Shillong will house India's first centre of excellence for Online Gaming

Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Minister of State for Electronics & Information Technology and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, stated that by March 2023, Digital India Startup Hub through the Software Technology Parks of India will establish India's first Centre of Excellence in Online Gaming in Shillong.

The North East Region's Center of Excellence in Shillong is anticipated to serve as a catalyst for the development of the ecosystem for the Next Gen Online Gaming.

Rajeev Chandrasekhar while interacting with journalists at a press conference in Shillong, said, “It is the vision of PM Shri Narendra Modi ji that the next wave of startups and entrepreneurs must come from Shillong, Kohima and other parts of North East India.”

In view of the continued global expansion in the rate of digitalization of goods, services, and gadgets, the Minister again emphasised the need for digital skills post-Covid.

He added that a 10-acre campus will soon be ready for this use and would meet the educational needs of young people in the northeast.

The age gating is now set at 18, and the government would want to keep it that way while evaluating the effectiveness of the current framework for fostering innovation in the online gaming industry while maintaining user safety and trust.

Concerning safety, the minister previously stated that 40 to 45 percent of gamers in India are women, making it all the more crucial to maintain the gaming ecosystem secure.