The iLL Panel is a series where the iLL Gaming staff pick their brains over topics related to the game industry. Given the nature of our staff, it can end up being either a mosh pit of fanboy nerdgasms or a bitter fight usually accompanied with death threats and all-out war (ok, maybe we’re not that extreme). The iLL Panel will also feature some guest panellists at times, starting with this one.
iLL Gaming recently visited the NGDC in Pune, and this enabled us to invite a few developers to be a part of our panel for this month. The topic for this panel is India as a setting in video games. With all of our guest panelists having made a game with Indian influences and the release of Far Cry 4, we believe this topic to be quite relevant. Taking part in this iLL Panel are Sahil, Anikait, Tathagata, and Chirantan from iLL Gaming. Our guests for this panel are Arvind Raja Yadav of Pyrodactyl Games, Vijay Sinha of Tiny Mogul Games, and Zainuddin Fahad of Ogre Head Studio. Ajay is absent this time because he’s been called away to Kyrat.
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The Panel starts with Chirantan explaining the scope of the topic in that India as a setting is not limited to just location or background, but also includes various cultural influences, traditions, histories, or even quirky behaviors that one might associate with India. There is just so much potential here waiting to be utilized but being simply ignored due to a number of factors. Arvind’s Unrest does utilize the Indian setting and goes on to explore various cultural nuances, like the caste system. Tiny Mogul’s Dadi vs Jellies has more of an Indian skin than standard shoot-em-up gameplay. Ogre Head’s upcoming game, Asura, uses Indian mythology to power its hack-and-slash gameplay.
Why not India as a setting?
Sahil starts by ranting about how other entertainment forms like music, movies, and television have so much local adaptation, but video games in India are mostly limited to an English-speaking audience. even those produced by the nascent local game industry. Zainuddin suggests that English is chosen simply due to its reach as a language spoken the world over. Arvind offers a slightly different perspective in that he believes that the developer must wish to use India as a setting since there’s nothing special involved in the research and accuracy parts, which are equally of concern for any setting. He sums it up as people sticking to the familiar when offered the option to make a new franchise. Besides, one can’t just twist an established franchise with its own mythos to suddenly add an unfamiliar new setting.
Another concern that comes up with the choice of setting is that the target audience for most games is not based in India simply because the market isn’t developed enough. This is why India as a setting is seen as a risk by developers. Thus, sticking to what the audience is familiar with is also a reason for some Indian developers to not flaunt their Indianness in their games. There’s also the scenario where Indian game start-ups need to start making big money with their very first title, as Arvind points out, and this is why they opt for the safest route of using the tried and tested settings. A robust social security system helps people take more risks, which might be attributed as a reason that most recent breakout successes in indie games have come from countries with such systems.
What about games that are using India as a setting?
The discussion now turns to controversies caused by including Indian Gods in games such as Hanuman, Smite, and Asura’s Wrath. The problem with using mythological characters from India is that unlike Ancient Greece, Ancient Egypt, or the Aztecs, Indian Gods have a strong following in the present day, and people can get very conservative about their religious perception, taking issue with the trivialization of a God as a puppet controlled by the player. Chirantan mentions how the various stories and mythologies are ripe for adaptation to action adventure games, but the stumbling block is the license to portray the gods. As Arvind puts it, “You can’t license Gods though, who’s the issuing authority?”
Anikait summarizes that when it comes to India-based settings, you have a choice of mythology, cricket, or Bollywood. Zainuddin wonders why the architecture and art couldn’t be used in a game instead of this standard fare. Even animated films are stuck portraying mythology, as Arvind points out. And Bollywood tie-in games are low-quality efforts that simply clone a popular game type and slap on a fresh coat of Bollywood paint. Our guests point out that it’s simply due to the shoestring budget these games are made with, and people can only take creative risks when they don’t have to worry about paying the bills next month. Zainuddin believes that India hates taking risks, and making your own product is frowned upon, based on his experience. However, Arvind and Vijay quickly counter him. Sahil asks about Western studios using India as a setting, which draws some anguish from Tathagata based on his Far Cry 4 experience. Arvind says, “No, thanks.” Based on the amount of research put in to their usual settings by these studios.
The conversation strangely meanders into the topic of Civilization and its nuclear Gandhi, which seems to make everyone look like excited schoolgirls, and possibilities of a standalone Gandhi mod get thrown around.
The experiences of our guests on using India as a setting
Chirantan asked our guests to talk about their experiences on the topic. Vijay stated that while he’s not very knowledgeable about India as a whole and struggles with speaking the language, he grew up on Bollywood movies from the early 90s and 2000s. He believes the Indian approach to Dadi vs. Jellies paid off because it added some interesting nomenclature that tied in with the theme. It also prevented the game from looking like some generic clone.
Zainuddin markets Asura as a hack-and-slash game with crafting runes where you lose all your stuff if you die. They needed an angry dude as the protagonist who could dismember his way through all foes, and they got inspired by Indian mythological figures like Ravan and the Asuras. This inspiration extends to the enemy classes too, such as Vanara, Hathira, Deva, and Naga.
Arvind talked at NGDC about how Unrest went from three different civs and cities to just one Indian city with all its social structures and nuances. The focus on just one setting allowed the team to exploit it more. It explored taboo things in RPGs like the caste system and social pressures by telling the story through multiple perspectives of people in different stations.
The potential market
Zainuddin and Arvind mention how the familial support net allowed them to pursue their passion for making games. The iLL Staff can relate to that since that’s the case with us too. The talk turns to potential markets for games that use India as a setting. While the home country seems like a no-brainer, Chirantan points out that this market is mostly dominated by mobile platforms, and the PC and consoles are more of a luxury market. The basic problem is that people are yet to understand the necessity of paying for games instead of getting them for free through illegal means.
Sahil suggests that the market may be expanded for everyone by having more relatable games that they can talk about. Tathagata points out that one needn’t compete with the West to grab the attention of that paying audience, since people will play any game if the marketing is done right.
Vijay wonders how a game with an Indian setting would be received globally. Chirantan replies that a polished description page with interesting screenshots and videos can go a long way to making people want to try the game. And once they try it and are hooked, they will do the marketing via word of mouth. Sahil points out that Bollywood has a global appeal, and that could be exploited as a point of entry. Zainuddin adds some wisdom, saying that if you tailor your game to the market, you will rarely make something great. To do that, you need to be passionate about making it for yourself.
A Far Cry
With the recent release of Far Cry 4 and its blatant use of India as a setting, it did eventually creep into the discussion. While not everyone present had played it, Zainuddin and Chirantan weren’t particularly happy with the execution of the setting. Tathagata loved the game, however. But we will save our gripes for the game’s review.[divider]
The final round of discussion sees some random game ideas thrown in, like a car racing game with Indian Gods or an adaptation of Hera Pheri as a point-and-click adventure game. And nuclear Gandhi makes a comeback too.
And those dreams conclude the iLL Panel for this month. We are thankful to Arvind, Vijay, and Zainuddin for joining in. Tell us what you think about India as a setting for video games in the comments below. Until next time, iLL out.
