A surge of innovation has hit the ever-changing gaming industry as new technology and trends have emerged. Nascent Edge, as a research firm with a distinctive mission, distinguishes out from the crowd of competitors in this fast-paced industry. Nascent Edge is preparing for a tremendous return, beginning with their first event in India, Games Next Dimension (GNT), following a period of relative quiet induced by the global pandemic.
The leaders behind the inaugural event are James Smith, the Event Manager and Ruark Jacob, the Event Producer. These individuals on the Nascent Edge team invite a community of game developers, technology producers, government officials, software manufacturers, and general gaming fans to the in-person gaming industry event.
In this conversation, Ryan Gallagher of TreasureHunter.media asks Ruark and James about the market research they’ve conducted, who they expect to attend the event, and some of their personal anecdotes about the gaming industry.
The importance of this conference was emphasized by GNT’s conference producer, Ruark Jacob. GNT is meant to celebrate the people who are making strides in the gaming business and investigate the technology developments that are fueling its expansion. Beginning on November 22nd, this conference will feature seminars, panels, and keynote speeches by prominent figures in India’s and the world’s business communities.
During our conversation, the Nascent Edge team discussed some of the latest developments in the gaming industry. They talked about how eSports have changed the industry, how the cloud gaming industry is promising, and how the metaverse can provide really immersive experiences. Disruptive technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and blockchain are also altering the gaming industry’s future. Let’s jump right in.
Editor Note: During the video interview, the team mention the conference starts in September. The dates have since been updated. The GNT convention will take place from November 22nd to 24th 2023.
Listen and watch this interview on Youtube, and read the entire Q&A transcribed below!
James Smith
So, Nascent Edge has been around for a few years, but we haven’t been active, mostly due to the pandemic and it wasn’t really a time that was conducive to us having our, in-person events, which is what we specialize in. So, behind the scenes, how I would describe Nascent Edge? We are a research company, and we identify markets where next generation technologies are taking hold, that doesn’t necessarily need to be gaming. We also are looking at having, renewable energy and startup conventions as well. But we wanna start in gaming because that’s a market that we know well, we wanna start with gaming in India specifically because that’s a market that we know. And, from our insights, the gaming industry is growing incredibly quickly within India. And we want to help to foster that growth. We want to host events that bring people together, all from the top down, from top businesspeople to players, to make sure that everyone’s got the most up-to-date information. And we think that the best way to create this network is by getting everyone under the same roof, stimulating discussions through a conference, displaying the most recent developments in the industry through exhibitions and just generally trying to make sure that everyone’s shaking the right hands and they can get the right deals going. So, we try and aim to make sure that everyone at our events can contribute something to the other attendees. So, if you bump into each other at a cocktail evening or at one of our scheduled lunches or on the exhibition floor, that person’s going to that conversation is going to help grow your business and improve your information about the industry.
James Smith
So, yeah, like I said, GNT is, our first event, that we’re gonna be hosting. And Ruark is the conference producer on that. So, Ruark, give us sort of an overview about GNT, the market and all that sort of information, please.
Ruark Jacob
Thank you. Thank you, James. Thank you for that introduction. It certainly helps to put things in perspective. So, as James said, GNT ‘Games Next Dimension’ is Nascent Edge’s first inaugural event in India. And the gaming industry, is growing. It is significantly large when we’re talking in terms of, Indian market and with GNT, we want to shed light on the technology aspect that’s driving this growth, while also celebrating the, the people who are, you know, propelling this, this sector forward. So, with a wide range of topics, you know, this, this event is set for two and a half days, starting on the 22nd of November. We’ve initially planned for a workshop on the first day, the 22nd, and then on the 23rd and the 24th, we have two days of conventions where we’ll have, multiple sessions, panel discussions, and keynote sessions where leaders both from the Indian gaming industry and also from the global gaming industry, will join us and shed more light share their insights and experiences on, what are the current trends and what needs to be done to take this sector forward. Also, looking at what are these emerging technologies that are right now in the Mason state, and that need to, evolve further that will drive the sector forward so that that’s, what GNT is all about.
Ryan
Very cool. So, I guess, going back to kind of like the data gathering and things that you’ve seen so far, what are some emerging, maybe games or emerging trends or emerging technologies that you guys have seen that you think are most interesting and, and people, you know, need to know about?
Ruark Jacob
Well, we’ve understood what we’ve realized and what this is, talking with industry leaders as well is, one eSports has emerged as a game changer. And, bringing, different people from different backgrounds, gamers, as well as developers. It’s kind of taken on, its own route, its own shape. Apart from that, then the next emerging trend that leaders are talking about is cloud gaming and, and the possibilities that it also brings. You know, there’s no requirement for, expensive hardware. Gamers can play any, anytime, anywhere. There’s also, the possibility where developers and gamers are also to collaborate together. And then we also have the metaverse, how that is also bringing about, you know, a whole change in, in the experience when you’re talking about the gaming experience, the game play, and also involving the gamer itself in the whole process of developing the game itself. From this, there is then we have, the disruptive technologies, AI, ML, blockchain, all of these are also proving to play a very critical role, in, in the overall experience, of, of games.
Ryan
Yeah, I mean, a hundred percent.
Ryan
Yeah, I think, all these things are, are coming full force. Is there something for you guys personally, based on maybe your favorite games or you know, what you’re interested in, in your personal time, is there something that you’re most excited about, or that, you plan on, you know, an e eSports team that you like, or maybe a certain AI game or something like that, you guys, are finding most interesting personally?
Ruark Jacob
Well, I’m quite interested in seeing how cloud gaming, you know, takes shape. How that, because recently I’ve gone to this game on my mobile phone. And, I think, I’d love to see how cloud gaming and how AI is set to change the whole experience. I mean, when I’m speaking with other leaders, I think it all comes down to the experience, and I wanna see how metaverse, you know, also makes mixed reality. So, this is something that I’m, I’m quite on a personal level, interested in seeing how that’s gonna make a difference.
Ryan
Cool. And James, do you have any input there? Any thoughts?
James Smith
Just from my side, that question gets me thinking about the fact that there’s three of us on this call. And one of us is in the States, one of us is in India, and I’m in South Africa. And that just shows the potential for technology to bring people together. And I think the fact that we can do that whilst engaging in something that we enjoy and that we find entertaining, like a game, whether it’s eSports, first person shooter, mobile games, whatever it is that you enjoy, I’m looking forward to seeing how when things like 5G and improve network speed, start to bring the world closer together, bring countries from Africa, from South Asia, from the more developed countries in Europe and America, I think that that’s a very exciting thing and something that I’m looking forward to.
Ryan
Pretty wild. Yeah. Yeah.
James Smith
Yeah.
Ruark Jacob
Apart from that, Ryan, I think, it’ll also be interesting to see, you know, I was going through recent statistics, specifically for India. I think, there’s a large, section of women also who are actively, you know, participating who are actually spending significant amount of time on gaming. One of the statistics that I read on average, women in India spend about, 11, 11.2 hours a week gaming, whereas men spend about 10, 10 hours average in a week. So, I’m quite interested in seeing, you know, how, how that also plays. And, you know, I think a very important aspect is also talking about the storyline being more diverse and, and open for all segments. You know, open for all segments to play. Everybody could participate. So that will also be something that I’m quite interested in seeing how that conversation goes.
Ryan
Yeah. And I guess with all these technologies that you’ve, you just mentioned, it allows more perspectives inside and more, I guess just growth in general. You know, for, you know, if there’s a, a player from, you know, a woman in India, like you just said, who’s never had a perspective involved in gaming before, I’m sure there’s a character out there that looks just like her now, or, you know, someone that, you know, that’s something that she created or an idea or something like that, that is now involved in gaming that previously probably wasn’t. Because, you know, just how things, things were, I mean, from my perspective, it, it was like from the top down. The biggest companies were making the games, and everyone would just play them. And then now it seems to be leveling the field where people are having input, from the ground level up a little bit more, it seems. I mean, that goes hand in hand with what you guys want to try to do with your convention, is bring people together. What do you kind of expecting for the turnout for the GNT convention? Who do you think will go, and you know, from the average gamer to the biggest game developer? Like who are you expecting to be there?
Ruark Jacob
So, we’re expecting all of them to join us from game developers, technology leaders, game enthusiasts, gamers themselves, publishers, influencers, investors, these, these, these are the tools that we are expecting, to join us because the whole idea is to celebrate the industry. At the same time, forge new partnerships, new, new bus, new relationships. It, it’s, it’s a networking opportunity, as well that, that’s why we’ve identified Bangalore, Bangalore is India’s IT hub. So, we are expecting all of them to come and join and have something to take away with them.
Ryan
Yeah, I guess, for, for, gamers in general, do you, do you guys feel that the in-person events are more necessary because everyone’s just interacting from remotely, and online? Do you think this, this in-person event is, you know, more necessary and the feedback has been, greater for that reason?
Ruark Jacob
Well, gaming, I think, it is different. So when, when we are playing online, I think the experience is, is different. But when we have something such as a convention like GNT, what I think, I think it’s safe to say, I think everyone is a little saturated with, with online, you know, conventions and online conferences, I think in-person is what now everyone is asking for, because nothing beats, an in-person, networking experience and networking opportunity. You know, nothing beats, a face-to-face, you know, exploring whether the person, you’re interacting with is, is the right fit for your business deal, whether the, the, the product lineup that they have. So, I think, what I’m trying to say is that whilst yes, gaming is, a virtual experience, but for forging new relationships, you know, meeting people, I think we need to meet in person, that that’s something that’s very important. And that’s, the feedback that we’ve also received, from, from most of the people that we’ve approached and spoken with.
Ryan
Yeah. Yeah, I think everyone learned during Covid that the virtual events were not as entertaining and as fun you know. But yeah, I think, the in-person events especially, for an industry that people really hold close to heart, you know, I think, you know, people are gonna get excited for that. Is there any person or company appearing at the GNT convention that you guys think, you know, gamers in the area will come out to see, or people would be excited to see at the convention?
Ruark Jacob
Well, yes, definitely. So currently we have a few speakers who have confirmed, and we are expecting more to join, but we have a few, few names that that will attract. One is Salone Sehgal. She’s one of the leading investors, in this field. She’s been investing, her firm’s been investing in games, particularly eSports and are exploring other aspects as well that we have, Ninad Chhaya, from Reliance Games, who is one of the senior VPs. And also, we, we’ll be talking on the monetary aspect of gaming, then we have Anand Rajwanshi who is, very vocal about eSports. He’s joining us from NewGen gaming. And another, very interesting name is Khushbu Jain who’s an advocate, in the Supreme Court of India. And it speaks quite vocally, for eSports and the important impact that it has, you know, on the global economy.
Ryan
Yeah. I mean, that’s, that’s a lot of why people are embracing games too. I mean, at first everyone was like, oh, you know, gamers, gamers are just, you know, dropouts. They stay home, they don’t do anything. And then now, I know gamers who have bought houses and you know, are, are making, making legitimate money and are really successful. So, it’s crazy how, how the tables have turned in that way.
Ruark Jacob
Exactly. And, and I think, the leaders who would coming on board, I think younger generation, the next generation will definitely, you know, want to know, you know, what they can look forward, to if, if they’ve ever decided to, you know, pursue a career in this rapidly growing, industry.
Ryan
Yeah. And it, it seems like anyone can now find their, their niche in it. You know, at first it was probably like a pro gamer will make money and then no one else will make money, you know? Or like a, you know, the best, yeah. Game developer will make money and no one else will make money. But now it seems there’s room for everyone. You know, there’s everyone, they’re making money just enough so they can be like, I don’t have to spend money on this game. I can bank all of my normal income, and then I use this income for, you know, my gaming habit or whatever. And then, you know, you have every, every kind of person now, so that’s pretty cool.
Ruark Jacob
It, it is.
James Smith
Yeah. Absolutely. It just to like, touch on that, it’s amazing how tech hasn’t just allowed us to produce these more, these more captivating games that are seen more as just, you know, that games aren’t just this way to like waste time anymore. You know that it’s this real experience, it’s this, journey that you can go on. And the fact that people can now more easily share that with other technologies like social media streaming and things along those lines, it, yeah, I’m just so glad that people can make the most of their passion and, that those tools are in place for them to share their experiences with the world.
Ryan
Definitely. Do you guys have, like, I know your audience is pretty wide. You named people from government officials, investors, you know, game makers, there’s probably streamers, and I’m sure the gamers themselves and the team teams of gaming and everything like that. What, if you had to, you know, narrow it down a little bit, what games do you think these people that are coming to the event, the convention, the GNT convention, are most interested in? Is it like PC games? Is it console games? Um, and if so, which kind of, which titles and which games would, would you say?
Ruark Jacob
Well, Ryan, with the insights that we have, the feedback we received, you know, we, we are not attracting one set of people, so we, we’ll have a wide set of people. There’ll be console based games, also people, you know, who want, who are just, interested in casual games, some who are interested in role playing games. So there, we can’t put a finger on it as, as one, one kind of game, but we we’re gonna approach, the wider audience of each here. So, they’re going to be people who, who are ingested, you know, in not NPC in games and probably, multiple player games, or probably, you know, uh, first player base games. It’s, it’s gonna attract everyone. There’s gonna be something for everyone. We don’t wanna narrow it down. We we’re talking about the entire gaming industry. Sure. Or it’s open for everyone.
Ryan
Oh, definitely. Yeah, definitely understand that. I guess I was just wondering if there’s maybe like gaming like people that are coming to the convention or people in that community that are asking, you know, say, oh, will this League of Legend streamer be there? Or will this, um, you know, Pokemon streamer or Game Maker will be there? I didn’t know if there was any of that sort of feedback that you found?
Ruark Jacob
Well, at the moment it’s still, a little early to say, we will definitely, we are exploring, with them and checking with them on their availability. And we’d love to have them also on board at the moment. I think it’s a little too early to say, if they would join us, but certainly I think probably, by the end of this month, we’d probably have a more definite, answer on, you know, whether they’ll be able to join us or not.
James Smith
But we definitely want to have them as well, but we do, we are in talks with four, streamers that operate out of India. We can’t share their names just yet. But there is gonna be that aspect to the convention as well. But an interesting, insight that we’ve learned in our research is that American eSports, like NFL and basketball games are incredibly popular in India and growing very quickly. And we’ve seen that, that, that interest in eSports is actually peaked in interest in the sports themselves. So, a lot of television views of, American football, basketball, baseball are increasing in India. And I think that that’s, quite an interesting insight and something that we are gonna try and accommodate at the convention as well.
Ryan
That’s pretty interesting. I actually never, never really thought of that. It’s funny, I, I had a neighbor that was from Venezuela, and he had no clue what American football was. He would watch it, but he didn’t understand the rules, things like that. So, we were like taking our time explaining him, you know, the rules. And we sat down, we watched, uh, Philadelphia Eagles, that’s my team, Philly, go birds! We explained all the rules, but I’m sure the games actually are the best way to learn, right? Like, if you, you gave someone Madden, you know, they’re gonna know better how to play football after that game. Right? That’s pretty interesting. I guess. Yeah, that’s going forward, like, that’s gonna be a different, I mean, I guess you, you’ve kind of touched on that too, but like, users are gonna have more input into the games, and you’re gonna take something away from these games more than, than any time before, you know, people are learning and interacting. So that’s pretty cool.
James Smith
Yeah. As you, as you pointed out, like, it seems like more people, like, uh, games are casting a wider net. They’re getting a wider audience. And I think that’s because a lot of games are becoming educational and education is becoming gamified in, in so many ways. And I think that’s incredibly exciting. You know, if you think of, a game with a historical storyline, like something that is set in the Cold War era, something that is set in the medieval era, if the games are committed to being historically accurate, which we are seeing more and more are, that is a source of knowledge and learning about the world and history. And it’s just a testament to how exciting the industry is and, and what’s coming out in what’s being developed today.
Ryan
Yeah, totally. I couldn’t agree more. I remember when I was playing like Assassin’s Creed that made me want to, you know, learn more about, you know, at that time it was, him in, in Rome, you know, that whole era. So, you know, it gets you into, whatever, you know, whatever world you’re, you’re diving into. So, I absolutely agree. It’s, it’s pretty cool and it’s definitely growing a hundred percent. Other than that, I guess for you guys personally, are there, something, whether it is, you know, a game that you’re playing right now or something that you’re most, excited about, for example, is, is there some game that you’re playing and something going on at the convention that you are gonna be like, oh, I can’t wait for it myself?
Ruark Jacob
Well, um, James, do you wanna answer?
James Smith
Yeah, I mean, if I have to talk from a totally, like from a personal perspective, I love racing games, and, I think that the, technology that’s being developed in terms of virtual reality and, controls where it’s, you know, the operations of the car itself, um, I think that those were very rudimentary back in the day, but that’s getting a lot more exciting. And I would love to see, some demos at the convention, and we’re working on that as well, to get this kind of tech there so that people can try it out. It’s another, advantage of hosting an in-person convention is that people can use the technology themselves. So, I mean, if I’m just talking like from a selfish perspective, I would love to get, those like racing controllers in maybe connected to a VR headset. Actually, I recently saw, this very cool game, connected to VR where you could play the most famous golf courses around the world. And yeah, so they had like developed this controller that’s like, sort of like this weighted handle. And if you think about something like golf, it’s quite exclusionary in terms of the pricing and the Sure. The Yeah, and the time commitment. Yeah, Yeah, time commitment. And then also like the environmental damage of golf courses. I think that that would be really cool to get some demonstrations on that sort of text. So yeah, that like, kind of augmented reality where we’re like taking something real. Like I’m pretty confident that I’ll never have the opportunity to play at Augusta Golf course in my life, but, you know, virtually that’s becoming a possibility.
James Smith
So I’m excited about that.
Ryan
Yeah, that’s, that’s pretty cool. I think that’s spot on what, what you just said. And I mean, for me personally, like I could see that being a reality in so many different sports or pastimes, you know, whether it’s surfing, skateboarding, climbing, like going to these crazy spots, having them be that real. It’s only getting more real, like you said, with vr. And, you know, that’s interesting with the controller being weighted and kind of simulating that experience even more. What about you Ruark? What, what would you have to say?
Ruark Jacob
Well, James, James took what I was gonna say. I’m an F1 fan formula, the one racing. Okay. So I do, I’m interested in racing games, and I’m also quite excited to see what’s new, the experience of it. Also, I think, when it comes to role playing games as well, I’m quite interested in seeing what’s new, how is that going to merge with all of this new, tech that we have, you know? And I’m very excited about Metaverse. What I research about it so far, I think that it’s gonna just blow our minds away. I’m quite excited to see how, how that takes up here.
Ryan
And is there any examples of the Metaverse games right now? Like, I’m not too familiar with that personally. Is there anything, now that users are doing in the so-called metaverse? Or is that kind of like future?
Ruark Jacob
It, it’s quite futuristic right now. It, it’s still being worked upon, I think the difference comes in the experience, and I think the player themselves can add on the whole gameplay. They could, they could change the gameplay, they could contribute to the entire gameplay. So that I’m quite looking forward to how, how that works. So, but right now, it, it’s pretty much in its infancy stage and we get to see how it changes everything.
Ryan
Awesome. All right. Well, yeah, I think that pretty much takes me through, all of my questions. Is there anything, you guys, any other topics you wanna touch on or anything? You know, if there’s one thing the reader or the, the viewer takes away from this content is what if, if there’s one, one thing you wanna leave them with?
James Smith
So, one thing I would like to just say on the convention front is that, you know, you can go and do the research yourself. It’s very exciting. Learn about the new games, learn about the new tech. We obviously encourage that, but we’ve done the legwork, we’ve done the research, we spend our days speaking to companies. We are on the phone seeing what’s coming out there, what’s the new tech being developed, what does the future of gaming look like? And we are compiling all that into three days of workshops, conferences, exhibition, and it’s all gonna be there for you. So, we encourage people to come and immerse themselves in that world and make your voice heard, you know, join the convention and tell these developers and, and tell the publishers and, and tell everyone, this is what we want. You know, this is what the players want the future to be. And I think that that’s a really rare opportunity to be part of shaping your passion. So yeah, I would encourage everyone to join us in India on November 22nd to 24th.
Ryan
Very cool. And how does, how does one, you know, if, if someone’s on this, this video interview and wants to immediately sign up for the convention after hearing this or reading about it, what would you advise them to do?
James Smith
Uh, Ruark, you go ahead. It’s, it’s your show.
Ruark Jacob
So, they could reach out to us on our website that’s, nascent edge.com/gnt. They could reach out to us through our social media handles as well. We have a full registration page that’s ready, so they can reach out to us, via email as well. But, but the bet would be via our website and all the information, everything is available on our website.
Ryan
Awesome. And is there an admission fee or is it a free convention? How does that work?
Ruark Jacob
There is a registration fee, depending on what your interests are, uh, how you’d like to participate. There is a registration fee.
Ryan
Okay. All right. Good to know. Well, yeah, I appreciate it, guys. It was great to talk to a South African and an Indian person in the same call. I think that was a good, takeaway. And, again, I’m excited to show this to our viewers and connect more people worldwide, I think, it’s all about driving community with interviews like this. So, I think that was a good thing to leave people on. Great.
James Smith
Thanks so much, Ryan. Really appreciate you getting together with us. All right. Yeah, I’ve enjoyed this.
Ruark Jacob
Thank you, Ryan. Absolutely. Thank you, James.
James Smith
Thanks Rob. Bye. Bye.
We’ve reached the end of our informative conversation with the Nascent Edge Team, and it’s become abundantly evident that a new era of gaming is on the horizon. Games Next Dimension (GNT) promises to be a watershed moment in Nascent Edge’s mission to encourage development and experimentation in the gaming industry.
Nascent Edge’s impact as a catalyst for change cannot be overstated as technology continues to revolutionise the gaming environment and as varied voices find their home in this dynamic realm. We look forward to the development of GNT and the resulting conversations, collaborations, and breakthroughs.
Nascent Edge is at the forefront, prepared to define a gaming future that is more thrilling and inclusive than ever before. Keep checking back with the Nascent Edge Team for more information about GNT (November 22nd to 24th 2023) and the ever developing gaming industry.
For more fun content, you should also check out this interview with Danny Pantuso.