Highlighting the growing popularity of gaming in India, a study by social media firm Meta said nearly half of casual gamers and 43 per cent of real-money gamers come from non-metro geographies.

A study by Meta GWI showed that more than three of four casual and real-money gamers in the country discover new games to play and purchase on social media, and more than 90 per cent of these do so on Meta platforms.

"Gaming is a top three vertical for Meta globally and we are particularly seeing our Advantage+ suite of automated ads drive growth for gaming brands," said Arun Srinivas, Director and Head (India), Ads Business, Meta.

Srinivas added that gaming is poised to play a leading role in India's techade.

The study revealed that 6 in 10 smartphone gamers game daily, and almost 90 per cent of real-money gamers take part in such activities at least weekly.

"Nearly half of casual gamers and 43 per cent of real-money gamers come from non-metro geographies," it said.

The study observed that major sporting events and festive period impact the types of games played.

According to the study, "88 per cent of consumers said they are more likely to switch from playing other real-money games to playing fantasy sports games during tentpole sporting events (such as the IPL and World Cup)." Artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and augmented reality are the top three gaming technologies that most interest casual gamers in India, the study said.

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