Union Minister Anurag Thakur on Wednesday launched “Azadi Quest”, a series of online educational games based on India’s freedom struggle, developed in collaboration with Zynga India.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Thakur said the move was part of efforts being made by the government to acknowledge the contributions of freedom fighters and “unsung” heroes.
“These games are an effort to tap into the huge market of online gamers and to educate them through games. Various arms of the government of India have collected information about unsung freedom fighters from the corners of the country. “Azadi Quest” is an effort to make learning of this knowledge engaging and interactive,” he said.
Stating that people of all age groups would be hooked on to the mobile games, the Union Minister said they would become household favourites quickly.
Mr. Thakur said the I&B Ministry had been continuously taking measures to boost the Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comic (AVGC) sector in the country. “In the past few years, India has risen to stand among the top five countries in the gaming sector. The gaming sector has grown by 28% in 2021...the number of online gamers has risen by 8% from 2020 to 2021 and by 2023 the number of such gamers is expected to reach 45 crore,” he said.
The Union Minister said the “Azadi Quest” games would also bolster the capabilities of the AVGC sector in India. The information for these games has been curated by the Indian Council of Historical Research's Publications Division. He also acknowledged the contribution made by Zynga India.
The games are available for android and iOS devices in English and Hindi for the people of India and will be available worldwide from September 2022. During a year-long partnership between the Publications Division and Zynga India, more such games would be introduced and the existing ones expanded.
“Azadi Quest series will impart the knowledge of India’s freedom struggle and the legends of country’s great freedom fighters, thereby inducing upon the players, a feeling of pride and a sense of duty and will be instrumental in removing the sense of colonial mindset as also emphasised upon by the Prime Minister in the 76th Independence day speech as ‘Panch Pran of Amrit Kaal’,” said the Ministry in a statement.
