\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tAt Pariksha Pe Charcha 2026, Prime Minister Narendra Modi framed gaming not as distraction but as discipline. Students were urged to choose \u201cbetter quality gaming,\u201d build expertise and create their own titles rooted in Indian narratives such as the Panchatantra. In the same exchange, he cautioned against betting and against wasting time or money simply because digital access has become cheap.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tThe endorsement at the interactive session with students was deliberate. Gaming was positioned as something that, if approached with maturity, could sharpen focus and decision-making.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tAccording to industry estimates, India has close to 488 million gamers, projected to cross 517 million next year. Nearly 40 per cent are between 15 and 24 years old, and around 90 per cent access games through smartphones. The market was estimated at $5.9 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach $16.7 billion by 2034.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tGlobally, gaming generates $184-187 billion annually, according to Newzoo and PwC. In South Korea, home to one of the most developed gaming ecosystems, the sector contributes roughly 1 per cent to the GDP, according to government data. Competitive leagues, addiction clinics and public discourse have evolved in the Southeast Asian nation alongside commercial growth.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tIndia\u2019s expansion has been faster, more mobile and more private. The systems around it are still consolidating.<\/p>\n
\n\tGaming disorder<\/p>\n
\n\tIt was against this backdrop that the deaths of three minor sisters in Ghaziabad unsettled the public conversation. According to initial police accounts and family statements, the siblings died by suicide following a reported dispute at home over access to their mobile phones and online activity, prompting investigators to examine their recent digital engagement. No direct causal link to a specific game has been officially established. Yet the circumstances were swiftly folded into a broader anxiety about gaming and screen exposure, illustrating how, in a mobile-first ecosystem, gaming often becomes the first explanatory frame through which adolescent behaviour is interpreted.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tIn 2019, the World Health Organization recognised Gaming Disorder as a disease, with symptoms such as impaired control, prioritisation over other activities and continuation despite harm for at least 12 months, while cautioning against over-diagnosis. The classification applies to a minority of users.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tIndia does not currently publish national prevalence data specific to gaming disorder; insight comes largely from hospital-based reporting rather than population-level surveys.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cDigital addiction cannot be treated with a categorical approach,\u201d said Yatan Pal Singh Balhara, professor of psychiatry at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences Delhi. Warning signs, he noted, are behavioural rather than technological \u2014 academic decline, reduced attention span, shifts in peer circles \u2014 with extreme outcomes appearing later. \u201cYou can\u2019t completely ban it as it may hamper growth. Steps are needed to regularise the usage.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tClinicians say the incidence of gaming disorder has risen since the pandemic.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cThe cases of digital addiction have sharply risen after Covid, especially in the last two years,\u201d said Rajiv Mehta, vice-chairperson (psychiatry) at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital. He described a progression that often begins with gradual academic decline, moves to social withdrawal and anger issues, and in some cases manifests in physical health changes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tLike Balhara, he did not advocate prohibition but suggested age-linked device restrictions and feature limitations.<\/p>\n
\n\tRegulatory terrain<\/p>\n
\n\tOnline gaming is regulated through amendments to the Information Technology Act, 2000 and its subordinate rules rather than under a consolidated statute. In April 2023, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology formally brought online gaming intermediaries within its due-diligence framework, defining \u201conline real money games\u201d, mandating user verification and grievance redressal, and enabling the recognition of self-regulatory bodies to certify permissible formats. Platforms hosting impermissible wagering-style games can be blocked under Section 69A.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tSeparately, the GST Council in 2023 imposed a 28 per cent tax on the full face value of online gaming, casinos and horse racing, significantly altering the economics of real-money formats. The regulatory focus has therefore been most decisive where financial risk and taxation are involved.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tIn August 2025, Parliament passed the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, introducing the first consolidated national framework for the sector. The law imposes a blanket prohibition on online money games \u2014 including formats based on skill \u2014 and bars their advertising and financial processing. It also provides for the establishment of a national Online Gaming Authority to categorise and register permissible games, and formally recognises and promotes esports and social and educational games within a structured policy framework. The law recognises esports as a legitimate competitive sport, with the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports tasked with framing guidelines and standards for tournaments.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tIt also carries criminal penalties, makes key offences cognisable and non-bailable, and applies even to platforms operating outside India if they serve Indian users. It marks a shift from a compliance-based intermediary framework to a more centralised and prohibitory approach for money-based formats, even as detailed rules and implementation timelines continue to take shape.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tStates retain constitutional powers over betting and gambling, producing a patchwork landscape.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tTamil Nadu enacted the Prohibition of Online Gambling and Regulation of Online Games Act in October 2022, later amended in 2023 to introduce time safeguards and age-linked provisions. Karnataka amended its police laws in 2021 to effectively ban online real-money games, including skill-based formats such as rummy, before the High Court struck down key provisions. Telangana removed the \u201cgame of skill\u201d exemption from its gaming law. Courts continue to rely on the long-standing distinction between games of skill and games of chance.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tThe result is a layered regulatory terrain where classification may be national, enforcement may be executive and permissibility may vary by state.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tFor global publishers, that variability carries material consequences. South Korean gaming major Krafton \u2014 creator of the PUBG franchise \u2014 restructured its India strategy after PUBG Mobile was banned in September 2020 amid national security and data concerns linked to its then Chinese publishing partner, Tencent. In response, the company launched Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) in 2021 as a locally published, India-specific version with revised compliance and data localisation measures.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tYet regulatory exposure did not disappear. In 2022, BGMI was temporarily removed from app stores before being reinstated in 2023 after further compliance engagement with authorities \u2014 illustrating how market access in a mobile-first ecosystem can remain contingent on government decisions even after structural adjustments.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cRegulatory clarity and predictable implementation are critical for sustainable growth,\u201d said Sean Hyunil Sohn, chief executive of Krafton India. The company has invested over $250 million in India since 2021 and committed additional capital through a Rs 6,000 crore India-focused investment fund. Sohn added that a stable framework would require transparent classification mechanisms, consistency across states and clear jurisdictional boundaries.<\/p>\n
\n\tDiscipline in pockets<\/p>\n
\n\tPart of the political comfort with \u2018gaming as a skill\u2019 rests on esports, where competition resembles organised sport.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tCompanies such as NODWIN Gaming frame intellectual property not simply as software but as \u2018community and arena\u2019. Through tournament circuits, festivals and broadcast ecosystems \u2014 including DreamHack India, Comic Con India and stakes in the Evolution Championship Series \u2014 the company has built recurring formats designed to endure beyond individual titles.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tGlobally, this layer is more institutionalised. The National Association of Collegiate Esports represents hundreds of American colleges running varsity-level programmes. In South Korea, competitive gaming operates within structured leagues overseen by the Korea e-Sports Association.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tKrafton similarly argues that structured pathways \u2014 including its College Campus Tour and Rising Star programme \u2014 channel participation into rules-based competitive formats rather than unstructured play. Within BGMI, the company says safeguards include structured playtime reminders, parental one time password-based verification for underage users and spending caps to reduce overspending. For official tournaments, parental consent is mandatory for players under 18, and participants below 16 are not permitted. For flagship tournaments such as BGIS 2026, the company has also introduced enhanced integrity systems, including device and session monitoring tools such as PlayShield, to strengthen competitive transparency.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tThese mechanisms introduce guardrails within defined circuits. Yet structured competition accounts for only a fraction of India\u2019s gaming base. For most users, engagement unfolds through continuity rather than competition.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cAs gaming becomes an everyday medium, engagement can no longer be measured only by time spent,\u201d said Rohit Agarwal, founder and director of AlphaZegus, a gaming-focused marketing and strategy firm. \u201cThe industry is gradually shifting toward healthier metrics like session quality, completion rates and long-term retention rather than raw hours.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tIn a market where average revenue per user remains just $6-$8 annually and only a minority of users pay retention underpins sustainability.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tAgarwal argues that the goal is to design experiences that are \u201cengaging but not extractive\u201d, with platforms increasingly pushed to embed \u201cconsent, transparency and protection by default\u201d. Sohn described Krafton\u2019s India strategy as capability-led rather than expansion at any cost, stating that user-safety, regulatory alignment and competitive integrity must evolve alongside capital deployment.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tWhether such guardrails meaningfully alter behavioural intensity across hundreds of millions of users \u2014 most of whom operate outside structured competitive ecosystems \u2014 remains harder to determine.<\/p>\n
\n\tUneven response<\/p>\n
\n\tUnlike South Korea, where addiction clinics and public discourse developed in tandem with gaming\u2019s commercial rise, India\u2019s behavioural response remains uneven. Schools rarely integrate digital behaviour literacy into curricula. Parental awareness varies widely. Clinical intervention often begins only after distress becomes visible.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tGaming in India now occupies a layered intersection \u2014 politically endorsed as skill, economically embedded as a growth sector, and clinically debated as behavioural risk.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tRegulation has now moved decisively toward prohibition in the case of money games, even as behavioural oversight remains uneven. Industry speaks of healthier engagement metrics and embeds safeguards within flagship titles. Structured esports pathways formalise participation for a minority. Doctors report rising caseloads among adolescents.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tBetween endorsement and intervention lies a thinner institutional layer of everyday literacy, supervisory systems, and design accountability capable of matching the scale of participation.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tIndia has decided that gaming belongs within its digital and creative economy. Ensuring that the systems surrounding it mature at the same pace as the market itself may prove to be the more demanding task.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\t(With inputs from Anushka Bhardwaj)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u00a0
At Pariksha Pe Charcha 2026, Prime Minister Narendra Modi framed gaming not as distraction but as…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":296904,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[163637,163634,163627,163628,163633,134,163626,163632,163635,554,555,163638,163630,111,139,69,163631,163629,163636],"class_list":{"0":"post-296903","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mental-health","8":"tag-adolescent-screen-addiction-india","9":"tag-esports-in-india","10":"tag-gaming-addiction-in-india","11":"tag-gaming-disorder-who","12":"tag-gst-28-online-gaming-india","13":"tag-health","14":"tag-india-gaming-industry-growth","15":"tag-it-act-online-gaming-rules-2023","16":"tag-krafton-india-bgmi-regulation","17":"tag-mental-health","18":"tag-mentalhealth","19":"tag-mobile-gaming-market-india","20":"tag-narendra-modi-on-gaming","21":"tag-new-zealand","22":"tag-newzealand","23":"tag-nz","24":"tag-online-gaming-regulation-india","25":"tag-pariksha-pe-charcha-2026-gaming-remarks","26":"tag-pubg-ban-india"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/296903","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=296903"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/296903\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/296904"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=296903"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=296903"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=296903"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}