JOIN USImagine the characters of Rama, Sita or even Ravana coming to life to save the Ramayana! That is what a California based video game and connected toys startup Gamaya Inc has accomplished with Gamaya Legends - a video game based on the Ramayana epic. The game attempts to blend the real and virtual worlds by bringing folktales from the Indian epic and featuring 3D animated cartoons and toys on the
lines of ‘Toys to Life’ category like Skylanders or Disney Infiniti.
Narayanan Vaidyanathan, CEO, Gamaya says, “The evolution of the gaming and toys segment was a natural occurrence, considering the discerning demands of kids today. With the tradition of storytelling slowly phasing out and innumerable gaming gizmos taking over, this is an effort to connect today’s kids with their cultural ethos through a medium most preferred by them and one they can instantly relate to.”
The mobile game requires a hardware platform and 3D printed physical toys to be placed on a platform or base, and the chosen character appears on the app screen as an active character. “The fiction is that there is a sinister evil that is destroying the legend. The characters from the Ramayana have been brought to our world so that they don’t get destroyed. The player has the power to bring them back to life and rescue their world from destruction. As the user plays the game and saves the legend, they will discover scrolls that will reveal the original Ramayana story. In this way, kids get a cool game and characters to play with while discovering the popular folktale and connecting to culture,” elucidates the Indian-American, Vaidyanathan.
The characters can be switched between the game as per the users choice and each character has a unique power. “We are coming full circle where the power of smart connected toys and technology develops the level of interactivity in the child’s mind which may sound simple, but is quite educational,” says Vaidyanathan.
Currently out with 10 characters namely Rama, Ravana, Hanuman, Sugreev, Sita, Lakshmana, Jatayu, Indrajit, Anjana and Mahiravana, the starter packs in US have two toys along with the toy-station while in India, the pack has only one toy (Rama) with the toy-station.
Additionally, they have also come up with an animated 3D cartoon series for children which focuses on the back stories of all the characters.
As the company is looking to launch sports games using the same technology in the coming year and with connectivity becoming an industry fad, they are hopeful that this combination of technology and toys could expand their market even further. “We are still scratching the surface of smart toys but we are in a time when toys and games are blending together and it is ought to get better,” he says.