Kabaddi and Gilli Danda go digital

Bangalore: After the success of 'Hanuman: Boy Warrior', Sony PlayStation has launched its second Indian game 'Desi Adda: The Games of India.' The game can be played on PS2 and PSP, and is available in four languages, viz. English, Hindi, Punjabi and Tamil, reports Livemint.

The game involves a storyline along with six indigenous Indian games. Avinash, a Non Resident Indian (NRI), has returned to his grandparent's village. He needs to recapture his ancestral house from the village head Garjan Singh. He also needs to help in marrying Gowri and Gopal that Garjan Singh is opposing. To meet these ends, he needs to win six games: pachisi (a chess game), aadu puli aatam (a hunting game), kite fight, kabbadi, gilli danda, and a dance game, with moves from garba and bhangra.

GameShastra, a prominent Indian game studio, took 16 months to develop this game for Sony. Prakash Ahuja, CEO, GarmeShastra hopes high for the success of Desi Adda but is aware of the challenges it faces. "Indian kids have grown up playing American games and changing the monster slaying mindset is going to be tough," said Ahuja.

Ahuja states that according to estimates, the Indian gaming industry is going be around $100 million ( 460 crore) by 2012 and the key factor that will allow this industry to thrive will be local content. "But for any industry to survive it needs to develop its own content. That is the only reason why Bollywood thrives and not the Pakistani film industry," said Ahuja.

"The idea behind packaging Indian games is that they are both relatable and at the same time slightly exotic for the urban kid. A pachisi may be a simple chess game but today the board itself is unavailable," he said.

Although Desi Adda comes with an age rating of three plus, but Ahuja aims to get parents nostalgic about these games hooked to it as well. The preview of the game makes one wonder about the complexity level. And by the looks of dancing on Bollywood music, it may be the toughest for those only familiar with Counter Strike and RuneScape.