No matter the period, entertainment is one thing that stays a constant in the world. There’s always space for a bit of fun to be had, and the people of India have never been shy about expressing that. With the digital age taking over every corner of our planet, we’ve seen different forms of entertainment take root and blossom. These new means of enjoying our free time tend to be starkly different from what older Indian generations are used to, and while they’re not what many grew up with, they can be tons of fun!
Generally, the most popular means of entertainment you’ll run into these days live in the online world. While they can turn out to be fads with a short expiration date, others are trends that keep up for decades at a time, becoming entertainment staples all of us can get behind. Here’s a look at some of the most popular online entertainment trends in India you might run into.
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Sports Betting
Following the excitement of sports never fades. Watching a sports game is one of the most popular activities in the world, and India is no exception. While relaxing with a cold one over the weekend is a core part of the experience, another supplemental activity has been gaining traction in the region lately. Of course, we’re talking about sports betting. Indians haven’t always been privy to this activity. Since there aren’t many betting parlors around, the online version of it has risen to prominence in the last couple of years.
As you might have expected, one of the biggest subsets of this activity in the region is trying your luck with the cricket leagues on sites such as this one. The sport is a favorite national pastime, so it’s only natural for viewers to make predictions for desired outcomes. While cricket tends to take center stage in this category, fans aren’t limited to specific sports. The world is at your fingertips, so you have the chance to explore an endless stream of sports and leagues to bet on. You can explore popular options like football, basketball, tennis, and even eSports betting!
Online Gaming
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Gaming has quickly become one of the most popular pastimes everywhere, including India. Whether you’re playing on PC or various game consoles, video games are now an entertainment staple in the region, and we can’t say that we’re complaining. While this activity was considered childish in the past, games are now more than just colorful pixels where we can button-mash to win. Gaming has become a prime storytelling medium featuring incredibly realistic visuals combined with controls and gameplay that take time and skill to master.
While video games are a hit in general nowadays, the online subsection of this category is what’s truly taken off in India. The social aspect of gaming is what most Indian players look forward to, and we can’t say we blame them. These games allow players to explore massive open worlds filled with magic and mystery, and they don’t have to do it alone! You can immerse yourself in this one-of-a-kind experience with your closest friends or meet new people from all over the world that might broaden your horizons!
Online Learning
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We all know how important education is right now. The job market is getting tighter by the day, and people are promompted to learn new skills and consistently improve to snag their dream jobs. The pressure to keep working on ourselves is another big reason why we believe the online learning trend has become such a popular pastime for many Indians! We know what you’re thinking – does learning belong in the entertainment category? While the answer to this is generally no, the way people catch up on various subjects today can be insanely entertaining!
Education and most of the things adjacent to it aren’t generally considered entertainment. Still, the way most Indian internet users learn these days more than qualifies for this mantle. In most cases, people master new crafts by watching videos on platforms like YouTube. These so-called courses tend to be presented in an easy-to-digest manner by charismatic personalities that make the journey fun. It’s not your traditional form of learning, but in most cases, it gets the job done by relaying important information in a light-hearted manner.
Live Streaming
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The live streaming trend is one many of us are getting more familiar with by the day. Essentially, live streaming technology allows users to broadcast themselves via a video feed in real-time. As you can imagine, the uses for this technology are practically endless. While you might have a few ideas forming in your head already, you’ll likely be surprised by its most popular uses!
Live streaming plays a key role on platforms like Twitch. Here, the most popular category of streaming is video games! You read that right. While you can practically find entertainers streaming all sorts of content on social media platforms like this one, gaming content generally has the most followers. It seems that people love watching others play popular video game titles, and this exact activity is what’s launched tons of popular streaming careers!
Reading Fan Fiction
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Here’s a more recent trend you might not have expected to see on the list. Reading seems to have become a huge hit with the younger generation in India, however, they’re not reading the classics you might be thinking of right now. Fanfiction is a form of writing that takes existing characters from real life or popular media and throws them into various fictitious arcs. As the name suggests, this content is written by fans, and it’s in no way canon to the source material it originates from.
What’s interesting about this form of writing is the liberties writers take with their storylines. They often use characters from shows rooted in real-life dramas and throw them into magical worlds that are the complete opposite of the original premise. Surprisingly enough, this form of writing has spawned some smash-hit pieces of media itself. Popular movies like Fifty Shades of Grey and After are altered versions of what were originally fan fiction books!