After 9 long months, the wait is finally over. Krafton has launched the Battlegrounds Mobile India open beta version access in the Play store. The gamers are just going crazy after playing their long-time favorite game. To let you know, Battlegrounds Mobile India is a rebranded version of the PUBG Mobile game, exclusively developed for players in India. The game is available to download for the early open beta testers, soon will be available to all the players. Presently, only the players using Android devices have got the access but will be available on the ios devices soon.

After the first-ever match, Battlegrounds Mobile India doesn’t look much different than the previously banned game ‘PUBG Mobile’. The gameplay and features of the game look the same. Such as it has the same set of maps such as Erangel, Miramar, Sanhok and much more. The guns and vehicles are the same as PUBG Mobile. But there are few things that are slightly different from PUBG Mobile. Read our article to know these major differences.

5 major changes in Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) from PUBG Mobile

1. Hit Effect

This is one of the major changes in the game. The color of blood in Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) isn’t Red. Whenever the players will shoot towards the enemies, the blood spilled on the screen will not be red. This change was made when the Government of India, found the game violent and aggressive. 

The game now gives players the option to customize the kill effects. You can choose between light green, dark green, and yellow for the hit effect whereas dark green and yellow for the damaging effect.

2. Change server from settings

Battlegrounds Mobile India now gives players the option to change the severs from the settings menu. Although, Indian players will not be able to change the servers due to the game exclusivity. Whereas, PUBG mobile has the option to change the servers on the homepage. 

3. Audio warning at the start of the game and match

Seeing the immense craze and addiction towards the game. Krafton has introduced a virtual assistant at the start of the game and match. When you open the game, a message is popped out reading, “This game is a simulation in a virtual world and does not represent the real world. Please play in moderation and take frequent breaks.” Again when entering the game, the virtual assistant points out that BGMI is a virtual game and does not represent the real world.

4. Gameplay Management System

This time, Krafton has stressed more about the health of their gamers. To remind them about their mental and psychological health, the developers have introduced a new gameplay management system. The few lines of the system read as ” It has PUBG MOBILE’s longstanding endeavor to present our users with quality entertainment. This vision is incomplete without a sustainable approach to gaming and our gamers. We at PUBG MOBILE would like to take the lead in a responsible future for our users. A sound body and mind are essential to every aspect of life and it is important to be aware of the risks associated with gaming for too long.”

5. No kills, only finishes

The players will not kill their enemies in Battlegrounds Mobile India, they will finish them. To reduce the violence and aggressiveness within the gamers, Krafton has removed the instances that could lead to such things. Therefore, the developers have removed the word ‘Kill’ from the game, and when the enemy is down, it will be referred to as ‘finishes’.

Over the past year, the Covid-19 pandemic has affected people across geographies and professions. The world of sport has been no different, with historic events being canceled or postponed. This has resulted in skyrocketing growth of the esports and video gaming industries which was least affected by lockdowns and in-person attendance of audience.

Taking note of the growing role and importance of esports, the International Olympic Committee has formally recognized the field of virtual sports and has launched the Olympic Virtual Series.

The Olympic Virtual Series is the first-ever Olympic licensed event for physical and non-physical virtual sports, which is held as a precursor to the Summer Olympics in July. The Olympic Committee in collaboration with five international sports federations will hold the first-ever Virtual Series this year from May 13th to June 23rd.

The Impact of Olympic Virtual Series

This move by the Olympic Committee is part of its Digital Strategy to encourage the development of virtual sports and ensure inclusivity and participation among the masses.

The Virtual Series will help highlight the importance of sport and promote the Olympic values. It will also help in augmenting engagement by allowing individuals and players to participate in the events from the comfort of their homes or training centers. The Olympic Committee is confident this will help capture new young viewers and further boost the viewership of the upcoming Summer Olympics.

An Opportunity for India

With an estimate of 300 million online gamers by 2021, India can benefit highly from the Olympic Virtual Series.

The main driving force behind India’s numbers is the participation of more than 60% of individuals under the age of 25 in gaming and esports. With over 365 million people in India’s gaming database as per KPMG’s Media and Entertainment Report, the online gaming sector will be a major revenue-generating industry in the future and will enable further growth of esports in India. The idea of the Olympics Virtual Series to further catalyze the growth of the Indian esports and gaming industry should be embraced by the esports fraternity.

The Indian government also plays a vital role in enabling the creation and growth of esports. The Indian esports ecosystem is currently in urgent need of a strong governing framework that enables innovation and growth in the sector for the game developers while also setting up a mechanism to identify games that qualify as esports. A regulatory framework that formulates the guidelines for player contracts, a robust redressal mechanism, appropriate training, financial aid for participation in tournaments, etc, is also need of the hour.

Developing such a complex framework should also involve the active collaboration of the government and players in the industry to effectively address the needs of the sector. Major industry platforms, investors, and other stakeholders should be called together to help guide the policy discourse and enable the creation of an ecosystem that promotes the development of esports and game development.

Aside from governing mechanisms, it is also important to focus on the emergence of industries such as game development and game design, which will help generate employment and maximizing India’s engineering and design talent pool to make India an international player in the gaming industry.