India Development Foundation (IDF), a private, non-profit research foundation, has published a report on ‘Modeling the Role of Skill in Online Games’ that provides a quantitative framework that can statistically determine the predominance of skill across all online gaming formats. This is the first study to provide a theoretical framework for understanding how skill is accrued through experience, ultimately determining winnability in online gaming. The report was launched at the Indian Gaming Convention 2024 by esteemed policymakers and industry stakeholders.
Professor Shubhashis Gangopadhyay, Research Director of India Development Foundation, said, “Distinction between games of skill and games of chance is critical to safeguarding legal online gaming and mitigating the risks stemming from the proliferation of betting and gambling platforms. Establishing an objective game testing framework to distinguish games of skill and games of chance is critical to protecting Indian gamers and enabling the growth of an innovative industry. In this context, we have developed a comprehensive objective framework to assist policymakers in distinguishing between these two categories through a statistical methodology”
The paper develops a generalized scoring framework and employs it to test the dominance of skills using seven statistical tests. The combination of seven statistical tests will provide a comprehensive framework for testing the predominance of skill in any online game, regardless of whether real money is involved.