India’s socio-historical background is a living proof of cards being a popular household game. Most of us have played all sorts of card games or rather still play them. Rummy is one such form which has a strong connection with festivity and celebrations. In many parts of India, Diwali calls for a compulsory session of Rummy game among friends and family. With time and technology, today the online avatar of Rummy is more profound than its physical form. Well, nothing can beat the experience of playing rummy at ease, on your mobile phone. However, things did not come so smooth and easy for the online rummy industry. Battling numerous prejudices and rumors, online rummy has finally been recognized as a skill game in India.
India is a unique market with interesting gaming habits. Here players are intelligent, well informed and will not settle for anything but the best. Thus for online gaming companies, it is a constant process to build something new for the players. Online rummy as a platform has come a long way from being a monochromatic game portal to 3D rummy tables with superb UX. Responsive gaming platforms which are multi-screen compatible can work in all screen sizes without any hindrance, thus providing a seamless gaming experience. With the enhancements in game engines, CPU and GPU technologies, developers are being able to create the best gaming experience.
The online gaming market has undergone some exciting changes and that too within a short span of 20 years. As KPMG reports, the Indian online gaming industry is all set to add more than 190 million gamers and become a USD one billion opportunity by 2021! And all thanks to the exponential growth of the Indian mobile market, smart phone users are projected to be 470 million by 2021. The report shows that 85% of the players prefer playing on mobile. This definitely points towards a bright future for mobile rummy in India.
This growth would be further propelled by digitization of payment, affordable emerging technologies and superb game content which match global standards. Over the years the online rummy industry has witnessed a subtle demand from the players for enhanced player experience. Be it the look and feel of the portal or the gaming ease; the mere fact that if the opening screen of the site is not appealing can deter a player from playing, points out to the unique player behavior.
Today, we are at a very interesting juncture of social development where the older generation is amalgamating with the younger one to create a massive market for online gaming in India. This opens up a huge window for online rummy platforms to be as creative as they can with their content. However, every growth projection comes with certain challenges and online rummy has had its fair share of obstacles. Nevertheless, with time it has evolved as a favourite skill game that players engage, in order to enjoy, socialize and also win. Today, all of the leading online rummy portals offer great game prizes and tourneys. Thus a classic, rummy game online will simultaneously entertain a player and even enable him/her to win.
It can safely be said that online rummy is here to stay and entertain more and more players. It has evolved and will continue to evolve as a platform. The key is to understand the gaming habits of the Indian players, which are unique in many ways. Indian gaming market is value driven and price-sensitive. Typically a new player will always reach out for free games with simple game-play; it’s only when the players master the skill of gaming will they invest money and time in complex games. Not to forget the integration of new payment mechanisms that is absolutely essential to target the young gamers. With the current trend in view, it can be safely predicted that by 2020, we are looking at more engaged online & mobile players with improved paying propensity and the online rummy industry growing manifold.
About the Author
Sreeram Reddy Vanga, is the Managing Director of Innopark (India) Pvt. Ltd, that houses the famous online rummy platform, classicrummy.com (now owned by its subsidiary Vindhya Infotech). Sreeram is a serial entrepreneur with over 16 years of experience in the global online gaming industry & is currently building a portfolio of engaging online games for the Indian, SEA and the US markets.
Playing the Rummy Way!
