“Sab log mere saath baithna chahte hai. School mein hum tho hero ban gaye (“Everyone wants to have a seat beside me. I am a hero in school”),” says a beaming Shivam Sai Gupta, perhaps the youngest game developer in the country.
The reticent 14-year-old has developed a computer game Terror Attack: Project Fateh, based on the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. Developed with assistance from Mumbai-based Indiagames, a mobile and PC game development company, it was released in July and has already registered over 20,000 downloads. “The idea struck me, as I wanted to do something creative and impressive. I thought the game will motivate youngsters to join the armed forces,” says Shivam, who aims to become a VFX specialist or a game developer.
Hailing from Patna, he started conceiving and developing games on Powerpoint when he was eleven. But with constraints of technology and electricity, he couldn’t succeed in developing a full-fleged game.
“I got in touch with Indiagames via Internet and approached them with my game idea. They liked it and provided me the required technical support,” explains Shivam.
Shivam suffers from a relatively uncommon Klippel-Trenaunay-Weber Syndrome (KTWS), which is defined by either vascular abnormalities, prominent varicose veins or darkened skin patches and limb enlargement. Indiagames is also extending support to provide him medical aid.
Ask him about all the attention he gets these days, pat comes the reply. “My school principal and teachers are all impressed.
I made it to the school magazine recently,” he beams. He wants to dedicate all his time in developing games and Indiagames is more than willing. “But am under-aged,” he says. Terror Attack can be freely downloaded at http://www.
projectfateh.com.