Sticking to rules is name of the game
gaming ecosystem in the country benefits from efforts like that by Krafton, creator of Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI), to address GoI's concerns to have a ban on the popular game lifted. These concerns are broadly over data localisation and public order, apart from drawing more capital into online gaming, which is a key driver of digital engagement globally. The ban was imposed when India had neither data localisation nor gaming rules.
As these shape up, the online gaming industry will have greater policy clarity on developing titles for a key market like India. It will also be able to reach deeper into the country's programming talent pool, a vastly under-tapped goldmine.
The emerging regulatory structure is designed to prevent psychological harm to users, particularly children, through age-rating and time limits. It seeks to curb addiction and financial loss in real money games.
And the games being offered in India should not suborn 'national interest'. These are fairly consistent with content rules in other media formats and the safeguard mechanism is, in keeping with tradition, self-regulatory. In Krafton's case, the desired local ownership, self-regulation and data localisation levels were achieved through negotiation, which sends out the right signals for both government and industry.
Since then, fresh regulatory clarity has emerged. The online gaming industry should have a free run — as long as it stays within these guard rails.
GoI's concerns are not excessive, given the size of its young population and the dominance of online gaming by Chinese companies. The rules provide protection to consumers and producers.
