How NVIDIA plans to build a strong gaming community in India

BENGALURU: Graphics card manufacturer NVIDIA is working on building a strong gaming community in India via tie-ups with gaming cafes and offering support, training and certification for cafe owners.

RIG ESports, an NVIDIA certified gaming cafe in the heart of Bengaluru, has seen a steady rise in footfall since its launch six months ago. The cafe has become a favourite evening retreat for college goers in the vicinity who constitute the growing class of gamers.

"The NVIDIA certification helps bring in more crowd. Gamers associate the certification of a large gaming brand with a chic experience. This adds a premium tag to the cafe," said Deepak Thomas, founder, RIG ESports.

Depending on the facilities present such as the size of the cafe, the number of gaming terminals and the hardware offerings, the cafes are rated Gold, Silver or Platinum by NVIDIA. "We have about 50 certified gaming cafes across India and we'll be expanding," said Vamsi Krishna, head-consumer marketing, South Asia, NVIDIA.

Besides, the company supports cyber cafes in organising e-sport tournaments and awards cash prizes through its annual e-sport tournament GeForce Cup.NVIDIA sees the growth of cyber cafes as crucial in its strategy to get people playing here. The proliferation of gaming cafes is a win win for NVIDIA as the demand for graphic cards will, in turn, go up.

Krishna highlighted that the benign view of gaming as recreation is fading away as many see promising prospects in gaming.