Playing to win

Online gamers are in for a treat: Gaming portals like Zapak and games2win.com are set to launch dedicated gaming cafes by the end of this month. Bharti Airtel has partnered with Indiagames to launch a games-on-demand service on its broadband network and sites like Hungama.com, Kreeda.com, ibibo.com & Contests2win.com are also looking at the online gaming business seriously.

Globally, online gaming revenues accrue from advertising, subscriptions and cyber cafes. Zapak is making downloadable international games available on its site as well as increasing the number of advergames (it has five currently). Ashish Kashyap, CEO, MIH Web, says the company will reach out to educational institutes with products and ideas.

While Contest2win will continue to focus on advergaming only, Games2win-the online gaming venture-will stay away from subscriptions. "Internationally the subscription model is dying a slow death and I don't believe it's going to work in India too," says Alok Kejriwal, Founder and CEO of Contests2win.com and Games2win.com.

Online gaming in India is still at a nascent stage. As of January 2007, the industry was worth Rs 21 crore (Source: eTechnology Group@imrb). An unsupportive ecosystem makes loyalty-building difficult.

That may be why Games2win and Zapak plan to introduce dedicated gaming zones. 'Zapak gameplexes' will be present in 33 cities, whilst Games2win is tying up with Sify as well as 100 independent cafes.

Both companies claim they will target hard-core gamers and will host regular gaming tournaments; Games2win will also be selling cash cards for the purchase of online accessories.