City at play on computers and consoles

From GTA, NFS and DotA to Just Cause, Battlefield and Mafia, you name it and Kolkata is playing it.

Thousands between early teens and late-30s are embracing state-of-the-art graphics cards, force-feedback wheels and joysticks, motion sensors and other accessories to create the ultimate gaming pad at home. And price is no bar.

Desktops and laptops are the most common gaming gadgets but consoles are rapidly gaining popularity. Those who do not like to play alone are hooking up with friends over a network or through the Internet for joint gaming sessions.

The market is teeming with products to cater to the demand. From the Nintendo Wii with motion sensors and the updated PlayStation 3 (PS3) to the latest titles, there is always something new wooing the gamers.

Sanjay Ghatak, department manager, E-Zone, says: “Gaming at home is the in thing now. The demand for gaming products has risen steadily. The monthly sale of Sony PS2, priced at Rs 5,990, has doubled from 10 units over the past few months. We sell 10 to 15 PlayStation Portables (Rs 9,490) per month compared with zero some months earlier. And despite the Rs 19,990 price tag, at least five PS3 units are sold every month.”

The recently launched Nintendo Wii, priced at Rs 17,990, is also “selling well and despite the lack of availability, we keep getting orders for Microsoft’s Xbox”.

According to Ghatak, this kind of demand for home gaming systems and accessories was unthinkable till recently. “Kolkata now has a steadily growing gaming market, where people are constantly upgrading and buying new gaming devices.”

Ronojoy Mukherji, a 22-year-old animation student and an avid console gamer, agrees: “I am hooked on Gears of War, Resident Evil 5 and Devil May Cry. Thankfully, I have to use a high-end computer with good graphics card for my course. The gaming experience is brilliant on it. But even if I was in a different profession, I would not have minded shelling out money for a good gaming computer.”

Pinki Rathi, the owner of the Dell exclusive store in Kolkata, says: “The change in the Kolkata market is obvious. The buying power has increased, allowing consumers to invest in luxury entertainment products. We have got 14 bookings for Dell’s Alienware gaming laptops and PCs (priced above Rs 1 lakh) from people aged between 24 and 38. Gaming is not child’s play anymore.”

There are also those, like 26-year-old entrepreneur Tausif Kalim, who like a custom-made gaming rig. They constantly upgrade their computers, replacing the graphics card and increasing the memory capacity, for a better gaming experience.

“For me, gaming is about unwinding. I do not want to wait in a queue for my turn at a gaming arcade. I am constantly on the lookout for upgrades so that I can create the ultimate gaming computer,” says Kalim.

Products are proliferating to draw even those who are not as technically adept into the gaming fold. Godrej recently launched an LCD television that doubles as a gaming console. It has 25 pre-loaded games like golf, tennis and dart, memory capacity to load extra games, SD card slots and a wireless joystick for the Nintendo Wii effect.

Kamal Nandi, the vice-president (sales and marketing) of the company, says: “Gaming used to be a niche hobby that few could afford. But consumer needs have changed, so we came up with the television and the response has been great.”


Madhurima Chatterjee, The Telegraph Metro