Digital
Online gaming in India is among the world’s most vibrant, says MoS I&B Dr L Murugan at Storyboard18 DES 2025
Gaming is India’s newest storytelling language: dynamic, interactive, and immersive: MoS I&B Dr L Murugan at Storyboard18 DES 2025
With over 500 million players, India’s gaming industry ranks among the most vibrant in the world, according to Murugan. He was speaking at Storyboard18's Digital Entertainment Summit 2025.
Speaking at the Digital Entertainment Summit (DES) 2025 hosted by Storyboard18, Murugan said India’s gaming industry, with over 500 million players, is now among the world’s most vibrant.
Once dismissed as mere time-pass, gaming in India is now a full-blown cultural and economic force, one that is scripting a new narrative of Indian identity, creativity, and global ambition. At the Digital Entertainment Summit 2025 hosted by Storyboard18, Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs, Dr. L Murugan, placed online gaming firmly at the heart of India’s digital revolution.
“Indian games are now being developed with Indian characters and languages… Mahabharatam, Ramayanam… Games are India’s newest storytelling language: dynamic, interactive, and immersive,” said Murugan, emphasizing how gaming has evolved into a vehicle for cultural storytelling.
With over 500 million players, India’s gaming industry ranks among the most vibrant in the world, according to Murugan. But more than just numbers, he said, it’s the nature of the medium that is transforming how stories are told, livelihoods are built, and creative futures are imagined.
“Where once games were seen as a time passer, now it is earning money, making careers, and building futures,” he said. From design and narrative to audio, VFX, and esports management, gaming is no longer an isolated niche—it’s a multidisciplinary powerhouse.
Murugan positioned gaming as a key pillar within India’s expanding digital entertainment economy, valued at ₹2.5 trillion in 2024. He underscored that content creation, whether for games or films, is now “the key to unlocking economic and cultural potentials.”
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He also called out the AVGC-XR sector—animation, VFX, gaming, comics, and extended reality as a sunrise industry with over 3 lakh professionals and nearly 4,000 studios across India. “Our engineers, our technicians, our skilled manpower are doing post-production work for Hollywood movies in Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune,” he said.
Investing in Skilling and Access
Citing the World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (Waves 2025) as a milestone moment, Murugan said the event generated ₹1,300 crore in business and saw the Maharashtra government ink ₹8,000 crore worth of MoUs with international media universities and firms. “These are more than numbers—they reflect the world’s recognition of India as both a cultural destination and a technical innovator,” he noted.
To support this creative momentum, Murugan talked about the Indian Institute of Creative Technology (IICT) in Mumbai, a ₹400 crore investment on a 202-acre campus aimed at becoming an IIT/IIM-equivalent for the creative sector.
In parallel, India now boasts over 7,000 creative training institutions, 37 academies, and 20 XR-specific programmes. Murugan sees this as vital to preparing Indian youth for global careers in storytelling, tech, and beyond.
He also highlighted the democratization of digital access. Recounting a personal anecdote from the Nilgiris, Murugan said, “I bought some cucumber. I asked the vendor, shall I pay? She said, no—you have to send me the Google payment.” This anecdote was used to contrast a past where political leaders doubted India’s digital literacy. “But now… we are number two in digital transactions in the world,” he said.
Cultural and Regulatory Momentum
Murugan also praised the growth of live entertainment, noting India hosted over 3,000 events in 2024, ranging from regional festivals to international concerts. These events, he said, aren’t just about entertainment but also engines of economic activity and cultural pride.
On the policy front, he pointed to legislative and regulatory overhauls—from the Cinematography Act Amendment (2023) and 2024 anti-piracy rules to modernized copyright laws and the expansion of community radio and AIR/FM networks.
The Bharat@2047 Vision
Concluding his speech, Murugan envisioned a future where India is not just a consumer but a global storyteller. “Creators are no longer just content makers. They are the global ambassadors of Indian identity,” he declared.
As India eyes the centenary of independence, he urged creators and technologists alike: “Let us create, collaborate and co-lead this new cultural era for India… Let us empower our Bharath as Bharath at 2047. Jai Hind. Jai Bharat.”
DES 2025 aims to spotlight policy innovations, new frontiers in gaming, and the tech ecosystem's next growth wave. The event unpacked India's strategy for leading the digital entertainment economy, with top policymakers outlining how talent, technology, and governance will fuel future-ready growth.
SPOTLIGHT
As India eyes global leadership in media, entertainment and gaming, Storyboard18's Digital Entertainment Summit, set to take place on June 27 in the capital, will spotlight the bold strategies, policy pathways and creative innovations shaping the future of the industry.
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