India shifts to interactive media as top digital engagement tool: Lumikai report
According to the new report, the shift marks the evolution of an Indian user from a player to a creator amid rising digital penetration in the country.
India has seen a seismic shift in terms of what people are using as their primary digital medium of engagement, according to a new consumer survey by venture capital firm Lumikai.
The new survey, which saw participation from around 3000 correspondents across Tier I, II, and III cities, also found that 66% of players now hail from non-metro cities—indicating a broader and more inclusive audience base. This reiterates the emergence of Tier II+ cities as an interactive entertainment powerhouse, the survey noted.
The report, titled “From Swipes to Stories: India’s Interactive Media Consumer unlocked” was released at WAVES 2025.
Additionally, the survey also noted an interesting user trends, where 77% of South Indian users are more likely to pay for interactive media services, compared to 51% in the North. Users in the south also spend the most time on these platforms, which includes Instagram, music platforms and OTT) clocking in 1.6X the baseline usage compared to 1.3X in the West and just 1X in the Eastern and Northern states.
The average amount of time a user plays has also seen an uptick to 13 hours a week, which is 30% higher than what was observed in FY23. This is also nearly double the time spent on social platforms.
However, contrary to popular narratives, the primary motivation for gaming was found to be relaxation, followed by social connection and self-expression, with monetary gains falling further down the list.
As India sees a boom in the number of gamers, it is seeing an equally large influx of quality founders entering the segment, Salone Sehgal, Founder and Managing Partner at Lumikai told YourStory.
”There is an entire wave of young founders who are coming and looking to build in this sector and build very bold visions both for India and for the world,” Sehgal said.
The survey noted that in India, gaming is no longer a pastime, it has become a core entertainment category. “Users are embedding gaming into their daily routines, which is similar to how social media adoption grew decades ago,” Sehgal added.
Edited by Jyoti Narayan