Awareness on Video Games in India: Must-To-Read for Parents -

Video games industry in India is booming like never before. Parents those who are still reluctant to buy video games for their children, need a serious break now. The thought process has changed a lot. Gaming has now become a part of a family and crucial to elementary education.

A father would always like to play video games with his kids in the weekends. Wouldn’t you? How good it will be if you can carry a PlayStation during short family trip, long journey or in any occasion where you want to spend good time with your son or daughter… It is full of entertainment, excitement and energy that you both will enjoy.

There are a lot more to explore. Parents must give them a thorough look before taking a decision in haste.

A. Video games for childhood education:

New generation games are simpler, easily accessible and are realistic. They can really make a difference when you buy the right gaming console for your child. There are enough educational, social and ethical values that your child learns from it.

The fact is kids of this generation “Y” are tech-friendly. When they play complex video games they start developing higher level of thinking skills. Wouldn’t you be happy if your child has got the ability to think strategically, do interpretative analysis, formulate plans, solve problems and adapt to rapid changes?

In a recent study, U.S Congress supported RTL (Ready-to-Learn) and Education Development Center stated that playing video games under the guidance of parents and teachers helps in early education. Children aged between 4 and 5 years show maximum response to such game-based learning. Playing digital games make them understand how to delegate responsibility, how to promote team effort, how to approach towards a common goal.

Parents who don’t entertain video games in their home should know “Games are nothing but a medium. They are not instinctively good or bad. It is up to you to choose which games are actually good for the brain and which are not so”.

B. Video games for career benefits:

When kids play with gaming console they get accustomed to high-end technology. As their interest level grows they become familiar with interactive software and games. This helps them get a good job and shape their career.

C. Video games for physical exercise:

Playing video games is no more a sedentary activity. Motion-controlled games such as Sony’s PlayStation, Microsoft’s Xbox 360 Kinect keep you both physically and mentally active. Such games are good for relaxation after your kid finishes a boring exercise schedule.

Video games if played together with friends or family can become a great entertaining activity. This strengthens family bonding which is missing in urban busy life these days.

Now, let us see what industry experts forecast about the prospect of video games in India.

The gaming industry in India currently scores around 700 million and the projection says that in 2013, the Asia-pacific region is going to be the largest video gaming market in the world. The video game industry in Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC economies) has shown considerable improvement parallel to their economic expansions. In India, the industry is targeting both upper as well as middle class people.

What has led to this growth?

Internet and broadband penetration has triggered this online and mobile gaming sector. The technology has surprised video game players with world-class quality and gaming experience.
The penetration level of computer (PC) helped marketers to promote their static video games console effectively. Handheld video games are still popular both in urban and rural areas for their easy availability and lower prices.
The rise in income (among urban population) and price drop in gaming consoles have boosted sales to a large extent.
Availability and awareness of gaming accessories have increased manifold as retails shops and electronic stores helped in marketing video games
Indian game developers are developing their own game engines. They start at a small scale but later move on to a higher level of operation.
Small game development companies have entered into the field of coding, art materials creation and game levels. They are developing games compatible to all platforms.
International players such as Microsoft Corporation, Sony Pvt. Ltd have been delivering superior quality products that are in constant demand.
Recently gaming console sellers are bundling components like Blue-Ray, DVDs, Wi-Fi while selling video games. This persuades actual buyers (parents) leading to increased sales.

The final call:

So, if you are yet to make a decision (to buy a video game for your kids or not), go by your intuition, expert opinion and statistics. Buying PlayStation or Xbox video consoles prove to be a winning strategy when it comes to building everlasting memories with your children or providing them the best companion to play with. Most importantly, they have become more pocket-friendly for you than ever.