Bengaluru, 29 Jan

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said his government wants to see Karnataka as a global innovation leader in animation, visual effects, gaming, comics and extended reality (AVGC-XR) technologies and that it will generate 30,000 new high-quality jobs in State by 2028.

"We aim to ensure that exports in the gaming industry constitute at least 80 per cent of the sector’s total revenue, and foster sustainability and inclusivity within the AVGC industry," Siddaramiah said after at the inauguration of the fifth edition of Gaming, Animation, Visual FX, Conference (GAFX) 2024, a three-day conference.

In November 2023, the State government released a draft policy on biotechnology and animation, visual effects, gaming, comics and extended reality. The six pillars of the policy include ‘Mobile First’ AVGC products, skill development, creation of sustainable infrastructure, empowering startups and MSMEs, provision for global market access and business development incentives and financial support for the gaming industry, the Chief Minister said. “Recognising the global and national surge in these industries, the policy aims to leverage Karnataka’s existing strengths in IT and Business Process Management to establish the State as a global leader in AVGC-XR," the Congress leader said.

The event witnesses a convergence of animation, VFX, and game studios, production houses, industry veterans, professional students, academia, and technology partners. The conference has 115 sessions with 130 speakers and 22 international speakers coming from 10 countries. The GAFX also saw the participation of more than 30 gaming companies and 12 investors. The sessions also involved training on how to pitch animation stories and games, a panel discussion on women in the gaming industry and animation features from India.

Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar highlighted the transformative potential of technology in education through user-friendly animations and the integration of artificial intelligence in the industry. He expressed confidence in the industry's ability to enhance government services and said Bengaluru will play a leading role in the gaming space.