NEW DELHI:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
, who met some of the country’s top online
gamers
, has said govt does not want to impose regulations in areas such as e-sports, even though a distinction needs to be drawn to counter gambling.
Modi also dabbled in some of the popular terminologies of the gaming industry such as ‘noob’ — a reference to someone who is a newbie or not very skilled at a game — and said that if used in the current election period, it would be seen as a jibe in the existing high-pitched political environment.
In a view that will be music to the ears of the gaming industry, Modi said the
e-gaming industry
does not require any
regulation
and must remain free in order to grow. “Govts have a tendency to expand their control,” he said.
The PM had a half-an-hour-long interactive session with gamers Tirth Mehta, Animesh Agarwal, Anshu Bisht, Naman Mathur, Mithilesh Patankar, Ganesh Gangadhar and Payal Dhare. They discussed a host of issues — including the challenges before e-gaming industry — and the PM also posed questions to them just as tried his hands at some games.
Naman Mathur, a gamer, asked the PM if there was a need to regulate the gaming sector. Modi said regulation wouldn’t be the right word because it is govt’s nature to intervene. “There are two things — either you try to impose restrictions under a law or try to understand and mould it based on our country’s needs and bring it under an organised and legal structure and uplift its reputation,” he said.
The PM said that his govt wants to uplift the country to a level by 2047 so that it is out of the lives of middle-class families in particular. “Our life is stuck in paperwork. It is the poor who need govt, govt should be there with them in difficult times,” he added.
Another gamer Animesh Agarwal suggested govt should recognise
esports
and gaming as a mainstream sport. “It is skill-based gaming and does not involve gambling. Once it is established and understood by all govt bodies, including those involved in financial transactions, it will be really beneficial. As you said, the industry does not need regulation. We should let it grow freely. With a little push, the industry will be ready,” he said, while talking to the PM.
Modi responded to this by saying, “It (e-sports and gaming) does not require any regulation. It must remain free, only then it will boom.”
The PM sought to know from the gamers about how they deal with the conflict between gaming and gambling. The gamers also discussed with the PM certain terminologies used in the industry such as “noob” and “grind”.
As the gamers explained to the PM that ‘noob’ is a reference to someone who is a newbie or not very skilled at a game, Modi chuckled, “If I use this word during elections, people will wonder who I am referring to. If I say it, you will assume it is aimed at a particular person.”
The PM also stressed how govt has recognised the creativity of gamers, and promoting the gaming industry in the country. They also spoke about issues concerning gambling versus gaming while discussing women’s participation in the industry.
During the interaction, Modi said gaming should also be used for relevant messaging and suggested games around climate change and sanitation initiatives.
English (US) ·