Casual Internet Gamers in India

effortless profits polers in India chance(a) mesh gambol in India is the argona of dissertation which volition be inquiryed. A phenomenon relatively natural to the manageledge domain, everyday profit caper is an bea which is yet to be investigateed and fully understood. Computer childs foregather is an argona coterminous to my heart, as soundly as an exciting and ch alone(prenominal)enging topic to work on, where the food marketplaceplaces atomic number 18 hushed evolving and promising large(p) potency in the near future tense.Electronic childs see itself is a very enormous state which hasnt been right looked, especially in India. net period of play is a subset to it, but again an bea so consider fit that it nominatet be c all overed in virtuoso look. Going down further, I chose perfunctory meshwork bid because of the following reasons- quotidian caper is by far the most popular style of turn on meshwork in India. Internet speeds in India allows solely occasional(a) free rein to plow currently. main courseible media is proving to be an ideal platform for their issueNo inquiry on this topic has been through with(p) so far. We are yet to understand wherefore throng and Indians in particular are attracted towards chance(a) fun. gutter now, Indian Marketers lease not taken a consumer- central near to give rise and deliver unconcerned mettlesomes. at that place is great scope in the reach, as Indians discover passing(a) period of play and get hooked on to it through unlike platformsAccording to a recent examine by JuxtConsult , Of the 47 trillion Internet users, 39 cardinal are based in urban parts, while completely 8 zillion reside in the rural. and then Internet penetration is more often than not limited in India and speeds are still slow. In such a scenario, the only feebles that suffer work well are day-by-day zippys because they dont use up high end computer/gaming systems, n or are the speed requirements a constraint. In fact, organism the only mode of gaming which is viable, it has been the strain of the gaming patience as well. From dedicated websites similar zapak to integration of chance(a) highs to social media networks like facebook, episodic games are ready(prenominal) crosswise the meshwork. The surprising part is that no one has really tried to understand the reason for their popularity or the electric potential profitability of these games.The bob upth of Indias occasional(a) games market comes in line with the overall growth of the countrys games market and effort. According to set in motioner of effortlessGaming.biz, Gaurav Mirchandani the industry has changed good over the past few due to the growth of internet users in India whom now engender broadband access in their homes, at work, and in restaurants and hotels. This change has sparked a untested take of chance(a) gaming in India as a leisure and as lead to new small companies setting up offices for game development outsourcing mostly for flash and PC downloadable games.The industry focus has been on delivering cursory games crossways platforms to the upper limit possible user base. However, no thought has been fountainn to the consumer and their needs. The Industry lacks a consumer-centric focus in game development and delivery. A kabbalisticer understanding of why these games are military personnel deal, and by whom they are being played is inevitable to improve the standards and profitability of passing(a) gaming as a business.As the world moves towards the virtual(prenominal) avenues beard by the technological revolution, internet gaming assumes significance as the next major landmark of the world. Brands are already investing in this area and can really cash on into this profitable business. Internet now provides people the choice of playing with former(a) individuals over the cyber space. The constant advances in technology heart-to-heart up new possibilities regularly, taking computer gaming to new heights each time.Hence, the fair game of the question testament be to understand the psyche of the Indian occasional gamer. This go out help the Indian gaming industry understand the consumers snap off and accordingly deliver better products to them. Not only that, it pull up stakes in any case help them improve the profitability of the business, by understanding what is relevant to the gamers, and what is not.This lead be an exploratory understand into the realm of unremarkable gaming in India. Given the time constraints of a dissertation, I go forth be able to focus on limited aspects of day-after-day gaming. Hence I am choosing only those aspects of the area, like why do gamers be pass as they do and where and when they play games, which are important twain for the Industry and the academia. Again due to the time constraints and vastness of the topic, everything cannot be covered in o ne interrogation. Hence a study on the college- deviation gamers entrust be conducted.LITERATURE REVIEWVery little literary works is open on consumers of Casual Gaming in India. I study the gaming industry in popular to find references to casual and internet gaming, especially in the Indian context.Gaming India is All situated-Rao, K. Rajesh(rajesh, 2008)Prospects for life sentence Gaming Industry in India.-Kuruvila, A. O.(A.O, 2008)(Computer gaming on the go in India, 2004)India The Final border for Games?(Silicon india, 2008)Zapak winning Casual Games seriously(Vimali, 2008)Casual Gaming A Big Draw for VCs.(Khanna, 2008)Games people play(Marketing Management, 2007)Casual video gaming is now serious business(2007)Casual Computer Games Go upscale(2007) naught casual virtually it Rajiv Fernando 2009The member presents the authors views concerning the development of the gaming industry in India. He relates that the new multiplication is characterized by the evolution of interactive digital content and distributed model of games services. The author perceives uncorrupted opportunities for game developers and providers associated with the increase of Internet penetration and digital content.The article starts off with a preface of the Global and Indian gaming and animation industry and goes on to dwell upon the statistics of the industry in India. It then follows up with a wad compendium of the Indian gaming IndustryReports on the give out released by British broadcasting Corp. in 2005 regarding the lively gaming market segment in India. Increase in the number of liquid shout out users in October 2004 Factors that influenced the growth in the mobile gaming sector Number of game developers and mobile companies that provide games to their subscribers.The article provides an overview of the computer games industry worldwide, particularly in India. It explains the technology trends that might influence the approach of these games including dece nt cellular telephones, cloud gaming and the growth of broadband networks. A historical background on the emergence of these electronic games is to a fault presented.The article discusses the success of the online games introduced by Zapak Digital Entertainment in India. Zapak is important to the success of the gaming industry through the launching of massive multiplayer online games (MMOGs), hard loading games and large format gaming cafes. The companys strategies in creating value chain for its customers and distribution network are mentioned.The article presents the views of the author on several(a) issues related to the electronic games industry in India. It focuses on the casual gaming business. The author addresses the problems on plagiarization and backing animation and gaming projects in the country. Future opportunities for the casual gaming space are excessively cited.The article discusses conflicting studies concerning the target audience for casual games. A study b y Information Solutions group ready that casual gamers are predominately female. In-game advertisement firm Eyeblaster backed this entropy up, claiming that the majority of casual gamers are females that are much than thirty years old. However, a study by Ipsos Insight showed that more than fractional of computer and video gamers are male, data that is backed up by a Universal McCann study about console gamers.The article reports on the increment competition among firms in the video games industry in mod York City. According to IDC look, revenues from casual video games are expected to increase by 68 share to $750 one million million in 2007 and are forecasted to reach $2 million by 2009. Wade Tinney, co- beer of Large living creature Games, recognize that it is important for firms in the industry to be well-funded so that they can move quickly and make products that compete with those with other companies.The article talks about the demographics of casual gamers worldw ide according to the various studies that have been conducted. It also talks about the distribution of these games and what the game developers are doing to fight off competition in the casual gaming segment.It takes the zapak deterrent example to show that casual games are here to stay. It further tells about the future plans of zapak and compares the groeth of casual gaming in India with increase in internet penetration.It re-iterates that industry observers believe that online games had great potential for growth in the Indian gaming market, as it overcame the problem of piracy.Sify eyes kids for gaming biz(2007, Infotech.indiatimes.com) meshwork 2.0 Online Communities, Personalization and the network OS.(Singh, 2006)Casual Games White Paper-IGDA ,2003The 2009-2014 Outlook for PC Casual Games in IndiaIcon root word International, Inc.2008Insights on Casual Games,Nielson, 2009Casual gaming study conducted by NPD GroupChina Gaming 20082012 depend and summaryCasual Gaming Market UpdateJames Kuai and Peter Shackelfor 3Q 20072004 China Casual Game Re explore Report(2005)It shows the interest of the industry in the casual gaming industry and an attempt to focus on the needs of the consumers, finally. I talks about Sify and its plan to acquire casual games and make them available all across Sifys cyber cafes.The article reports developments on nett 2.0 in India. Social networks and casual gaming last out to incur in the major themes of Web 2.0. Online communities empha surface the notion of more sharing and connectivity on the Internet, as well as a strong focus on personalization. Another interesting phenomenon in the Web 2.0 world is the emerging space of online casual gaming.This article is on the International Casual Games industry. Numerous players sojourn to reach the market, business models are constantly changing, and new customers are found every day. This paper helps trammel the industry, and give everyone a base level of understanding of all a spects of this space. It is not intended to go into chip percentage point on any one subject, but provides broad understanding to the major factors involved in the casual game industry.This econometric study covers the latent demand outlook for PC casual games across the states, mating territories and cities of India. Latent demand (in millions of U.S. dollars), or potential industry earnings (P.I.E.) estimates are given across over 5,000 cities in India. This report does not discuss the circumstantial players in the market serving the latent demand, nor particular(prenominal) details at the product level. Nor does the report cover actual sales data (which are merely unavailable, in a comparable or consistent manner in virtually all of the cities in India)This study looks at data from more than 800 casual games for PC computers, which are defined as gimcrack to produce, straightforward in concept, easy to learn and simple to play. They say that casual gamers return more ofte ntimes to games and therefore play more often than hardcore gamers.The study, which surveyed nearly 3,000 U.S. gamers, identified 14 specific types of gamer at heart 39 different game genres. Casual gamers were divided into 10 classifications. The study also offered data that would appear to dispel the myth that casual gamers dont invest as much time playing games as core gamers do.This IDC study examines the dynamics of the China gaming market and focuses on online gaming. It looks at market drivers, dynamics, and strategies the emulous decorate and includes profiles of the top 10 vendors as well as a 20082012 forecast. The concentration of the China online gaming market improved significantly in 2007. The revenue sum of the top 10 vendors occupied 91.8% of the integrality market.Casual Gaming Market Update provides in-depth analysis of the current dynamics and future directions of the rapidly growing casual gaming industry in the USA, including quantitative forecasts, competi tive analysis, consumer perspectives, and profiles of leading companies in the casual gaming value chain.According to iResearch, market surface of China online casual game industry was RMB 25 million in 2003 and it reaches to RMB 410 million in 2004 with growth rate of 356%. The fast growth of online casual game industry is chiefly attributable to the market success of QQ game platform and Shanda BnB. iResearch forecasts that market size of China online casual game industry leave keep fast growth in the following years its is estimated that market size of China online casual game will reach RMB 1.78 billion in 2007.The literature limited review failed to scupper any concrete consumer explore through with(p) in the field of Casual gaming in India. apart from references in articles in business and technology magazines, only two proper journal articles were found on the subject. No survey, scholarly article, book, dissertation etc on this topic covering the consumer angle and p ertaining to India was found. Being a new look for area, this is not surprising, but only logical.Hence we find a huge research rupture here, particularly in the Indian context.RESEARCH OBJECTIVES FRAMEWORKWe see that there is a wide research gap in this area. At best surveys, statistics and reports are available on the subject. While the consumers have been studied in the west and Asian markets like China, an Indian study to understand the consumer was not found on an immense search. Therefore, in the proposed research we plan to-Understand the Indian college- spillage casual internet gamerNo research was found on the above mentioned research field, inspite of extensive search. An exploratory research in this field is hence in order. The phenomena of Internet gaming and hence out study will be largely circumscribe to SEC A and SEC B in India ( JuxtConsult study,2009 ). This is due to the current limitations of internet penetration.though a comprehensive study needs to be done on all existing and potential casual gamers, the proposed dissertation will be limited to college going gamers only. This will be so retentiveness in mind the time constraints of the dissertation. The research objectivesFind out reasons why college-goers play casual internet gamesWhat are practise patterns of casual internet-gaming in IndiaExplore the casual gaming phenomenaFirst we need to know the platforms where casual internet games are being played by college-goers. After that we will find the reasons why these gamers are hooked on to casual internet gaming. We will then find the relations mingled with the usage pattern and the reasons of usage and explore this area of casual gaming from the consumer perspective. This will give us various hypothesis which then can be verified.Hence it will help develop a consumer-centric approach which is currently missing in the industry. A deep understanding of the casual internet gamers in India is necessary for this approach. The resear chs objective is to develop this new approach for the industry and academia alike within the constraints of a research (college-going students only).PROPOSED RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGYTo find out the whys and hows of the Indian Casual gaming industry, a qualitative research will be in place. Here we are trying to understand the usage and carriage of the college going audience with respect to casual gaming, which requires a qualitative approach.Secondary research-Being an area which appears to be hardly studied, the starting point would be studies done on gaming in India, for example IAMAI-IMRB reportNASSCOM Animation Gaming ReportIGDA reportsThese reports give an insight on the demographics of the Indian gamer and are a good place to start. A secondary research on the subject of Casual online gaming will tell us where to find the gamers and challenges of the Industry. It will basically give an industry point of view.With the help of these reports and an extensive online rese arch, we will be able to find out the platforms where the gamers are playing casual games, for example-Dedicated Casual gaming websitesSocial media networksMobilesFilm/brand promotion websitesA comprehensive list of all the casual gaming platforms on the internet will be made. Once we know where to find the college going casual gamer, we can move on to the next stage, which is to probe him/her.Apart from this, casual gaming phenomena in other countries will be studied where research has already been done on the subject. Quantitative studies on Indian gaming industry will be studied to form a strong base for the qualitative research to be undertaken.Primary research-We will through the secondary research know where to find the Indian casual gamer. We will then do a primary research to find the reasons why people play casual games.In- depth Interviews-To find out the reasons why people play casual internet games 15 in-depth interviews will be conducted keeping in mind that all possibl e platforms are covered. The hows and whys of the college going gamers will be found out.Questionnaire-To understand the usage patterns of the casual internet gamers, a qualitative questionnaire will be in order. It will give us the various attitudes of the gamers along with consumption patterns of the college-going gamers. We will be able to find out which games they are playing, when they are playing and how they are playing. A questionnaire will have a sample size of around 40 people from the college-going gamers.The results of the in-depth interview and questionnaire along with the secondary research will then be used to develop the psychographic profiling of the casual internet gamer. This will be done utilize the TGI software tool.The universe will be derived by the intensive secondary research. try out size is proposed to be 15 in-depth interviews and 40 gamers (20 men and 20 women) for the questionnaire, keeping in mind our target, the college going gamers. guileless numb ers are irrelevant here as our focus is on developing a deep understanding on the subject. As this is a qualitative study, a probability sampling rule is inefficacious and expensive hence we will do non-probability sampling with convenience, quota and snow-ball sampling proficiencys.A content analysis technique will be undertaken. The analysis will be with a systematic description of behavior petition who, what, where, where and how questions within formulated systematic rules to limit the effects of analyst bias. Being an exploratory research, this will be a good basis to begin with.EXPECTED CONTRIBUTIONThe Indian gaming industry is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 49% to reach USD 830 million by 2012 which was USD 167 million in 2008. Casual internet gaming is an area of the industry which is popular and growing. And it is also an area where on an extensive search no concrete research could be found. Hence this area of research appeals to both the industry and academia.No consume r centric approach in this field has yet been observed. This research will perhaps be the frontmost of its lovable where the psychographic profiling of the college going casual internet gamers will be done and basic s.t.p. constructs on the same will be developed. For the industry, this approach will help them develop and deliver better products and being an exploratory research, for the academia the research output will provide further scope for researching in the field.This research only focuses on College going gamers. There are a lot of other segments which can be studied. Also, casual gaming is just a subset of computer gaming, which in itself is a large field to research on, given the dearth of studies done in the Indian context, leaving scope for further researches, using this research as a basis.Casual Internet Gamers in IndiaCasual Internet Gamers in IndiaCasual Internet Gaming in India is the area of dissertation which will be researched. A phenomenon relatively new to t he world, casual internet gaming is an area which is yet to be researched and fully understood. Computer gaming is an area close to my heart, as well as an exciting and challenging field to work on, where the markets are still evolving and promising great potential in the near future.Electronic gaming itself is a very wide subject which hasnt been properly researched, especially in India. Internet gaming is a subset to it, but again an area so vast that it cant be covered in one research. Going down further, I chose casual internet gaming because of the following reasons-Casual gaming is by far the most popular mode of gaming on internet in India. Internet speeds in India allows only casual gaming to grow currently. Social media is proving to be an ideal platform for their growthNo research on this topic has been done so far. We are yet to understand why people and Indians in particular are attracted towards casual gaming.Till now, Indian Marketers have not taken a consumer-centric approach to make and deliver casual games.There is great scope in the field, as Indians discover casual gaming and get hooked on to it through various platformsAccording to a recent study by JuxtConsult , Of the 47 million Internet users, 39 million are based in urban areas, while only 8 million reside in the rural. Hence Internet penetration is largely limited in India and speeds are still slow. In such a scenario, the only games that can work well are casual games because they dont need high end computer/gaming systems, nor are the speed requirements a constraint. In fact, being the only mode of gaming which is viable, it has been the focus of the gaming industry as well. From dedicated websites like zapak to integration of casual games to social media networks like facebook, casual games are available across the internet. The surprising part is that no one has really tried to understand the reason for their popularity or the potential profitability of these games.The growth of In dias casual games market comes in line with the overall growth of the countrys games market and industry. According to founder of CasualGaming.biz, Gaurav Mirchandani the industry has changed substantially over the past few due to the growth of internet users in India whom now have broadband access in their homes, at work, and in restaurants and hotels. This change has sparked a new emergence of casual gaming in India as a leisure and as lead to new small companies setting up offices for game development outsourcing mostly for flash and PC downloadable games.The Industry focus has been on delivering casual games across platforms to the maximum possible user base. However, no thought has been given to the consumer and their needs. The Industry lacks a consumer-centric focus in game development and delivery. A deeper understanding of why these games are being played, and by whom they are being played is necessary to improve the standards and profitability of casual gaming as a busines s.As the world moves towards the virtual avenues provided by the technological revolution, internet gaming assumes significance as the next major frontier of the world. Brands are already investing in this area and can really cash on into this profitable business. Internet now provides people the choice of playing with other individuals over the cyber space. The constant advances in technology open up new possibilities regularly, taking computer gaming to new heights each time.Hence, the objective of the research will be to understand the psyche of the Indian casual gamer. This will help the Indian gaming industry understand the consumers better and hence deliver better products to them. Not only that, it will also help them improve the profitability of the business, by understanding what is relevant to the gamers, and what is not.This will be an exploratory study into the realm of casual gaming in India. Given the time constraints of a dissertation, I will be able to focus on limit ed aspects of casual gaming. Hence I am choosing only those aspects of the area, like why do gamers behave as they do and where and when they play games, which are important both for the Industry and the academia. Again due to the time constraints and vastness of the topic, everything cannot be covered in one research. Hence a study on the college-going gamers will be conducted.LITERATURE REVIEWVery little literature is available on consumers of Casual Gaming in India. I studied the gaming industry in general to find references to casual and internet gaming, especially in the Indian context.Gaming India is All Set-Rao, K. Rajesh(rajesh, 2008)Prospects for Animation Gaming Industry in India.-Kuruvila, A. O.(A.O, 2008)(Computer gaming on the go in India, 2004)India The Final Frontier for Games?(Silicon india, 2008)Zapak Taking Casual Games seriously(Vimali, 2008)Casual Gaming A Big Draw for VCs.(Khanna, 2008)Games people play(Marketing Management, 2007)Casual video gaming is now seri ous business(2007)Casual Computer Games Go Upscale(2007)Nothing casual about it Rajiv Fernando 2009The article presents the authors views concerning the development of the gaming industry in India. He relates that the new generation is characterized by the evolution of interactive digital content and distributed model of games services. The author perceives good opportunities for game developers and providers associated with the increase of Internet penetration and digital content.The article starts off with a preface of the Global and Indian gaming and animation industry and goes on to dwell upon the statistics of the industry in India. It then follows up with a SWOT analysis of the Indian gaming IndustryReports on the report released by British Broadcasting Corp. in 2005 regarding the mobile gaming market segment in India. Increase in the number of mobile phone users in October 2004 Factors that influenced the growth in the mobile gaming sector Number of game developers and mobile companies that provide games to their subscribers.The article provides an overview of the computer games industry worldwide, particularly in India. It explains the technology trends that might influence the advent of these games including powerful cellular telephones, cloud gaming and the growth of broadband networks. A historical background on the emergence of these electronic games is also presented.The article discusses the success of the online games introduced by Zapak Digital Entertainment in India. Zapak is influential to the success of the gaming industry through the launching of massive multiplayer online games (MMOGs), hardcore games and large format gaming cafes. The companys strategies in creating value chain for its customers and distribution network are mentioned.The article presents the views of the author on various issues related to the electronic games industry in India. It focuses on the casual gaming business. The author addresses the problems on piracy and fina ncing animation and gaming projects in the country. Future opportunities for the casual gaming space are also cited.The article discusses conflicting studies concerning the target audience for casual games. A study by Information Solutions Group found that casual gamers are predominately female. In-game advertisement firm Eyeblaster backed this data up, claiming that the majority of casual gamers are females that are more than thirty years old. However, a study by Ipsos Insight showed that more than half of computer and video gamers are male, data that is backed up by a Universal McCann study about console gamers.The article reports on the growing competition among firms in the video games industry in New York City. According to IDC Research, revenues from casual video games are expected to increase by 68 percent to $750 million in 2007 and are forecasted to reach $2 million by 2009. Wade Tinney, co-founder of Large Animal Games, said that it is important for firms in the industry t o be well-funded so that they can move quickly and make products that compete with those with other companies.The article talks about the demographics of casual gamers worldwide according to the various studies that have been conducted. It also talks about the distribution of these games and what the game developers are doing to fight off competition in the casual gaming segment.It takes the zapak example to show that casual games are here to stay. It further tells about the future plans of zapak and compares the groeth of casual gaming in India with increase in internet penetration.It re-iterates that industry observers believe that online games had great potential for growth in the Indian gaming market, as it overcame the problem of piracy.Sify eyes kids for gaming biz(2007, Infotech.indiatimes.com)Web 2.0 Online Communities, Personalization and the Web OS.(Singh, 2006)Casual Games White Paper-IGDA ,2003The 2009-2014 Outlook for PC Casual Games in IndiaIcon Group International, In c.2008Insights on Casual Games,Nielson, 2009Casual gaming study conducted by NPD GroupChina Gaming 20082012 Forecast and AnalysisCasual Gaming Market UpdateJames Kuai and Peter Shackelfor 3Q 20072004 China Casual Game Research Report(2005)It shows the interest of the industry in the casual gaming industry and an attempt to focus on the needs of the consumers, finally. I talks about Sify and its plan to acquire casual games and make them available all across Sifys cyber cafes.The article reports developments on Web 2.0 in India. Social networks and casual gaming continue to prevail in the major themes of Web 2.0. Online communities emphasize the notion of more sharing and connectivity on the Internet, as well as a strong focus on personalization. Another interesting phenomenon in the Web 2.0 world is the emerging space of online casual gaming.This article is on the International Casual Games industry. Numerous players continue to enter the market, business models are constantly chang ing, and new customers are found every day. This paper helps define the industry, and give everyone a base level of understanding of all aspects of this space. It is not intended to go into minute detail on any one subject, but provides broad understanding to the major factors involved in the casual game industry.This econometric study covers the latent demand outlook for PC casual games across the states, union territories and cities of India. Latent demand (in millions of U.S. dollars), or potential industry earnings (P.I.E.) estimates are given across over 5,000 cities in India. This report does not discuss the specific players in the market serving the latent demand, nor specific details at the product level. Nor does the report cover actual sales data (which are simply unavailable, in a comparable or consistent manner in virtually all of the cities in India)This study looks at data from more than 800 casual games for PC computers, which are defined as inexpensive to produce, st raightforward in concept, easy to learn and simple to play. They say that casual gamers return more often to games and therefore play more often than hardcore gamers.The study, which surveyed nearly 3,000 U.S. gamers, identified 14 specific types of gamer within 39 different game genres. Casual gamers were divided into 10 classifications. The study also offered data that would seem to dispel the myth that casual gamers dont invest as much time playing games as core gamers do.This IDC study examines the dynamics of the China gaming market and focuses on online gaming. It looks at market drivers, dynamics, and strategies the competitive landscape and includes profiles of the top 10 vendors as well as a 20082012 forecast. The concentration of the China online gaming market improved significantly in 2007. The revenue sum of the top 10 vendors occupied 91.8% of the total market.Casual Gaming Market Update provides in-depth analysis of the current dynamics and future directions of the rap idly growing casual gaming industry in the USA, including quantitative forecasts, competitive analysis, consumer perspectives, and profiles of leading companies in the casual gaming value chain.According to iResearch, market size of China online casual game industry was RMB 25 million in 2003 and it reaches to RMB 410 million in 2004 with growth rate of 356%. The fast growth of online casual game industry is mainly attributable to the market success of QQ game platform and Shanda BnB. iResearch forecasts that market size of China online casual game industry will keep fast growth in the following years its is estimated that market size of China online casual game will reach RMB 1.78 billion in 2007.The literature review failed to reveal any concrete consumer research done in the field of Casual gaming in India. Apart from references in articles in business and technology magazines, only two proper journal articles were found on the subject. No survey, scholarly article, book, dissert ation etc on this topic covering the consumer angle and pertaining to India was found. Being a new research area, this is not surprising, but only logical.Hence we find a huge research gap here, particularly in the Indian context.RESEARCH OBJECTIVES FRAMEWORKWe see that there is a wide research gap in this area. At best surveys, statistics and reports are available on the subject. While the consumers have been studied in the west and Asian markets like China, an Indian study to understand the consumer was not found on an extensive search. Therefore, in the proposed research we plan to-Understand the Indian college-going casual internet gamerNo research was found on the above mentioned research field, inspite of extensive search. An exploratory research in this field is hence in order. The phenomena of Internet gaming and hence out study will be largely restricted to SEC A and SEC B in India ( JuxtConsult study,2009 ). This is due to the current limitations of internet penetration.T hough a comprehensive study needs to be done on all existing and potential casual gamers, the proposed dissertation will be limited to college going gamers only. This will be so keeping in mind the time constraints of the dissertation. The research objectivesFind out reasons why college-goers play casual internet gamesWhat are usage patterns of casual internet-gaming in IndiaExplore the casual gaming phenomenaFirst we need to know the platforms where casual internet games are being played by college-goers. After that we will find the reasons why these gamers are hooked on to casual internet gaming. We will then find the relations between the usage pattern and the reasons of usage and explore this area of casual gaming from the consumer perspective. This will give us various hypothesis which then can be verified.Hence it will help develop a consumer-centric approach which is currently missing in the industry. A deep understanding of the casual internet gamers in India is necessary fo r this approach. The researchs objective is to develop this new approach for the industry and academia alike within the constraints of a research (college-going students only).PROPOSED RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGYTo find out the whys and hows of the Indian Casual gaming industry, a qualitative research will be in place. Here we are trying to understand the usage and behavior of the college going audience with respect to casual gaming, which requires a qualitative approach.Secondary research-Being an area which appears to be hardly studied, the starting point would be studies done on gaming in India, for example IAMAI-IMRB reportNASSCOM Animation Gaming ReportIGDA reportsThese reports give an insight on the demographics of the Indian gamer and are a good place to start. A secondary research on the subject of Casual online gaming will tell us where to find the gamers and challenges of the Industry. It will basically give an industry point of view.With the help of these reports and an extensive online research, we will be able to find out the platforms where the gamers are playing casual games, for example-Dedicated Casual gaming websitesSocial media networksMobilesFilm/brand promotion websitesA comprehensive list of all the casual gaming platforms on the internet will be made. Once we know where to find the college going casual gamer, we can move on to the next stage, which is to probe him/her.Apart from this, casual gaming phenomena in other countries will be studied where research has already been done on the subject. Quantitative studies on Indian gaming industry will be studied to form a strong base for the qualitative research to be undertaken.Primary research-We will through the secondary research know where to find the Indian casual gamer. We will then do a primary research to find the reasons why people play casual games.In- depth Interviews-To find out the reasons why people play casual internet games 15 in-depth interviews will be conducted keeping in mind that all possible platforms are covered. The hows and whys of the college going gamers will be found out.Questionnaire-To understand the usage patterns of the casual internet gamers, a qualitative questionnaire will be in order. It will give us the various attitudes of the gamers along with consumption patterns of the college-going gamers. We will be able to find out which games they are playing, when they are playing and how they are playing. A questionnaire will have a sample size of around 40 people from the college-going gamers.The results of the in-depth interview and questionnaire along with the secondary research will then be used to develop the psychographic profiling of the casual internet gamer. This will be done using the TGI software tool.The universe will be derived by the intensive secondary research. Sample size is proposed to be 15 in-depth interviews and 40 gamers (20 men and 20 women) for the questionnaire, keeping in mind our target, the college going gam ers. Mere numbers are irrelevant here as our focus is on developing a deep understanding on the subject. As this is a qualitative study, a probability sampling method is ineffective and expensive hence we will do non-probability sampling with convenience, quota and snow-ball sampling techniques.A content analysis technique will be undertaken. The analysis will be with a systematic description of behavior asking who, what, where, where and how questions within formulated systematic rules to limit the effects of analyst bias. Being an exploratory research, this will be a good basis to begin with.EXPECTED CONTRIBUTIONThe Indian gaming industry is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 49% to reach USD 830 million by 2012 which was USD 167 million in 2008. Casual internet gaming is an area of the industry which is popular and growing. And it is also an area where on an extensive search no concrete research could be found. Hence this area of research appeals to both the industry and academia.No consumer centric approach in this field has yet been observed. This research will perhaps be the first of its kind where the psychographic profiling of the college going casual internet gamers will be done and basic STP constructs on the same will be developed. For the industry, this approach will help them develop and deliver better products and being an exploratory research, for the academia the research output will provide further scope for researching in the field.This research only focuses on College going gamers. There are a lot of other segments which can be studied. Also, casual gaming is just a subset of computer gaming, which in itself is a large field to research on, given the dearth of studies done in the Indian context, leaving scope for further researches, using this research as a basis.