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In conversation with Rajesh Rao – Founder, Dhruva Interactive & Convenor – India Game Developer Conference
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In conversation with Rajesh Rao – Founder, Dhruva Interactive & Convenor – India Game Developer Conference

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09/11/2021

Indian Game Developer Conference (IGDC) has announced its 13th edition which is slated from 16th to 18th November 2021. The 13th edition of the conference is being organized with support from the industry volunteers and the Government of Telangana; and has played a key role in the development of the Indian Gaming ecosystem over the years by helping developers in learning new skills. For its 13th edition, the IGDC has onboarded Unreal Engine as presenting sponsor and MPL, AWS, Glance and Junglee Games as the Gold Sponsors of the event.

To gain some valuable insights into the Indian gaming ecosystem and the 13th edition of the Indian Game Developers Conference, The Gaming Reporter reached out to Rajesh Rao – Founder, Dhruva Interactive & Convenor- Indian Game Developer Conference.

The Gaming Reporter – Over the last decade, the Gaming industry has seen massive growth in terms of the number of gamers, UX, and revenue. How do you think the Indian Gaming industry has evolved?

Rajesh Rao – Cheap smartphones and data have been key drivers for the growth of games in India. Then, the pandemic and the ensuing lockdowns saw an exponential rise in gamers, possibly leapfrogging the market by a couple of years. Well-funded gaming start-ups have invested heavily in brand building, be it IPL sponsorships or TV adverts with big names endorsing gaming apps. Many YouTube/game streaming channels have come up with game reviews and tutorials. All these factors have come together to propel the industry.

The Gaming Reporter – CS:GO tournaments are witnessing massive participation from Indian Gamers. Will it be right to say that Indian Gamers are ready for global competitiveness?

Rajesh Rao – India has already won a bronze medal in the demonstration edition at Asian Games 2018, so yes, we are getting there.

The Gaming Reporter – How does the Karnataka skill gaming ban pose a threat to India’s esports ecosystem?

Rajesh Rao – As with everything new, there is a need to communicate, educate and de-mystify. There are preconceived notions about games, some concerns are valid, while others are not. The industry needs to reach out to policymakers and the public at large with information that can help them understand the space better.

The Gaming Reporter – Pandemic has played a vital role in the development of the Indian Gaming Industry and bringing the industry to the fore. Are gamers ready to take esports as a full-time career option?

Rajesh Rao – Esports is emerging as a full-time career option in the more advanced esports markets over the last couple of years. The Indian market should catch up in the coming 3-5 years. That said, there are a handful of professional gamers earning more than INR 50 lakhs per year even today in India.

The Gaming Reporter – Is the Indian Gaming Industry male-dominated? What efforts the industry is making to ensure equal participation from men as well as women?

Rajesh Rao – As millions of Indian women start gaming on mobile phones, they are also getting interested in pursuing game development as a career. Today it might be more men than women building games or in professional esports, but the number of women in gaming is definitely increasing. Women play a big role globally in the development of games, and this is being seen in India too.

The Gaming Reporter – We often see that Indian Gaming developers reflect cultural aspects in games during the festive season. How does this differentiate the Indian gaming industry from the global gaming industry?

Rajesh Rao – Indians love Indian content in all other forms of entertainment, be it movies, TV or music. Why would games be any different? It is incumbent on game developers to weave in our cultural and social context into games to establish a better ‘connect’. Going vernacular will also play a big role.

The Gaming Reporter – How is India channelling its resources in the development of the Indian Gaming Industry?

Rajesh Rao – Right now, the biggest need is the development of talent. We need a lot more talented people to get the right quality of education and skill-building. Government policies will help, such as what we have seen in Telangana, which have made games an area of focus. Many education institutes are also stepping in. 

The Gaming Reporter – With aggressive growth in the gaming industry, many OTT platforms like Netflix are spreading footprints into the gaming sphere. What trends can we expect by the end of the year 2025 in terms of growth? 

Rajesh Rao – This is an exciting time, with so many people trying out new and innovative ideas to capture market share. It’s hard to crystal gaze into the future, but certainly, it will be mobile-driven, with increasing localization of content.

The Gaming Reporter – A game is incomplete without an immersive experience. In addition, there is always stress about making your product better than those of others. What challenges do game developers face while developing a game?

Rajesh Rao – It’s all about the experience! Success games are usually those which have that little bit more ‘X factor’ than other competing games. Fine-tuning a game and getting the balance right is an art, and today we have a lot more tools like A/B testing, data data-driven sign, etc that are helping game developers succeed.

The Gaming Reporter – Esports will be a part of Asian Games 2022. What are the key areas that the Indian gaming industry needs to work upon?

Rajesh Rao – As mentioned earlier, India has already won a bronze medal in the demonstration edition at Asian Games 2018. Professional esport gamers need to be nurtured by an official federation to ensure that they are able to pick up esports as a career, thus focusing on winning medals for India. International franchises entering India is a great sign of the rise in the quality of esports infrastructure in India.

The Gaming Reporter – Indian Game Developers Conference is an entirely industry-driven conference with volunteers from across the Indian gaming industry and with active support from the Government of Telangana. How does the Indian Game Developers Conference help developers in gaining valuable insights and acquiring new skills while connecting with the publishers and investors? What key role has the conference played in the development of the Indian gaming ecosystem? Since this is the 13th edition of the conference, where does it set its sight on?

Rajesh Rao – IGDC is a conference ‘by the industry, for the industry. The organizing team is made up of volunteers who are working in the industry, and our motivation is to help grow quality game development talent in India. It is not for profit, which means we offer the conference for as low a price as possible, and since going virtual last year, we have made it free, because the sponsors are covering all the costs. Last year we had over 5000 people attending, this year we expect it to double.

We want this conference to help aspiring game developers, people in the industry looking to skill up, start-ups looking for publishers or funding, global companies looking to explore India and of course facilitate all types of interactions. Every year, the content team works really hard to source speakers and panellists from India and across the world, focusing on emerging trends and relevant content, all the time asking ourselves, what can help the industry today? We listen to the community through our online channels and take feedback. 

We have had several start-ups that have come together because of IGDC, several who came on the radar of VCs and Publishers and then eventually got funded or got deals.  We have many in the industry today because they attended an IGDC in the past. We even have people who took part in our school game dev contest like GameJam Titans which made them choose a career in gaming. So, it’s heartening to see our efforts pay off. The industry has recognised our efforts, and we are grateful for their wholehearted support. We look forward to continuing to be a key ‘enabler’ to grow the Indian games industry.

Read Also : “INFLUENCER MARKETING IS NO LONGER OPTIONAL” – ROHIT AGARWAL, FOUNDER & DIRECTOR AT ALPHA ZEGUS

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