Being an Indie App/Game developer in India

No, it’s not a trending topic on Twitter. Why? Cause, it’s Indie. These Indian Indie developers make games are and thus called ‘Indie Gamers.’ I’ve been following Indie game development for a while in India. There are absolutely dedicated and hard-working developers who have made some excellent games. But, most of the work that I get to see is derivative of ‘popular games’ like Subway Surfer, Temple Run or Candy Crush. A lot goes into developing games and as the trend goes… The west glorified their Indie Game Developers into demigods with a documentaries. While we left our Indie developers starving in the sun.

These movies though insightful borderline on chauvinism as most of the Indian game developers have been facing the same issues but at a larger scale. At least with a western audience you stand a better chance to earn back the capital that you invested. But, not all game developers are that lucky and most of them would be Indian. A simple reason for that is Indian’s don’t pay and for these developers to crack it foreign markets requires a mix of great PR, marketing, amazing concept and development to get some attention. Working with an App development company for the last three months has helped me understand the problem better.

Some of the key issues are:

1) The Indian audience is not mature enough yet

Most of the Indian consumers still do not buy apps. As much as we like to boast of our gold-plated iPhones and bathroom tile Samsung’s… We do not see the value in buying a $ 1 app. Why because we do not see the effort that the developer has put into it.

2) The misleading perception that apps are easy

This could not be farther from the truth. Apps are ‘not’ easy to make and like one of my colleagues, Gokul, rightly points out, “smaller screen does not mean lesser code.” There are some glaring misconceptions. To cite an example: HTML 5 website is NOT all you need to make an app, even with default template pulling RSS feeds is not a 20 minute job and NO, we won’t work for food. Wondering how much your app should cost, try it here.

3) The media covers only the ‘wonders’

The mainstream media’s editorial team can never keep pace with the technological advances. They need a sure shot way to milk the whole shebang before they invest their time in it. What that means is that, advertisers with vested interests get more mileage than the real players. This is what has been the scenario for eons. If at all, they cover a story on an app developer, it would be about a whiz kid or something just as outrageous. They do not want to see the normal starving game/app developers cause that’s not really news.

Indian blogs or websites on the other hand have a few players that take the effort to cover relevant issues and games/apps but these are too far and in between. The other aspect these web portals cover are success stories but again the parameters to qualify for a story are plain ludicrous.

I’ve seen the perseverance of the game/app developers in India and I applaud their work. I would particularly like to congratulate Shailesh Prabhu of Yellow Monkey Studios for bagging the game developer of the year and (Huebrix) best game of the year award at the NASSCOM Game Development Conference.

Here is Shailesh talking about his journey with NASSCOM and the Ping Network:

We the people & media must realise that we have left a huge vacuum that if utilised well would change the face of our game and app industry for good. Just that someone has to take that first decisive step. The quality of apps and games developed in India is tremendous and we are fools to ignore it. The mainstream media is playing catch up but we as bloggers can make a dent. To prove my point, I am going to publish a series of games/app YouTube videos and you post in the comments as to which is the Indian V.s Foreign Developer.

Agents of SHIELD and Agent Coulson death theories

As part of my University curriculum, I had to write an article based on a story that was circulated on Twitter and other Social Networking Sites (henceforth referred to as SNS). I had a couple of ideas for the same which from burning topics in the field of technology to the murky grounds of politics. But, I decided to write about something that really matters to me and that is Agent Coulson from Strategic Hazard Intervention Espionage Logistics Directorate or better known as S.H.I.E.L.D. (henceforth referred to as SHIELD)

I know, its fiction but that is exactly what spurs conversations online. Sadly, I did not see anything awe-inspiring with the social media reaction to the new series Agents of SHIELD. Rather, I am a little surprised at this.

Let’s rewind…

May 14, 2013, this happens:

Undoubtedly, the marketing push was immense and the Agents of SHIELD has over a million likes on FB, strong presence on Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. But, does it have a burgeoning trending on any social media? Nada.

Not that there are not attempts at this. Captain America is going to be on SHIELD and that is a big deal. Considering cross-franchising.

We’re excited. #CaptainAmerica could cross over with Agents of #SHIELD: http://t.co/WHtffdFFhj

— Digital Spy (@digitalspy) October 25, 2013

And then there are desperate appeals to the audience by the cast members to help them ‘blow up’ a news:

Tonight on @AgentsofSHIELD. I show up and start some shenanigans. RT and help me blow this up.

— AUSTIN NICHOLS (@AUS10NICHOLS) October 22, 2013

Now, as I write this… I am reminded of Henry Jenkins. While the concept of Avengers was well-received it was backed by a huge marketing campaign. The studio took a lot of effort to introduce all the super-heroes which was thoroughly boring for me. But, was necessary. According to Mr. Jenkins and the convergence culture, the participatory culture is in play here.

*Spoiler Alert*
The TV show mentioned here has got the attention of some of the hardcore fans of the Avenger series and Marvel due to Agent Coulson. The interesting thing is that, he is dead. So, this a TV show with a dead man in the lead and that spurred the initial interest in the TV show spin-off of the movie.

I think and this just a thought, after the initial hoopla around the movie (Avengers) died down. So did the interest in the TV show. This basic assumption that I’d got more credibility as I scoured reddit for theories for resurrection of Agent Coulson and voila! I found the threads but also know that the show is a dud.

Before that, the death of Agent Coulson

And the speculation:

And this is something Jenkins would be really proud off, fan made video:

The reddit threads are very generic and the biggest thread has only 126 comments (one of which is mine) The initial one talks about Avengers and the launch of the TV Show. There is a detailed theory by a fan and a darker script written by yet another fan. That’s it, there are 4 active reddit threads dedicated to the show.

Now, if the theory of Convergence Culture is appropriate in its predictions then the show producers would want to ‘boost’ the ratings of the show. Get more involvement from the mass audience and then try to be more inclusive of hardcore fans. If sci-fi TV history has taught anything then that would be a HEROES* mistake.

How bad is the show in garnering any traction? Well, there is one active thread on the Sci-fi section of stack exchange, one! And that place literally crawls with nerds and geeks. There is one decent article on the death and resurrection of Agent Coulson.

I’ve been following the show for quite sometime and have been seeing Agent Coulson’s proximity to collecting old cards and memorabilia, referring to Tahiti as a magical place and the general curiosity around the character portrayed by Skye. I’ve read most of the theories and I’m sure I am going to be underwhelmed. The only sincerest hope that I have is that they do not stretch out the whole thing into How I Met Phil Coulson sort-off a thing.

HEROES* A TV show that was immensely popular but imploded due to a need to dumb down the story for a broader audience… Loosing its Oomph! Factor and moreover leaving the early adopters of the series flummoxed at the changes.

Marathi Manoos Jaaga Hoo

Bhagva Zenda
Image Credit (http://lh6.ggpht.com/)

Mumbai: It is comfort, it is home, it is my life long love affair.

 

Never did I realize the pride of being a Maharashtrian until I came to Madras aka Chennai. I grew up in Bombay aka Mumbai. I always shared a love and hate relationship with the city of my spawn but even a month away from it is torturous. There are many things that I hate about Mumbai but what I truly love is the respect that we’ve for all cultures. I might claim to be a Maharashtrian (a native speaker of Marathi) but like so many others, even my kin migrated here.

Growing up in Mumbai, you are invariably (even if you stay under a rock) are exposed to so many languages and by default end up being bilingual (at least). Personally, I am very terrible at learning languages. Even with that handicap, I speak Hindi, Marathi, English and can manage Gujarati, Bhojpuri and Bengali. South Indian languages are managed with the odd English words. Let me clarify something here, my maternal family is a mix of Southerners. My Aaji (grandmother) tried futile to teach me Kannada. All I learnt was Ila (no).

In Bombay, we speak a specific dialect of Hindi which is called Bambaiya Hindi. The requirements of this language are  simple. Everything we say starts and ends with bhenchod or saala or kya baat (or Maa) kar raha hain be. This is the language that the city speaks.  What I miss the most here in Chennai is the fact that you cannot start speaking in English, jump to Hindi, start speaking in your mother tongue, revert back in another language and yet find it fluid. The conversation is never abrupt but a flow and we won’t realize it until someone forcefully points it out.

Marathi

My family always told me to take pride in being a Maharashtrian and our language, Marathi. As a rebellious teen, I thought it was being forced down my throat and until a few years back I completely ignored it. This is a mistake that I regret today but it’s never too late than ever. I remember as a kid thinking that Marathi is not the cool language to be associated with, was I wrong. Regrets.

Sadly, there is no prosperous Marathi film industry but we have excellent plays and drama’s. I’m proud that Devdutt (my younger brother) has chosen to be a part of it. The depressing part is that, knowing just Marathi is not enough in a place like Mumbai. You ought to be more versatile and the work here demands it.

Tamil Pride: The Misplaced Ego

I moved to Chennai on August 4, 2012. Two weeks here and I knew this was to be my Kala Pani (know more about Kala Pani). Language is a major hindrance. There is a definite hatred towards Hindi. There is racial bias that is evident and there are no qualms made. Over here, for the first time, I was referred to as North Indian. I’ve no issues called that but the arrogance with which I encountered these words was hurtful. I related to every Bhaiya or Hirva in Mumbai. Being a minority is not fun. Wanting my voice to be heard, I introduced everyone who was willing to listen to the existence of the West Coast of India and the Deccan Plateau.

After moving here, I’ve started avoiding talking in Hindi due to the constant fear of being ostracized if you speak that language. I keep my conversations in English or in broken Tamil or in the worst case scenario – Signs and Grunts. There have been scathing looks that I’ve received when I initially like a naive Indian enquired if they knew Hindi.

Let me clarify, I’ve made some excellent friends in Chennai. Thankfully, they have understood my plight and converse around me at least in a neutral language. Moreover, they have made efforts to speak Hindi while I try to cope up with Tamil.

This aforementioned breed though is very rare. Others that I’ve met during my stay here are quite anal about their love and pride of Tamil language. That is the most absurd sentence that they utter and do so on a pretty regular basis. Taking pride or loving your language does not mean that you choose only that language as your mode of communication. There have been several times in University of Madras and in my department that my esteemed classmates only wish to talk in Tamil citing comfort issues and the fact that they learnt in that language. Guest lecturers would also conduct classes in Tamil. It was quite irritating at first but now I tend to block the language or avoid the lectures altogether.

I don’t even dislike Tamil as a language. I try to learn the language because as a journalist it is important for me to be able to connect to locals. I might not completely succeed but I will try. Because that what Mumbai has taught me, try to accommodate.

In my mind, it seems to be that Tamilians are just plain paranoid about their language and its status. Yes, I have read the history of Dravidian movements and the language issue. But, that does not mean that you alienate yourself. As I have observed here, most of the youth who are pursuing higher studies can barely clobber together a proper sentence in English. I just hope that this does not show on their employment factor. I can go on about all of this but it is  just paltya ghadya var paani (water over a turtled utensil).

Reigniting my passion for Marathi

I am revisiting my language, its culture and the people. Oh, the people. I’ve plenty of friends in Mumbai. There are Tamilians, Mallus, Muslim, Bihari, Bhaiya (UPite), Christians, Sardars, Punjabi, Gujarati, Marwadi, Jain, Parsi, egad, you name any region and I am ought to know someone. And nearly all of them either understand or talk or are fluent in Marathi. I don’t think anyone coerced them into learning the language nor is the Thackeray family that influential.

But, this stubborn behavior as displayed in Chennai made me realize one thing, ‘I need to do more for the Marathi language and help it flourish.’ That does not mean being a bigot who keeps shouting, ‘Son of Soil.’ But, genuinely trying to help and engulf this beautiful language and its people in an entity that stands out.

Jai Hind, Jai Maharashtra.

On a concluding, I would just like to point out one fact about Chennai. Majority of the people that have come here to study or work want to get out of this state and city at the earliest. This effect is universally observed amongst all us outsiders here in Chennai. I’ve never felt so disconnected from India as I have in this city. The statement Unity in Diversity is not applicable here.

P.S. This is not a personal remark on any of my friends or acquaintances but an overall stand point.

Here is what I have to say…

It has been long since my last post; the past two months have been hectic, frenzied and stressful. Somehow, the feeling of work and responsibility makes me more human. Personal life has taken a backseat and not once do I regret the fact. Anyway, I wanted to write about the change from being a tech reviewer to Public Relations. But instead I decided to write about some people I have worked with and my experience. No, details of what I do or anything close I shall blog but the last two years have been an eye opener for me.  I will be dropping a lot of names in this blog: the people who have taught me a lot over the years.

I know, I know this seems like some award ceremony speech but it is not. I decided to write this post for so many confused souls like me. I have been lucky to find support in peers that were/are supportive and ready to guide.

To start with: I love writing. Mincing words with a few strands of emotions and spewing a good read is something I enjoy. But, truly speaking as a journalist I felt suffocated, as an assistant editor I felt restricted and as a tech reviewer I loved it but wanted more!

First up: I would like to mention an awesome friend and editor Shriram Sharma. I was skipping jobs, well that always was the plan to see all aspects of journalism. But reviewing gadgets and software’s for a living is something I only dreamt as a kid. Ankur (onlygizmos) gave me my first break (not many know that) and then I shifted to Technoholik. Back to Ram, he eased me into the whole scenario, told me how s*it works in the small clan of reviewers. He was patient with me, I sucked at writing reviews and he polished the articles a lot and I mean A LOT! From Ram I learnt the simplest and yet the most important things – Patience, lending a helping hand and for some reason yoga! I know for a fact that whoever works with him will have some good takeaways and some stories to tell. I mentioned how I got to Technoholik; Ankur (OG) a small story and I was into the game. That is the power AA holds and yet is receptive.  He has started a blog that one person only imagines to do in his life.  Respect to you both.

As surprising this paragraph might be but here is a true story: I learnt the importance of being yourself from Sucheta Dalal and Debashish Basu. As short of a time it was that I worked with them; I learnt hordes. I remember Basu sir telling me that he thought I had something in me for this field and just needed to present myself that way. His exact words were ‘A journalist is his own PR.’

There are so many more people who I would love to mention like Bamoo sir… Not his real name. Ignatius Alberquee he probably gave me the best advice that I will take to my pyre. First let me tell you something of Bamoo sir, he is a hefty man! A towering gentle giant who just by his voice can make trainee reporters crap their pants! Why did I share that? Cause only after will you understand the impact the words he said to me had. I had approached him to teach me some editing tips and he said to me, “Look I will give you six words and that is it. After that I do not have much to say… it is simple what I do. When in doubt, leave it out. Straight and simple, when in doubt, leave it out.”  I was little miffed when he said that! But, those words resonate whenever I am faced with a tough decision. A slightest doubt and I make sure I either rectify the same or just forget it. FYI: Works best in a relationship!

 

The person I want to talk about right now will remain anonymous. They are actually two people and both them told me one simple thing. Passion is good but it needs to show some returns. Be passionate and follow through to everything but it has shown returns. When I heard that for the first, I felt they have horse blinders on as they work. I tried them and they fit like a glove. Hopefully I will keep my head straight and learn more as I move ahead.

The last mention is my parents: Honesty, being grounded and self-preservation. Enough said.

So, let me put everything in perspective:  Be passionate about whatever you love it can be anything. Be open to criticism and new ideas, the world we see in books and real life differs. Patience, planning and helping (Shriram and AA) accept the fact that you do not know how s#it works. Face the heat, hear ‘em out. And if you feel that your seniors are assholes that are cause their bosses were assholes too. So, start a good chain here-on I know you’ll have fancier degree’s than me but when on the first day remember you are an idiot here to learn. Passion pays but it all depends on how you integrate what you learn into day-to-day life.

To naysayers, who feel I cheated on what I love. People, it is simple passion got me here and I am just a traveler wondering where all can I go. I hope you understand and respect that.

P.S. A shout-out to all bloggers and reviewers; love the passion you guys work with.

Inspiration and motivation – The Human Ether

Physics as a science has always enthralled me. The reasons for it being so are many but the primary reason is that it is a science independent of human intervention. How free is it of the same is also debatable as the more we know, the little we understand.

Indian school textbooks lay a lot of emphasis on science and mathematics. The sad part is that theory and application are rarely taught in unison. Take a simple example the origins of our universe allegedly originate from a single point – The Big Bang. But, let us rewind and get back to the basics – when all we knew was the heaven and sun. Students of Physics in their attempt to define how light travels imagined of ether as a traveling component. Today it has been proved beyond a doubt that it does not exist. Here is where my curiosity kicks in…

 

Everyday Mumbai – Revelations

Inspiration and motivation are the ether in many individual lives. Like Mr. Steve Jobs said, “You cannot connect the dots looking ahead.” An individual never has a way to know: how, why and where will a certain thing or place or saying affect the future proceedings. Take a look within and imagine you and your surrounding – your heaven and sun. Really though what is the point of existence..?

In physics we look back… At any given point of life you’re always looking forward and are dependent on the prior art of your life to make sense. This brings me to the last part of the random thoughts… Then what are plans? What is inspiration/motivation? How long before you can make complete sense or is it up to the discretion of your predecessors to look into it? Have you no control over it? Or is it that every day you look back contemplate and live it like Mr. Jobs says and many greats resound, “As your last.”

Right now, I am the contemplative and the curious filling his world with known/imaginative ether (inspiration/motivation) to move ahead.  Awaiting my point-blank as everyday goes by…