Anurag Singh Thakur, the Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting, on August 24, Wednesday, launched a series of mobile games pertaining to online education called ‘Azadi Quest’, developed in collaboration with video game developer Zynga India. Thakur said that this was yet another step taken by the Government to commemorate the contributions and efforts of the country’s freedom fighters and unsung heroes.

Thakur stated that these games are an effort to tap into the huge market of online gamers and to educate them through games. He also said that 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 this learning of this knowledge engaging and interactive,” Thakur was quoted as saying by Financial Express. Some of the others present for the launch were Apurva Chandra, the secretary of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, and Kishore Kichli, the country head of Zinga India.

Thakur also spoke about the emergence of the animation, visual effects, gaming and comics (AVGC) sector in the country, saying that it has been a continual effort of the Ministry of information and Broadcasting to encourage the AVGC sector in India. In the last few years, India has leapt up to be among the top five countries in the gaming sector, with the sector growing by 28 percent only in 2021.

By the next calendar year, the number of these gamers is estimated to cross 45 crores, Thakur added. He stated that these gaming applications will boost the potential of the AVGC sector in the country and also educate people across the globe about India’s glorious past. Meanwhile, Kichli stated Zynga’s mission was to connect people through games and engage players of all ages.

“The path to independence commemorates a transformative milestone in India’s history, and we are proud to be a part of this important national effort to honour India’s past,” expressed Kichli. “Our mission at Zynga is to connect people through games. This initiative is designed to engage players of all ages while harnessing the power of interactive entertainment as a teaching experience about this important era.”