With Domestic Languages becoming accessible for Net-surfing, is it time for ‘Billu’ (Domestic Icons) to outplay Pokeman (International Icons)
By: Amit Bhushan Date: 9th June, 2014
Hitherto, your Netsurf enabling device, i.e. your computer was tuned to support your Net-surfing needs provided you can interact in English (for a majority of machines). Now we are able to see new devices i.e. mobiles supporting domestic languages. While this opens up a plethora of possibilities but what is primarily needed is to support user to ‘taste’ the utilities offered by these devices in a user friendly manner. Incidentally, this arena also opens up a host of opportunities.
The primary driver of demand for new applications (like local language surfing) are students/children who need to take up the new application and kick off a demand for ‘utilities or apps’ that brings convenience to users. It is these users who need to be attracted to these devices and applications so that the start using the applications as well as think off and create new ‘utilities or apps’ to solve that challenges faced by them. If such challenges are common place, the solutions created can be commercialized for profit by the creative users.
Now to attract the initial lot of users, it is important that they have some incentives to take up new devices applications. One of the ways to overcome this challenge is to bring in local Icons in games, so that the students/children are attracted to pick these up. Up till now, most of the English users have been playing around with foreign Icons like Pokeman to beat the drag. The game is basically around a ‘chase’ where ‘you’ have to save Pokeman from ‘other Goons’. Beyond a point, one can easily get bored with stuff especially students/children since only way to up the level is by increasing the speed with which the game is played and little other options.
If however the Pokeman is replaced by Billu (a Popular Toon Character in Desi Comic books akin to Denis, the menace), it spices up the game for those who understand the nuances in our domestic setting. Billu can wield a Bat and Ball against those who chase him, he can plant ‘kele ka chilka’, he can disguse in a burka or other disguise and he can jump and kick as well. The stuff like turning umbrella to parachute and using gutter as well as its cover to his advantage in the run, hit and hide is cool and beyond the call of duty of the Pokeman, perhaps. I am sure in some version; Billu will be able to out-compete James Bond as well. Perhaps it time for domestic animators to spice up the market a bit riding upon the possibilities being thrown up where local languages use is likely to be picked up in market. The other functional solution providers may then take over from there.
By: Amit Bhushan Date: 9th June, 2014
Hitherto, your Netsurf enabling device, i.e. your computer was tuned to support your Net-surfing needs provided you can interact in English (for a majority of machines). Now we are able to see new devices i.e. mobiles supporting domestic languages. While this opens up a plethora of possibilities but what is primarily needed is to support user to ‘taste’ the utilities offered by these devices in a user friendly manner. Incidentally, this arena also opens up a host of opportunities.
The primary driver of demand for new applications (like local language surfing) are students/children who need to take up the new application and kick off a demand for ‘utilities or apps’ that brings convenience to users. It is these users who need to be attracted to these devices and applications so that the start using the applications as well as think off and create new ‘utilities or apps’ to solve that challenges faced by them. If such challenges are common place, the solutions created can be commercialized for profit by the creative users.
Now to attract the initial lot of users, it is important that they have some incentives to take up new devices applications. One of the ways to overcome this challenge is to bring in local Icons in games, so that the students/children are attracted to pick these up. Up till now, most of the English users have been playing around with foreign Icons like Pokeman to beat the drag. The game is basically around a ‘chase’ where ‘you’ have to save Pokeman from ‘other Goons’. Beyond a point, one can easily get bored with stuff especially students/children since only way to up the level is by increasing the speed with which the game is played and little other options.
If however the Pokeman is replaced by Billu (a Popular Toon Character in Desi Comic books akin to Denis, the menace), it spices up the game for those who understand the nuances in our domestic setting. Billu can wield a Bat and Ball against those who chase him, he can plant ‘kele ka chilka’, he can disguse in a burka or other disguise and he can jump and kick as well. The stuff like turning umbrella to parachute and using gutter as well as its cover to his advantage in the run, hit and hide is cool and beyond the call of duty of the Pokeman, perhaps. I am sure in some version; Billu will be able to out-compete James Bond as well. Perhaps it time for domestic animators to spice up the market a bit riding upon the possibilities being thrown up where local languages use is likely to be picked up in market. The other functional solution providers may then take over from there.