NASSCOM, the premier trade body and the chamber of commerce of the IT-BPO industries in India announced the launch of the NASSCOM Gaming Forum Mentorship Program, to provide a networking platform for the budding gaming entrepreneurs. This mentorship program will help young game development studios to get industry experts to mentor them.
This platform will also help mentee studios to seek funding and business connects. The Indian Game Development Industry is at a burgeoning phase. The increasing rate at which start-ups, Indies and studios are entering this space is on the rise year on year. The industry is at an inflection point where the new applicants can learn and rely on the older generation to learn from their experience.
Setting the agenda for the mentorship program, Chair, NASSCOM Gaming Forum, Rajesh Rao, said, “The NASSCOM gaming Forum is building a robust platform for nurturing the budding gaming entrepreneurs through this Mentorship program. The way India’s gaming sector is growing in recent times is impressive. And to sustain this growth, it is vital to have more gaming entrepreneurs in the country that will renovate the landscape and proliferate expansion. We are optimistic that this initiative will help gaming entrepreneurs to operate and develop their businesses and in the future boost India’s economy”.
Game development studios looking for guidance will be able to apply to the program through a ‘call of intent’ which will ask for a clear problem statement (e.g. which design platform to choose? To go freemium or premium? Mentored to get funded or incubated? and many more). The only criteria being that the prospective studios must have also released at least one game to be eligible for the program.
And if shortlisted, the studio will be paired with a mentor who will guide them and provide insight from their years of experience in the industry. Each batch will consist of the top 6 studios across the country which will be shortlisted by the NGF Mentorship Advisory Team.
The mentors and the mentees will then meet once a week and if feasible with the mentor and mentee, the mentee can shadow the mentor for 1 week, and the progress between mentor and mentee will be tracked, with a review after 3 months.
VP, NASSCOM, Rajiv Vaishnav, said “NASSCOM recognizes the gaming industry as a significant user of technology which can further showcase India’s well established credentials in the IT Industry space. The NASSCOM Gaming Forum will be the evangelising platform for getting game studios and industry veterans on a single platform. Via this program deserving gaming start-ups will get incubation facility in the 10,000 start-up program. “
Last date to file applications is 23 May 2015. The three month program for the mentee companies would start from 1 June 2015.
