Bengal spends more time on indoor games than India
Times of India | 13 June 2024
Kolkata: Bengal has consistently spent 25% more time on indoor entertainment compared to the national average over the last four years. This was revealed in a report by Skill Online Games Institute (SOGI), prepared on basis of CMIE data. Sociologists and psychotherapists argued that Bengalis always have a strong inclination towards indoor leisure.
As per the study, the time spent on indoor entertainment peaked in the state in Jan-April 2020 at 3.5 hours per day.There was a general decline in the time spent on indoor entertainment from Jan-April 2020 to Sep-Dec 2023, with a final value of 1.8 hours per day.
The national average for indoor entertainment also showed a declining trend, but at a slower rate, starting from 2.3 hours/day in May-Aug 2020 and ending at 1.9 hours/day in Sep-Dec 2023.
Till August 2023, the time spent per day in indoor entertainment in Bengal was 2.4 hours, compared to the national average of 2 hours . The significant peak in indoor entertainment time in Bengal was during May-August 2020, which correlates with the COVID-19 pandemic-induced lockdown. Time spent with friends in Bengal was initially higher than the national average at 1.4 hours per day in Sep-Dec 2019.
This dropped significantly to 0.8 hours per day in May-Aug 2020, during the height of the pandemic.
It showed a steady recovery post-pandemic, reaching 1.1 hours per day by Sep-Dec 2023. The national average, however, remained significantly lower throughout the period. Emeritus professor of sociology at Presidency University, Prasanta Ray, said it can be a “Bengali trait.” He explains that “unwillingness” to go outside can be a major factor. According to Ray, previously indoor games would consist of table tennis, ludo but now indoor games mainly consist of online games.
“With working parents and fewer cousins, the kids depend mostly on gadgets to spend their leisure time. The parents also feel that it is safer that they are not venturing outside,” he added.
Minu Budhia, Founder- Psychotherapist of Caring Minds, pointed out that the trend in Bengal might be influenced by various factors such as local preferences, climate, availability of indoor entertainment options, and possibly the impact of the pandemic on outdoor activities. Professor of Psychiatry at WBUHS, Gautam Bandyopadhyay, feels from Covid and onwards teenagers got more addicted to indoor online games.