Hyderabad:Telangana is setting ambitious sights on gaming, animation, and visual effects with its new Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics' (AVGC) 2.0 policy announced at the India Game Developer Conference (IGDC).
The policy outlines plans for a gaming innovation hub, expected in 2025, which will serve as a dedicated space for research, development, and support for startups. “We’re trying to create a beautiful ecosystem for small gaming firms and innovation,” IT minister D. Sridhar Babu said, alongside his Tamil Nadu counterpart Dr Palanivel Thiagarajan.
Sridhar Babu said a comprehensive esports policy focusing on ethical gaming standards will be kept in mind while framing this AVGC policy. “We are accountable for the impact gaming has on society,” he added.
Both ministers called for stronger, unbiased support from the Centre to sustain this growth. Dr Thiagarajan voiced the need for collaboration that’s free from political interests. “The opportunity here is immense… collaboration with the Central government must be apolitical,” he noted.
On a similar note, Sridhar Babu shared that Telangana was working to attract venture capital to foster a competitive environment for gaming startups and has “appealed to the central government to give all the assistance required for the state.”
On the other hand, Telangana and Tamil Nadu are finding a balance between friendly competition and learning from each other’s strengths. Sridhar Babu spoke of the “healthy competition among states” and the mutual respect shared. He stated that the governments are invested in creating a unified approach to strengthen India’s gaming industry.
Dr Thiagarajan agreed, saying, “We each have different strengths. We want to learn from whoever does well.” Thiagarajan also praised Telangana’s advancement to AVGC 2.0, while Tamil Nadu is still in its initial AVGC phase.
The two states are also pushing hard to enhance gaming education. Telangana, for instance, is in talks with international firms to partner with its skill university to prepare students specifically for gaming careers.
“We’ve opened the floor to global entrepreneurs to partner with us in our skill university,” Sridhar Babu explained, adding, “Our objective is to create an ecosystem that draws global entrepreneurs, fosters innovation, and provides employment opportunities for our people.”
