An article in Business Standard calls games at Zapak, Gaminghungama etc MMOGs (Massively Multiplayer Online Game) and compares Bollywood branded games there with the World of Warcraft…I couldn’t disagree more - these sites just host multiplayer online games and that are not massive in any sense of the word. They’re casual games. The only MMOG in India, an MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) in fact, that I know of is Sify’s A3, though I have never tried it, and have no clue of whether or not it has succeeded. GameGuru has a review here.
With MMOGs not having taken off in India, there’s talk of mobile MMOGs: Jayant Sharma, Chairman & CEO of Milestone Interactive isn’t too bullish on that genre, though - devices lack the hardware, and there are just an estimated five million GPRS users in India. What better way to drive usage than gaming, though GPRS cost and speeds aren’t particularly supportive. In any case, both the content and the network access to it has to be made available simultaneously to drive usage. Until then, one will have to make do with bluetooth gaming.
Corrigendum: The report says that Zapak will launch an MMOG in its third phase of expansion. The report does, however, also call Baabul an MMOG.
Related:
- Nokia Profiles Mobile Gaming Habits