Tech Tok: Online games now regulated in India

Gaming companies may soon have to build a self-regulatory body to verify players on their platforms and ensure compliance with the rules

Hyderabad: The past few weeks have been historic for the online gaming industry in India. The union government has amended the rules governing eSports, officially recognising it as a multisport event, through a notification issued by the President Droupadi Murmu. This step is expected to give the gaming industry a major push.

As eSports have grown by leaps and bounds in recent years, especially after it was included in the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games as a demonstration sport, governments across the world are now gradually regulating online games.

Days after it became official in India, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology which was recently made responsible for handling matters relevant to online gaming has put out intermediary guidelines – a move that will hopefully streamline the gaming sector.

The draft rules propose to ban all kinds of betting and betting advertisements in online games. The union IT Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar has been quoted as saying, “any online game that permits wagering as an outcome is effectively a no-go area.”

Gaming companies may soon have to build a self-regulatory body to verify players on their platforms and ensure compliance with the rules.

All players will be asked to submit identity proofs before they register to play online. In addition to that, gaming companies are also mandated to have a physical contact address in India published on their website or app.

Going forward, all online games that were formerly casual and unofficial will be regulated under the purview of the law. While gamers and game makers may take some time to adapt, the rules will play a vital role in safeguarding against any potential harm.

After extensive consultations with startups, investors, pro gamers, and think tanks, it is expected the regulations will be finalized by the end of the month. The rules are most likely to emphasize the privacy of players and transparency in any monetary transactions.

Zomato co-founder quits:

Amidst the string of high-profile exits at Zomato, the online food delivery service’s co-founder and Chief Technical Officer Gunjan Patidar, who has played a key role in the organisation for over a decade, resigned on Monday.

Before him, CEO and co-founder, Mohit Gupta put down his papers in November. Vice president of global growth Siddharth Jhawar and chief financial officer Nitin Savara also recently resigned from the company.

The possible reason for the exits is said to be the narrow losses Zomato made in the last two quarters.

Samsung’s new phone under Rs 8000:

According to Samsung’s teaser on Flipkart, its latest entrant in the Indian market Samsung Galaxy F04 will be released on January 4 and the starting price of the phone will be set under Rs 8,000.

However, there will be more storage variants that will be made available in the country. The latest phone will have dual rear cameras with opal green and jade purple colour options.

Common charging ports for all mobiles soon:

Following the footsteps of the European Union, the Indian government has announced that it will soon make it mandatory for tech companies to have a common charging port for all mobiles.

According to reports, USB Type C will be the standard charging port for all electronic devices in the country by March 2025.

— Epsita Gunti with agency inputs