Indian gaming industry pioneers in storytelling

India may not be the first country that comes to mind when someone mentions video games, but it is one of the fastest growing markets in the world.

Most of them are played on mobile phones and tablets, and fans will tell you that the industry is best known for fantasy sports games that allow you to build imaginary teams based on real players.

Despite concerns about gambling and potential addiction, this is big business.

The three biggest video game startups in the country – Game 24X7, Dream11 and Mobile Premier League – all provide some kind of fantasy sports experience and are valued at over $1 billion.

However, there is hope that the abundance of story-based games spreading across the globe could inspire a new wave of creativity and investment.

During the recent Summer Game Fest (SGF) – an annual showcase of new and upcoming titles held in Los Angeles and watched by millions – audiences saw previews of a number of story-rich titles from South Asian teams.

One was Gujarat-based Masala Games’ Detective Dotson, about a failed Bollywood actor turned detective.

Behind the game is industry veteran Shalin Shodhan, who tells the BBC Asian Network that this focus on unique stories “bucks the trend” in the Indian games industry.

He wants video games to become an “interactive cultural export,” but says he finds creating new intellectual property difficult.

“There’s really nothing in the market that creates stories about India,” he says, despite the strength of some of the country’s other cultural industries.

“If you think about how much intellectual property there is in film in India, it’s really surprising to think that there’s nothing indigenous in games as an original entertainment property,” he says.

“It’s almost like the Indian audience has accepted that we’re going to play games from the outside.”

Another game showcased during SGF was The Palace on the Hill – a slice-of-life farming simulator set in rural India.

Developer Niku Games’ Mala Sen says games like this and Detective Dotson are what “India needed”.

“We know there are a lot of people in India who want games where the characters and the setting fit them,” he says.

Games developed by South Asian teams based in Western countries have seen critical praise and commercial success in recent years.

Venba, a cooking sim that told the story of a migrant family reconnecting with their heritage through food, became the first game of its kind to take home a Bafta Game Award this year.

Canadian company Visai Games, which developed the title, was revealed during SGF as one of the first recipients of a new fund set up by Among Us developer Innersloth to support other indie developers.

This will lead to their new, untitled project based on old Tamil legends.

Another title to receive funding under the program was developer Outerloop’s Project Dosa, which lets players pilot giant robots, cook Indian food and battle lawyers.

His previous play, Thirsty Suitors, was also highly praised and nominated for a Bafta this year.

Games like these resonate with gamers around the world, helping to bring awareness to the wider industry, says Mumbai-based Indrani Ganguly of Duronto Games.

“People are finally starting to see that we’re not just a place to outsource work,” he says.

“We are moving from India being a tech space to a more creative hub.

“I don’t see a 100% shift, but it’s more of a mindset thing.”

“People capable of making these kinds of games have always existed, but now the funding and resources are available to act on these creative visions.”

British-Indian game developer Charu Desodt believes the success of titles like Venba has been due to their commitment to authenticity.

“They make me feel very proud,” she says.

“We’re getting to a point where the industry is growing massively, both in terms of hours spent playing, but especially in terms of the variety of games.

“When you have authentic local stories told from the heart, it’s something everyone can relate to.”

Charu says that funding “unique and quirky stories has been a problem”, but recent successes like Venba and Thirsty Suitors have shown that there is an appetite for South Asian stories told by South Asian developers.

Some of the biggest companies in the industry are also paying attention.

Last year, Sony launched its India Hero Project to “uncover and empower India’s brightest game development talent” through mentorship and funding.

Its first cohort of games included the slice-of-life games Fishbowl, the museum exploration game Mukti, and the rhythm action game Suri: The Seventh Note, inspired by mythical Indian stories from the Himalayas to Rajasthan.

Meanwhile, French publishing giant Ubisoft’s Indie Series has backed Thousand Star Studios to create Aikyam – a Bollywood-inspired fantasy role-playing game set for release this year.