WAVES City Quest: Shades of Bharat – Gamifying Urban Development
Context
The Indian government, in collaboration with the E-Gaming Federation (EGF), has launched WAVES City Quest: Shades of Bharat, an educational card-based game designed to promote awareness about urban development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
- The game aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision for urban planning and is part of the Create in India Challenges under the World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit (WAVES 2025).
Relevance:
GS-02 (Government policies and interventions)
Key Highlights
- Educational Gaming Initiative: Developed to make urban planning and SDGs engaging through a card-based game.
- Collaboration: Created by the E-Gaming Federation (EGF) with support from the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting.
- City-Based Comparison: Players analyse 56 Indian cities using parameters like cleanliness, healthcare, education, and infrastructure.
- Interactive Gameplay:
- Players receive 11 randomly shuffled city cards.
- Cities are compared based on six key parameters.
- Points are awarded for winning rounds, consecutive wins, and ties.
- Artificial Intelligence Integration: Players compete against Vishwakarma (AI) in a strategic battle of city comparisons.
- Part of WAVES 2025: Falls under AVGC-XR (Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics & Extended Reality) to promote immersive storytelling and interactive experiences.
- Massive Participation:
- 1,920 players have registered for City Quest as of February 2025.
- 73,000+ participants have engaged in the Create in India Challenges.
- Dynamic Leaderboards: The game features three leaderboard categories, tracking top players and encouraging competitive participation.
Conclusion:
By blending technology, education, and entertainment, WAVES City Quest serves as a unique initiative to engage citizens in India’s urban development discourse.
