The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) is receiving bids from about 40 gaming start-ups, including game producers, with the goal of separating themselves in the draft rules from companies that offer real-money gaming. An “unofficial lobby body” has been formed by a group made up primarily of gaming studios as they race to offer suggestions on the draft rules for online gaming that were issued earlier this month.

This lobby, which consists of 35 to 40 gaming studios in India, will provide several recommendations ahead of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology’s (MeitY) deadline for submissions on January 17.

“In the last few years, the gaming studios’ side of the sector has not been very active. We have not responded much to the gaming proposals or rules that have been suggested over the years, while real-money gaming firms have been very active about their concerns. Hence, the narrative is set for only one section,” said Harish Chengaiah, founder, Outlier Games to YourStory.

A self-regulatory body (SRO), mandatory player authentication using know-your-customer technologies, and grievance redressal mechanisms are some of the highlights of the draft rules for online gaming that MeitY unveiled on January 2.

The government recommended that this self-regulatory authority categorise each game as either a game of skill or a game of chance. This distinction has come up in various legal hearings and mainly concerns real-money gaming (RMG) businesses.

The Consortium of Indian Video Games and E-sports Companies, an informal lobby group, will submit a list of recommendations to the department, with the main focus being to distinguish between RMG companies and game publishers.

The lobby will work to emphasise the distinctions between gaming studios and RMG enterprises, according to Harish, who also consults on gaming policy and was mainly responsible for the formation of this group. In-app purchases, advertisements, and fees for assembling fantasy teams are often how gaming firms that specialise in fantasy sports and games like rummy and poker make money. Firms that are not RMGs do not experience this.

“The way RMG startups make money is very different from a studio like ours. We usually take a few years before pushing out a game, which means we have to wait a few years before making any money,” said Mayur Bhimjiyani, co-founder, Hypernova Interactive, who is also a part of the new consortium.

The group will also think about coming up with ideas for limiting young gamers’ access to such content.

“The second part will address the government’s concern on video games, which is absolutely fair because there could be age-inappropriate content,” Harish added.