India has the potential to emerge as a global hub for online gaming. This has been further testified by the Honourable Prime Minister Mr Modi when he highlighted the benefits of making India a hub for gaming, innovation and creativity, and the Union Budget 2026-27, which estimated that by 2030, the Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics (AVGC) sector is estimated to require 2 million professionals. While government has supported the sector, factors like low cost of smartphone and smartphone penetration, enhanced internet connectivity, roll out of 5G, have led to a robust growth, with India having the second largest number of gamers globally, after China.
However, digital addiction is a rising public health concern across the globe. The World Health Organization (WHO) recognised online gaming addiction as a mental health condition in the International Classification of Diseases, 11th Revision (ICD-11), 2019, under ‘Gaming Disorder’. It is defined as impaired control over gaming, prioritisation of gaming over other activities, and continued play despite negative consequences. To address the adverse impacts of online money games while promoting and regulating other kinds of online games, the government passed the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025, on 21st August 2025. As noted by the Economic Survey 2025-26, the Act represents a major step to address digital addiction and financial harm among youth. The Economic Survey also highlights the need for a comprehensive national data in addressing digital addiction in India. This project aims to fill this lacuna.
The objective of the project is to (a) present the first Indian large-scale survey data on gamer behaviour, market size, and user-level risks to support evidence-based policymaking; and (b) examine the policies of select developed and developing countries to understand measures taken by them to strengthen the regulatory framework for online gaming.
