There are already signs in India that the mobile gaming boom that was predicted a few months ago is about to go off in a big way.
This is mainly due to the rapid decrease in the cost of mobile handsets, combined with more Indians than ever being able to access either free or cheap Wi-Fi connections, not to mention more generous mobile data packages.
Realising the potential of a new trend to jump on the back of, many games developers and gaming companies like online casinos have begun to harness the popularity of Indian professional athletes and film stars.
While such a savvy marketing ploy was initially devised to encourage fans to play more online games, many mega-stars themselves have become avid gamers, regularly letting slip in interviews their love for the titles that keep them entertained when they’re not wowing the masses themselves.
Here are some of India’s most famous celebrities, all of whom like nothing more than to test themselves against the biggest and best games that the online sphere has to offer.
MS Dhoni
As the Indian cricket captain, Dhoni is constantly in high demand with sponsors lining up to have the great man endorse their products.
However, when it comes to games this top cricketer is already a convert, with a smash hit mobile game named after him in the form of MS Dhoni: The Untold Story. This title lines up to compete against the likes of slots, platformers and first person shooters.
When not playing his own game, Dhoni’s other half, Sakshi Dhoni, recently revealed that her husband has a penchant for a spot of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG). Meanwhile, his Chennai Super Kings teammate Deepak Chahar was also quoted as saying that as well as PUBG Mobile, Dhoni likes a game or two of Call of Duty: Mobile.
Shah Rukh Khan
Shah Rukh Khan is, of course, one of the foremost stars in Bollywood, with more Bollywood box office records to his name than we would have space to list and a keen interest in gaming of all types.
One of his most famous performances is a hilarious scene in the 1999 action comedy Baadshah, in which he appeared at a casino full of wacky and outlandish characters that wouldn’t have looked out of place in the eye-catching online slot games of today. His love for the gaming world was further evidenced in 1997 when, whilst filming Bollywood smash hit Pardes, he serenaded his co-star Mahima Chaudhry on the Las Vegas strip.
Indeed, away from the casino, he has been known to challenge fellow movie stars to FIFA duels and even has an entire floor of his private residence dedicated to his passion for gaming, including everything from racing games to pinball machines.
Anushka Sharma
It is not just male Bollywood stars who get to have all the gaming fun. Anushka Sharma has transferred her offline love of Ludo onto her phone, where she is renowned among friends and family for loading up game after game.
In April 2020 she even posted pictures on her Instagram account of her playing the game against husband Virat Kohli, which nicely leads into our next section.
Virat Kohli
If you are an avid gamer it always helps if your partner is similarly interested in the games you play and, as previously mentioned, Virat Kohli is one person who finds himself in that enviable position.
When he is not being beaten by his wife at Ludo, he loves to play PUBG Mobile, although he also dabbles in FIFA 20 and Cricket 19.
To make it even clearer that he’s onboard with the gaming revolution, the flamboyant batsman recently announced his support for Indian eSports.
In fact, far from only being Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni who like online games in the Indian dressing room, it seems as though the entire national squad are constantly challenging each other to online battles and matches, giving a whole new meaning to healthy competition within a squad of players.