Gone are the days when cricket ruled the hearts of the Indian youth. Now, the spotlight’s on gaming believes Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath.

What Happened? Tweeting from his X (previously Twitter) account, he hinted that eSports could be the next goldmine, especially compared to pricier investments in IPL or cricket, which are now in the league of English Premier League football clubs in terms of cost.

“Interactive may just be the future,” Nikhil observed, noticing a shift where the youth are more intrigued by the gaming world than the cricket pitch.

A dominant market: To back his claims, Kamath showcased intriguing infographics. Want some figures to give you perspective? The gaming industry, as per SuperData Research, in 2020 dwarfed even movies and music, boasting a massive $159.3 billion (₹13.20 lakh crore) in global revenues.

The combined revenues of the movie and music sectors? Just over $60 billion (₹4.97 lakh crore). Dive into the bestsellers, and games triumph again. Grand Theft Auto V, an adult video game, outran the best-selling movie DVD, Finding Nemo, with 110 million copies against Nemo’s 47 million.

Leading the line: India, in this gaming saga, is the protagonist. Leading in global game downloads, the country clocked 17% of the worldwide share in FY22. And with an average gamer shelling out around ₹1,700, it's not just about downloads. According to Lumikai, a venture fund dedicated to gaming, a whopping 507 million of India’s population – that’s 36% – are gamers, growing at a brisk 12% annually. The dice, it seems, is rolling in favour of gaming!

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