Although the NITI Aayog is credited for coining the term ‘Vocal for Local’, there has been a perpetual preference for localisation in India. Global brands have continually adapted their products and marketing to suit their Indian audience. This is why, for instance, we see Coca-Cola prioritising Diwali advertisements in India over their much-anticipated Christmas ads.
Similarly, in gaming, local favourites like rummy and Teen Patti are dominant in India despite the global popularity of Blackjack and poker. When it comes to products and services, familiarity breeds demand. The familiarity of rummy rules makes the game popular in India. Just as bags of desi masala flavour potato chips outsell, say, a seafood and mayo flavour. For gaming studios, localising games to Indian tastes is becoming a lip-smacking proposition.
Indian Gamers and Their Preferences
Even if a country has a strong preference for localised products and services, the volume of preference matters to the companies. The local preference in India is backed by a huge volume too.
India is a mobile-first market with the second-largest mobile phone user base in the world. Smartphones are penetrating the heartlands of the country at a rapid pace. It is estimated that as much as 90% of the new internet users prefer local languages over English. This is largely because internet and smartphone penetration are now reaching out faster to rural India.
What makes these tastes and preferences crucial for gaming studios is the fact that India is also home to 10% of the gaming population of the world. The country clocks the highest number of game downloads in the world. In this country of over 1.4 billion citizens, nearly two-thirds are below the age of 35. In other words, the bulk of the population is becoming increasingly tech-savvy. This has boosted the popularity of gaming platforms like RummyPrime among rummy enthusiasts while introducing rummy rules to new internet users. On the other hand, for foreign games, localisation is an obvious route to popularity in India.
How Localisation of Games Work in India?
In October 2022, the popular game Valorant added an Indian character. The publisher, Riot Games, admitted that it was a part of their focus on the hyper-localisation of their games. They launched a massive outdoor campaign to follow up on this launch. This is a high-profile example of how localisation is getting embedded into the strategy of many gaming companies.
The composition of India is such that language and culture changes every 20 kilometres. This diversity has resulted in a strong cultural fabric across the country. North India, for instance, has 33% of its population as active mobile gamers. This forms a massive chunk of the country’s population, with Hindi and Punjabi as the leading vernacular languages. Similarly, South India is home to 233 million people, with a mobile game popularity of 34%. This region sees a dominance of languages like Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada. The same goes for West India, where Marathi and Gujarati are vastly spoken, and Bengali and Oriya in the East.
This diversity presents a challenge for any foreign game trying to localise for India. With 21 officially recognised languages, who do you cater to, and who do you leave out?
Localisation Challenges in India
With Hindi-speaking internet users exceeding English speakers, translating a game to Hindi is the obvious first step. Given the fast rural penetration of the internet, gamers with regional preferences are increasing. So, gaming companies also need to conduct a demographic analysis and choose the other target languages. The South Indian languages are often the first ones to get noticed due to their strong demand. Foreign games also have the option of opting for a hybrid of English and Hindi (Hinglish) to win over gamers.
Another challenge in localisation is the extent to which a game should and can be localised. Subway Surfers opted for subtle visual localisations, like running the game visuals on Mumbai streets and replacing Christmas trees in the weekly hunts with lotus, the national flower of India. US-based Zynga went fully local with Rangoli Rekha: Colour Match, a game that is associated with the popular Diwali attraction, Rangoli.
However, Pokemon GO ended up with eggs on their face, legally speaking. They placed virtual eggs in Indian temples and faced a lawsuit for the same. Therefore, localisation must be done in a culturally sensitive manner so that the improvisation resonates with the local audience.
Apart from cultural challenges, foreign games also have to work through the complexity of languages and retain expressions even after translations. Further technical complexities include perfection in voice-overs and lip-syncing and improvising the character movements to match the vernacular content. Thanks to technology, technical challenges are much easier to deal with than they sound.
A Quick Win
The popularity of foreign games in India indicates that gamers are willing to accept the content as-is. However, the localisation route offers a promising alternative to foreign games to gain the extra edge. Besides, the potential to strike a chord with the vernacular-first gamers keeps localisation as a viable opportunity.
Disclaimer:
CBD:
Qrius does not provide medical advice.
The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 (NDPS Act) outlaws the recreational use of cannabis products in India. CBD oil, manufactured under a license issued by the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, can be legally used in India for medicinal purposes only with a prescription, subject to specific conditions. Kindly refer to the legalities here.
The information on this website is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified health provider with any questions regarding a medical condition or treatment. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of something you have read on this website.
Gambling:
As per the Public Gambling Act of 1867, all Indian states, except Goa, Daman, and Sikkim, prohibit gambling. Land-based casinos are legalized in Goa and Daman under the Goa, Daman and Diu Public Gambling Act 1976. In Sikkim, land-based casinos, online gambling, and e-gaming (games of chance) are legalized under the Sikkim Online Gaming (Regulation) Rules 2009. Only some Indian states have legalized online/regular lotteries, subject to state laws. Refer to the legalities here. Horse racing and betting on horse racing, including online betting, is permitted only in licensed premises in select states. Refer to the 1996 Supreme Court judgment for more information.
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