Building a strong and dynamic mobile game industry will be a critical component of the new digital economy, says the Global Mobile Game Confederation.
Thailand is one of Southeast Asia's biggest markets for mobile games in terms of revenue, said Maxim De Wit, vice-president of the international division of the mobile game group.
The country's mobile game industry is expected to account for 22% of Southeast Asia's total market worth US$2.2 billion by 2017, up from $1.1 billion last year.
Mr De Wit said policymakers should provide tax incentives for digital content providers, including mobile game makers, to boost the industry.
For instance, there should be a tax reduction for mobile game companies with annual revenue of less than $100,000. Also, greater flexibility for foreign shareholders in mobile game firms would attract foreign investors.
He said Thailand had high potential to draw foreign partnerships now that the mobile game markets in China, Japan and South Korea were saturated.
"Given its solid smartphone usage and game development talent, Thailand could be among the top investment destinations for global mobile game makers," said Mr De Wit.
Bangkok recently hosted a Global Mobile Game Confederation conference for the first time, attracting 1,100 visitors from 26 countries. This was the second time the confederation had held an event in Southeast Asia. The first was held last year in Singapore. Vietnam will host the next event in July.
Ronen Mense, Asia-Pacific vice-president for AppsFlyer, a mobile measurement platform, said Southeast Asia was an emerging mobile game market due to the large number of people below 30, faster wireless broadband speed thanks to nationwide 3G and 4G network expansion, greater availability of affordable smartphones and a deeply ingrained gaming culture.
The International Development Group predicts the mobile game market will reach $100 billion by 2018.