Today’s generation is hooked to technology, or to be precise, their smartphones. Thus it’s hardly any surprise that more and more devs are coming up with mobile learning solutions. And this is where ConveGenius comes in with their motto: Edutainment For All.
They have been coming up with tech savvy and entertaining learning solutions and their new app, Battle Of Minds is a great example of how it’s done. Battle Of Minds is multi-player gaming arena where users can engage, interact, play and learn by competing against each other in a battle of knowledge – all happening in real time.
And today we have with us Arnav, the CTO at ConveGenius, who shares his experiences and acumen in terms of mobile development.
Gaming Central: Hey there Arnav! Glad to have you with us today.
Arnav: Same here guys 🙂
GC: Tell us a bit about yourself, your game and the game development company?
Arnav: As a CTO, I head overall technical architecture and development at ConveGenius. I’m extremely passionate about data related innovations and look forward to building something revolutionary in the edutainment segment.
Our gaming platform, Battle of Minds, is seen as India’s first edutainment gaming network. It is a multiplayer and multi stage contest platform that allows its users to compete with anyone across the globe on knowledge and skill based games. For every win, the users earn virtual tokens which can be redeemed for gift cards/cash vouchers from brands like Flipkart, Freecharge, Dominos, Zo Rooms, BookMyShow etc. The idea behind Battle of Minds is to promote and enhance learning across age groups by making the process fun, affordable and rewarding.
GC: Wow, that really is a great reward system! I know where i’ll be getting my vouchers from now on!
Arnav: The company, ConveGenius, is a mobile first, product company that is focused on gamifying education and creating impacts in larger volumes.
GC: How did you get started with Battle of Minds?
Arnav: The idea and the medieval themed gaming experience was conceptualised in October last year, when our core team were brainstorming on how to enhance mobile learning across age levels by introducing a social layer to gaming. Battle of Minds is the second edutainment product by ConveGenius, first being CG Slate, which uses similar methods of gamification and self incentivization to improve learning outcomes of K-8 kids.
GC: If you weren’t a game developer you would be a…?
Arnav: Before becoming a developer at ConveGenius, I was working as a lead database administrator at S&P Capital IQ. If not developing at ConveGenius, I would probably be still working there. I have, however, always enjoyed playing chess and had I not been introduced to the world of coding, it’s highly likely that I would have been a chess player.
GC: Well, how about a game of chess after this QnA round?
Arnav: Sure! Prepare for a tough fight though, haha!
GC: Can you tell us a bit more about the gaming platform? What game topics are you planning to add in the near future?
Arnav: As a multiplayer contest platform, Battle of Minds offers a variety of game topics for any individual’s edutainment needs. Topics devoted to specific categories of knowledge & information like trending news, current affairs, sports, movie releases, TV shows etc. are currently available for users to play and challenge each others on. Soon, we plan to add skill based games like crossword, chess, hangman etc. to stimulate the brain, and test preparation topics for UPSC, JEE, Bank PO etc. to help one prepare for a competitive exam, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. An ever expanding list of topics ensures that the games stay fun and fresh, whether it’s the 1st game or 1000th.
GC: On how many gamified ed-tech products have you worked on so far?
Arnav: Battle of Minds is the second product launched by ConveGenius, the first being CG Slate. We as a company believe in the philosophy of blending education with entertainment, and thus our first product, CG Slate is based on this very idea. It is a comprehensive mobile based learning ecosystem for K-8 kids that acts as a repository of digital content curated from the best in the market. The ecosystem focuses on disseminating the content in a gamified way, to ensure that the children remain motivated to learn more everyday.
GC: Which development tools and engines did you use for the development?
Arnav: We’ve used native android and playtomic to developing Battle of Minds.
GC: What is the basic structure for developing a game?
Arnav: The foremost step is to identify a platform for the game. Once that is decided, the next step is design the layout and identify various control points in it. This is when you start thinking about your UI-UX, and I believe in giving prime importance to this bit of the process. Once the UI is in place, we start designing the backend, that is flexible enough to incorporate small changes that may happen in the course of the game development. Once the structure of is built, the coding process beings along with extensive testing.
GC: What are the challenges that you might face while developing real time, multi-player games?
Arnav: For multiplayer games to work in the first place, the ideal condition is that the experience of any user should not be compromised on because of any other player/s, and therefore, as a designer, there are specific decisions to be taken, to ensure that the overall quality of the participation does not decline. More specifically, for a gaming contest platform like ours, it is of utmost importance that all the players join in at the same time. Therefore, a conscious decision was made by the team was to disqualify any player who does not join within 20 seconds of the battle, assuring that other users do not suffer because of one.
On the other hand, a whole other series of challenges come up, once we enter the arena of real time games. The primary requirement is that the all the players must be connected to the internet at the same time. In a country like India, where good connectivity is still an issue, getting this part right has been our biggest challenge.
GC: What were your inspirations?
Arnav: We see a sharp rise in the number of aggregators today. They exist for cars, hotels, healthcare, transport, housing etc. We were inspired by the idea of content aggregation and decided to build a social gaming platform that would aggregate games & world class content from various players and provide it under one umbrella.
GC: Gameplay, Narrative, or Graphics? Which is the most important according to you?
Arnav: I believe that the importance of these elements are specific to different users. Some may compromise on the graphics for the others, while others may not. Personally, I think they are all very important to build a comprehensive platform. However, to me, narrative stands out as it ties the other two together for a flawless gaming experience.
GC: How long have you been working on your latest game?
Arnav: As I mentioned before, the idea of this game was convened in October last year, and our team has been working day and night since then, to make the experience of users world-class.
GC: How many folks are involved in the making of your game
Arnav: Our product team of 9 people were involved in the designing and the developing of the game. However, since our model has a huge value proposition for top brands, the business development team, marketing team and customer care team have also worked simultaneously to grow the ecosystem.
GC: What is your favorite game at the moment and what makes it special?
Arnav: Like I said, I love playing Chess. This game has been my favourite for years now.
GC: Any advice for budding gamers and developers?
Arnav: Originality is the key. Don’t slightly modify a popular game to gain temporary success. Think of an original idea and model it from the scratch. It will help you in the long run. Give utmost importance to your UI and UX because, in the end, that is what defines the user-base. On a side note, use already existing platforms to develop your game for an easier process.
GC: Thanks a lot for your thoughts. That was an interesting conversation and we are sure many budding devs and techies will take a lot from you. Now, how about that game of chess 🙂
Also be sure to check out Battle Of Minds app right here. Let us know your opinions on this new way of learning! And keep checking back at Gaming Central for more interviews, reviews and the latest gaming news.
