zoom and having parties on Google Hangouts as well.” So game on!
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