Youth Incorporated Magazine

For all the gaming enthusiasts who find themselves drowning in the world of gaming day in and day out, here is a piece of good news that will surely make you look up from your screens! The Indian government’s Information & Broadcasting Ministry has joined hands with one of the country’s renowned institutes, the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay to offer you exciting gaming courses. The duo will be forming a Centre of Excellence for video games development courses. Under this, students will be offered courses on VFX, gaming and animation from this year itself. 

IIT Bombay and I & B Ministry however haven’t specified if these gaming courses are only restricted for mobiles or will also focus on PC gaming. More details on this are awaited. Speaking about the collaboration, the I & B minister Prakash Javadekar said that while many mobile games are “violent, explicit and addictive”, the government of India intends on promoting the Indian culture and ethos in gaming. He further said, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi is passionate about preserving and perpetuating Indian values, heritage and cultural ethos and is putting in the immense effort so that the children and youth of our country are made aware of our rich culture and tradition. We can also introduce those values via modern technology and put it to optimum use.”

Since the time smartphones entered the Indian territories, mobile gaming has held a place in every mobile user’s heart. However, the craze for mobile gaming truly picked up when android phones secured a place in India’s market. From Counterstrike, Temple Run, Subway Surfers and to the very latest, PUBG, India saw a massive evolution in its gaming industry. Furthermore, 2020’s COVID-19 lockdown added more fuel to the fire generating huge revenue to the gaming applications than ever. It was the first time that television and even OTT for that matter took a step backwards. People chose to play mobile games with friends over everything else. 

In addition to this, the ban of PUBG and all other Chinese mobile gaming applications led to a rise in the development of indigenous gaming applications like Raji: An Ancient Epic, FAU-G and other games which not just attracted the attention of Indian gamers but also the world media, taking the Indian gaming industry to newer heights. 

Identifying this very rise in gaming culture among young Indians, the government has decided to encourage it the right way, calling gaming enthusiasts to put their interest to the right use. Union Minister Prakash Javadekar has assured that “We’re at an advanced stage of preparations.” The courses will soon be open for enrollment. So if this news has intrigued you and made you want to enroll yourself in these courses, you just need for a little while.