‘All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy’ is an adage these three youngsters believed in firmly, as they grew up. They played while they studied, and they played (and are still playing) while working. Now they are making a career out of it. The trio – Abhishek Singh, Jay Jain and Ram Mohan — all Hyderabad-based game developers from Backstage Pass Institute of Gaming of Hyderabad, made it to the top five in the Student Game of the Year category at the India Game Developer Conference (IGDC) in Hyderabad last week in Hyderabad at Hitex. 

Warbound

The IGDC is one of India’s most significant platforms for game developers. It was established in 2023. The IGDC brings together game developers, students, and enthusiasts from India and South Asia to share knowledge, upskill, network, and showcase their gaming skill. It has awards across 12 categories — including the Student Game of the Year — to recognise excellence in the gaming industry. 

It is all strategy

Talking about his game Warbound, Abhishek Singh explains, “It (Warbound) is a card deck game that I developed to showcase at the IGDC. Building the deck is akin to building an army. I plan to release it next year.

Having grown up playing Road Rash, GTS series, Chinese consoles like Mario etc, Abhishek worked on both the programming and design aspects of the game. He says, “Warbound is an engaging action role-playing game (ARPG) with a twist, combining strategic card mechanics with empire-building gameplay. Players must build their kingdom, upgrade cities, conquer new lands, and expand their empire.”

Disengage

Abhishek had earlier developed games which are already on Google Play and the App Store. “Games that I have developed earlier include Paperly, where the player has to navigate a paper plane to land safely. Lazer Tanks (a game where you battle against alien monsters) and Webslinger, where a spider eats insects to become big and powerful, were also developed by me.” 

International games he likes are Slay the Spire, Hearthstone, and Clash of Plans, developed in European countries. “Earlier I played games for fun; now I play to learnabout their features ,” he adds.  

Multi-faceted

Apart from being a game enthusiast, Jay Jain is a digital music composer and Ram Manohar is an art enthusiast. 

Jay’s game, Disengage, centered around space adventure, was created for the WTF x IGDC Game Jam. In this game, a player embarks on a journey of self-discovery, growing their spaceship while reflecting on life. Jay explains, “This 2D top-down game combines exploration and introspection, offering a serene and thoughtful experience. I developed this game in 48 hours.” His entry into games was with a small game console, like “the ones with a cassette that has 991 games in one, before Xbox,” he adds.

Was it difficult to convince his parents to let him choose a career as a game developer? “Not at all, I was pursuing music already. We know how difficult it is to make a career in music. A game developer has a sure-shot career.”  

How do game developers decide the various features to keep it interesting for the player? Ram Manohar, designer of Slunkey explains, “We want to keep the player engaged. Give them experiences similar to other games they play or played in real time. We do this by including ‘powers’. Jay added, “The thrill and fantasy elements in our games aim at being fun and bringing out the child in you.”  

Slunkey

Ram explains Slunkey, “The players control a mischievous monkey turned into a gooey, stretchy slime after an accident in a banana factory. Using slingshot mechanics to launch across hazardous gaps, stick to walls, and solve quirky puzzles, players must navigate increasingly challenging levels to escape the factory. The vibrant 2D platformer combines humour, unique movement mechanics, and fun banana-themed surprises, offering an exciting, absurd adventure that tests both reflexes and puzzle-solving skills. Apart from me, the team behind Slunkey includes artist Rahul Reddy and designer Devdut Bharadwaj, both alumni of the institute I am currently in (Backstage Pass Institute of Gaming of Hyderabad).

What is the one word of advice from the three to game lovers? “Try more Indie games, we are on par with others and if we are lacking your feedback can help us improve,” said Jay.

Ram added, “It is good follow your dreams. To follow my dream of becoming a game developer, I completed my studies and worked for a few years.”