Users up, gaming now socialising tool: Survey

Manav Mander
Tribune News Service
Ludhiana, July 15

Amid the pandemic, people have started accepting mobile gaming as a socialising tool. The number of women gamers is also growing in north India.

Mobile gaming took off amid the pandemic and for those who were trying to deal with the prolonged social isolation, it provided a creative outlet. However, the flip side of the coin is that it is also leading people towards anxiety, depression and sleeplessness as such patients have increased 10 times over the past year.

Career for women

• In the HP Gaming Landscape Report-2021, 96% respondents from Chandigarh and Jaipur and 92% from Ludhiana say they’re accepting gaming as a socialising tool
• The report says that in north India, 83% of women gamers have expressed a desire to pursue gaming as a career

In a recent HP Gaming Landscape Report-2021, 96 per cent respondents from both Chandigarh and Jaipur and 92 per cent from Ludhiana said they were accepting gaming as a socialising tool. Besides, the report mentions that in north India, women gamers are growing in number, with 83 per cent of expressing a desire to pursue gaming as a career.

According to the report, 91 per cent respondents in north India agreed that gaming helped relieve work and study pressure while reducing stress and inducing positive feelings. The survey reveals Chandigarh and Lucknow to be more accepting in gaming as a stress-reliever than their counterparts in Delhi.

Nitish Singal, head, Personal Systems (Consumer), HP India, said, “We are on the verge of a massive gaming boom, based on the increasing popularity in the past 18 months. People today look at gaming as more than a hobby. It is a lucrative career option and an outlet to relieve stress.”

Meanwhile, it’s having negative impact on the health of those who are indulging in too many mobile gaming activities. “Gaming is perceived as an enabler to socialise and make new friends, especially amid social distancing, but it has its flip side. People aged 14-30 years have become addicted to it and face health issues,” said Dr Rajeev Gupta, a psychiatrist.