Indian Government Initiatives in Game Design and Development

India is making significant strides in adapting gaming technology and promoting game development. The Indian government is investing in integrating gaming technology and design into governance. They understand it helps to enhance citizen engagement, streamline administrative processes, streamline service training, data-driven decision making, and leads to efficient governance. This is ushering in the fast-paced development of the game design sector. Where start-ups and designers are harnessing the transformative power of gaming technology.

Leading initiatives by the Indian government

The Indian government is actively supporting the growth of the game design industry. It has come up with various national campaigns and initiatives to promote the sector’s talent. These initiatives are here to strengthen the game developer economy while fostering talent and promoting collaboration.

a. Create in India challenge (CIC)

Create in India complements the Make in India campaign, where the focus of the government is fostering a culture of creating value through original design, innovation, and technology. It was launched in August 2024 by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

Objective: To encourage Indian entrepreneurs and businesses to develop innovative products, technologies, and services that are globally competitive in the field of Animation, AR/XR/VR, gaming, film, music, broadcasting, radio, generative AI, etc. The challenge covers 25 different areas under 13 themes.

The Press Information Bureau highlights that ‘CIC is aimed to have a profound impact on India’s Creators’ Economy, empowering content creators, and innovators to showcase their talents, monetize their skills, and contribute to the growth of the Indian media and entertainment industry. It enhances India’s soft power, globally, and serves as a launchpad for India’s emerging creative talent, propelling them towards global recognition.’

CIC garnered significant traction nationwide. Some of its challenges were: Comics creator championships, XR Creator Hackathon, AI Avatar Creator Challenge, Anime Challenge among others.

b. WAVES Summit

A flagship initiative by the Government of India (GoI) is – WAVES – World Audio-Visual Entertainment Summit. The event was organized by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in the first week of May 2025.

The first edition of it was held last week in Mumbai at the Jio World Convention Centre, inaugurated by the Prime Minister. The summit is focused on positioning India as a global media, entertainment and creative innovative nation.

Over the four days of the summit, it is noted by News on Air that ‘The summit witnessed participation from over 90 countries, with more than ten thousand delegates. The event covered a wide range of discussions, focusing on crucial themes such as artificial intelligence in media and entertainment, the globalisation of media, the future of content creation, and the profound impact of emerging technologies.’

i. Key figures: The event featured influential figures from media, gaming, and entertainment.
Including the likes of Shah Rukh Khan, Rajnikanth.
Media and tech brand leaders like Ted Sarandos, co-CEO, Netflix, and Mark Read, COO, WPP were also present. In gaming, names like Bimal Julka, Chairperson, Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports, Shuji Utsumi, President & COO, SEGA corporation, and Nitish Mittersain, Founder & MD, Nazara Technologies, were few key names.
ii. Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Ashwini Vasihnaw, announced the launch of the Indian Institute of Creative Technology (IICT) during the WAVES 2025 summit, Mumbai. The institute is poised as a national hub for AVGC – Animation, visual effects, gaming, and comics.
News reports showcase that global brands like NVIDIA, Google, Apple, Microsoft, Meta, Star India, and Adobe have partnered with IICT on course development and training initiatives.

c. Road to Game Jam

This is a national-level game competition. Initiated to showcase and promote India’s game talent.
It is an exciting opportunity for India’s game designers and developers to showcase their creativity. Road to Game Jam is organized by the Game Developer Association of India (GDAI) in collaboration with KGeN (Kratos Gamer Network). It falls under the WAVES Pillar 2 – where the focus is on AVGC-XR, i.e., Animation, Visual effects, gaming, and comics, along with AR, VR, and Metaverse.
Objective: To provide a platform for Indian game developers to showcase their creative prowess while offering them global opportunities.

As per the Press Information Bureau, the Road to Game Jam had 5569 signups. From which the final winners were selected. There were unique themes for Game Jam, each designed to inspire innovative storytelling and gameplay. Themes such as ‘Everything falls apart’, ‘Invisible connections’, ‘The Sound of Silence’, etc.

The final 10 games from all submissions were selected earlier this year to be showcased at the WAVES Summit in Mumbai. Offering them industry exposure and recognition, a chance to advance their career at a high-profile networking event. Along with mentorship opportunities.

The top three winners also received a prize pool to build their dream game.

d. AVGC-XR Mission

A key mission launched by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in 2022, AVGC-XR is a national initiative. The AVGC-XR encompasses animation, visual effects, gaming, comics, and extended reality (including the metaverse).

i. Task Force: It has its own task force that focuses on the ‘Create in India’ campaign. Developing strategies for growth.
ii. National centre of Excellence (NCoE): The government has also set up a National Centre of Excellence for AVGC-XR. The aim is to develop a skilled workforce to support the growth of this sector.
iii. Industry partnerships: The Task Force’s aim is to collaborate with leading industry bodies to drive growth in AVGC-XR sector.

With GoI’s strategic vision, it is empowering the game design sector while leading an AVGC-XR revolution in India. Spotlighting the digital creators, start-ups, designers, and developers of the sector. Charging ahead in the global immersive technology sector. Transforming India’s game design and development into a global powerhouse in innovation and talent. These initiatives are fostering growth in the private sector. Building infrastructure, cutting-edge labs, and holistic learning opportunities for new game designers.

These initiatives showcase the government’s commitment to highlighting grassroots talent in the country. Fostering a healthy competitive gaming sector. Showcasing the growing opportunities in game design. As the sector grows, it demands more professionals who come powered with knowledge of design, technology, and games. A key feature that we focus on at Strate School of Design. With leading industry collaborations and immersive game-labs, Strate is here to empower designers to lead this AVGC-XR revolution.

Interested in becoming part of this revolution?

Want to develop your own video game or game design platform?

Explore the Game Design program at Strate School of Design India.