There is no video game industry in Kyrgyzstan. Over the 31 years of independence, the country has not had time to create comfortable conditions for the emergence of this complex industry. However, now, at the end of 2022, the chances of the beginnings of a gaming industry appearing in the Kyrgyz Republic are growing like never before. Why didn’t this happen earlier, what gives this chance today, and why is the gaming industry needed at all?? I will try to answer these questions today.
“We had no time here in those days”
After gaining independence in August 1991, Kyrgyzstan began a complex and painful process of political, economic and social change. As in most other countries of the former USSR, the first years of independence became a serious test for the young state. The socio-economic situation of the republic has greatly weakened. This led to the fact that about half of the population of Kyrgyzstan found itself below the poverty line.
In addition to material difficulties, the political situation also aggravated the situation. An authoritarian regime was established in the country, in which all power belonged to the family of then President Askar Akayev. High levels of corruption, criminalization of society and general dissatisfaction with the current situation led to a change of government in 2005.
Kurmanbek Bakiev replaces Askar Akayev. His reign was marked by even greater levels of authoritarianism, corruption and pressure on the opposition. All this led to the next change of power in 2010, the subsequent reforms and the gradual democratization of the country. (If you want to delve even deeper into the history of Kyrgyzstan, I recommend reading this article)
The economic and social development of Kyrgyzstan began to gradually improve, but the distribution of this development turned out to be extremely uneven. According to the National Statistical Committee of the Kyrgyz Republic for 2020, more than half of all PCs and Internet access points in the country were concentrated in the capital.
We had no time here in those days. Damn, early 2000s, what games? We didn’t have internet.
Andrey Gribinyuk, indie developer from Bishkek
Andrey, also known by his pseudonym “Amortiz”, was one of the founders of one of the few studios in Kyrgyzstan until recently – Grimwood Team. The studio’s debut game was The World of One, the first versions of which Amortiz developed back in school on flash.
However, unlike many other indie developers who posted their creations on the corresponding sites, Andrey did not even suspect their existence.
People come and are like: “Oh, I did it on flash,” I tell them: “Oh, me too.”. They ask me: “Have you posted on Newgrounds??“And I did it on the table, I didn’t know about any Newgrounds at all.
Depreciation
“What kind of gamedev is this??»
Indeed, one of the main reasons for the lack of a gaming industry in Kyrgyzstan, almost everyone who spoke on this topic, cites a general lack of awareness about this industry. Starting from young people who don’t even think about the fact that they can develop games, ending with investors who don’t see the point in investing in it.
They [investors] don’t understand what it is. What kind of gamedev is this?? Why is he even? How to work with him? There are a lot of questions and, as I understand it, there is very little understanding and understanding here about what it is and what an industry can be made from it, money can be invested, training, development, and support.
Andrey Dronin, coordinator of the Unreal Engine developer community for the Russian-speaking space, editor-in-chief of the UE4Daily portal
Andrey has been living in Bishkek for several months and is gradually establishing connections with local developers. His significant experience in the gaming industry allows him to accurately formulate and identify the main reasons for the absence of this industry in Kyrgyzstan, since these reasons are not at all unique.
This industry is quite specific and complex. There is no education. And not only in Kyrgyzstan. […] The reasons are the same everywhere: lack of specialists, lack of training, lack of support at the state and other levels. It’s unlikely that Kyrgyzstan differs in any way from other CIS countries. And not only the CIS in fact – what is it there, in Spain it is highly developed?
Andrey Dronin
One of the very important details of the gaming industry is the active holding of all kinds of events: exhibitions, conferences, hackathons, etc. d. This provides enormous opportunities for establishing contacts between developers and investors, developers with each other; to search for new employees and places of work.
The industry is, to a very large extent, networking, events, some kind of exhibitions, conferences, some kind of mutual communication of the industry with each other and its communication with states, foundations, embassies.
Andrey Dronin
In 2019 and 2020, a large video game exhibition by the country’s standards was held in Kyrgyzstan Central Asia Games Show. The main organizer of this exhibition was the former positioning director of the Grimwood Team studio – Ilya Anufriev.
However, a couple of exhibitions, of course, are not enough to sufficiently attract people’s attention to game development. As the former editor-in-chief noted StopGame Dmitry Kungurov, who gave a lecture at CAGS 2019, only a very small part of the audience was involved in the gaming industry.
I go out on stage and routinely ask: so, raise my hands, who’s a game dev here anyway?? …three hands rise carefully. Oh, shi… […] I worked in a gym where 15 percent of them know me and aren’t going to listen. So, sit down to rest.
Dmitry Kungurov
However, such exhibitions are necessary steps towards the emergence and consolidation of the gaming industry in the country. A developer from Bishkek, Evgeny Chichilov, also points out the importance of holding such events:
There [at exhibitions] the developer gets a stand. Some publisher might come up there, see some uncut diamond and take it under his wing. Because these ideological gangs, when they develop something, they do not look at commerce, basically. And then the investor sees that this is something new, and possibly profitable, and he invests in it, and therefore it is all brought to completion.
Evgeny Chichilov
Evgeniy immediately found a job in game development outside of Kyrgyzstan. For many aspiring developers, this is the most promising career path in the industry. This allows them to feel more confident in financial matters and gives them the opportunity to gain new experience and knowledge. However, this path often discourages people from establishing their own studios, including in their homeland.
It seems to me that when you go through the junior stage, then through the middle you go to normal studios to work, and then up to senior or team lead, you think: “What the hell, creating your own studio, this is such a mess.”.
Evgeny Chichilov
Education is also one of the most important factors shaping the gaming industry. Gamedev does not consist of only “ideological gangs”, and highly focused professionals with appropriate education are also needed, especially for the development of large projects. But there are problems with this in Kyrgyzstan as well. However, as Andrey Dronin already noted, it is far from only in Kyrgyzstan.
There is practically no normal education in game development in the CIS until now. Just somewhere there are the first issues, something like that
Andrey Dronin
Many parents today are aware of the demand and relevance of programming, and they are eager to enroll their children in programming schools. However, these schools mainly teach the most common languages like Python, which are primarily needed for developing web applications. As for games, few parents would send their child to relevant courses.
It is unlikely that a Soviet-era parent understands that there is also a lot of money there [in the gaming industry], they earn a lot. For them, it seems to me, this is still nonsense.
Evgeny Chichilov
Evgeniy taught a course on creating games using Unreal Engine on the Skillbox educational platform. In addition, he tried to launch a similar course in Kyrgyzstan, but this was not successful.
I tried to launch a course with a local programming school, very light, for 3 months, the most basic things. People came, I had to give 4 seminars there. We were only present at the first two, we scored on the last two and didn’t do any homework. This was about 3 or 4 years ago.
Evgeny Chichilov
“You’re doing something frivolous there, it’s bullshit”
But what if a https://lopebetcasino.co.uk/withdrawal/ person nevertheless finds out about the gaming industry and decides to try himself in it?? Here he will have to face stereotypes, misunderstanding, and perhaps even condemnation.
Video games are still perceived as something unrelated to serious activity. In this sense, even the word “games” itself contributes to this perception. It’s rare that a parent will support their child in his decision to connect his life with games.
When I started, my parents asked me: “What are you doing??" – "I make games, I sit at the computer". For them it’s: “Oh, you’re playing games.”? Seriously? This is not work. You’re doing something frivolous there, it’s bullshit.”. It’s probably the same now, there’s such a stereotype.
Evgeny Chichilov
This is also part of the general lack of awareness of most people – especially older people – about the gaming industry and everything connected with it.
However, in addition to external pressure, people starting their journey in game development may also face internal. Many people who want to create their own games put off or even give up on realizing their dreams due to the popular belief that this industry is only for programmers.
This is a very great stopper for beginners. Well, I don’t know how to program, therefore I can’t get into game development. Well, how could it be, actually?.
Amortiz, who creates games himself without knowing how to program
And indeed, programmers are far from the only people needed in game development. Artists and 3D modelers; screenwriters and narrative designers; composers and sound designers; marketers, PR specialists and journalists – all these and many other professions are also in demand in the gaming industry.
But if a person is primarily interested in the embodiment of his artistic ideas, and he plans to work alone, then there are no barriers for him here either. Modern game engines like Unreal Engine and Unity have a large number of ready-made solutions for a developer who does not know how to program. UE has an entire visual programming system called Blueprint, which makes it quite comfortable to create small games on the engine without writing a single line of code.
It’s like the 60s when electric guitars became affordable and almost free. The engine is free, Unreal is free – take it and use it. That’s all, it’s not about the tool, not about your programming, but about the idea, about creativity, about your ability to take it and do it. This is much more difficult now than programming. […] The path is now more open in game development than ever before. It’s easy and affordable.
Andrey Dronin
Why are there chances now??
We figured out the main reasons why the gaming industry in Kyrgyzstan could not emerge. But now she has a good chance. What has changed??
As Andrey Dronin noted, the main problems are the lack of specialists, training and support. And if the last two still exist, then the first has every chance of disappearing from the radar.
Since the start of the “special military operation”, many developers and even entire studios are leaving Russia. Some are relocating to Western offices of companies, while others are leaving for neighboring countries. A particularly strong flow began after the announcement of partial mobilization at the end of September 2022.
Some specialists from the gaming industry and beyond moved to Kyrgyzstan. Some see the country as a transit stop, but others see the potential to stay. They gradually make new acquaintances, make plans and discuss the possibilities of interacting with each other, as well as holding various events.
In June 2022, information appeared about the registration of Alavar LLC.Keiji". Alawar Entertainment is one of the largest Russian video game companies, and the opening of its office in Kyrgyzstan is very encouraging news. The position of director in the new LLC was taken by Ilya Anufriev, the same native of the Grimwood Team and the main organizer of the Central Asia Games Show.
Today there is a chance to create conditions and an environment for interaction between local investors and indie developers with recently arrived specialists from Russia. The industry begins primarily from people’s contacts with each other, their interest in common goals and sharing experiences with each other.
Now it [the gaming industry] has a chance to appear when, because of the war, people with experience have come to us and are trying to discover something here. For example, we opened an Alawar office. We can assume that there is a chance that all this will take hold here and they will not use our country as a transit to go somewhere to Turkey. If they stay here, then perhaps it will be possible to say that the gaming industry has been born.
Depreciation
In addition, there are more and more local developers, many of whom are engaged in solo development. Andrey Amortiz, who is now engaged in solo development himself, had the opportunity to talk with Nikolay Dybovsky, founder and head of the Ice-Pick Lodge studio. According to Andrey, Nikolay also noticed the advantage of working alone.
His words: “Now is the time for talented singles”. If you have talent and desire, then maybe it makes sense to try it alone, because teams are risky, dangerous, they fall apart, etc. d.
Depreciation
Why is there a gaming industry at all??
I came across this question when discussing the topic of this article with my colleagues who are not very knowledgeable about the industry as a whole. I admit, at first I was very surprised by this question. However, then I realized that this is one of the fundamental problems – the lack of constructive dialogue between people who do not understand and people who understand. Therefore, in this section of the article I will try to give several answers to this question.
It’s profitable
The gaming industry is the fastest growing entertainment industry today. In 2021, the value of the video game market was more than 195 billion. dollars. About 3 billion. people all over the world play games. Large gaming companies pay high taxes and create a large number of high-paying jobs.
A country that has created comfortable conditions for the existence and operation of the gaming industry can significantly benefit from this.
This is a manifestation of art
In addition to the financial side of the issue, there is an artistic. Many games do not aim to entertain the player, but to raise important topics for their subsequent understanding. Despite the stereotype that games are “dumb” entertainment, there are many examples to the contrary.
In some countries, games that are especially valuable from an artistic point of view are already being introduced into school curricula, along with familiar literature.
Video games are also the most complex art form, combining text, music, visual art, acting, and the most intense engagement of any form of storytelling.
I came to game development out of an interest in storytelling. I used to write stories, tried to draw. But it was all somehow not right. And gamedev is, suddenly, such a thing that generally combines all types of creativity
Depreciation
This is relevant
Since the gaming industry is part of the IT industry, its relevance will not go away in the near future. This is a fast-growing industry in which specialists with experience and education are worth their weight in gold. With enough persistence and desire, this is a great way to organize your life.
Parents who send their children to programming courses should think about it and ask their child if he would like to make games. In addition to the fact that this is an extremely profitable industry, it also provides a lot of scope for creativity and creativity.
“Not being able to do something shouldn’t stop you from trying to do it.”
Although Andrey Amortiz said this phrase during a discussion of development without programming skills, I believe that it fits perfectly with the topic of the entire article.
At first, after gaining independence, Kyrgyzstan really had no time for games. Two changes of power in five years, authoritarianism, a difficult transition to a market economy and other problems were many times more important, and without solving them there was no point in talking about the gaming industry.
After gaining relative stability and starting gradual development, it was already possible to start talking about games. However, problems typical for the vast majority of countries in the form of general ignorance about the gaming industry, lack of education and lack of support from the state did not allow game development to take root in Kyrgyzstan.
Today, when many specialists with rich experience are leaving Russia, including Kyrgyzstan, there is a chance that this will give impetus to the emergence of the gaming industry in the country.
It has not yet been possible to create a gaming industry in Kyrgyzstan, but should that stop anyone from trying to do it??
Best comments
“Not being able to do something shouldn’t stop you from trying to do it” – sometimes it should, but in this case it’s true.
The main problem of novice developers is that they don’t see other developers. Here it’s time to remember the old joke about “the Chukchi is not a reader, the Chukchi is a writer”. There’s a lot of games, there’s something to poke into. Even if they stop making games tomorrow, what we have will be enough for the rest of our lives. Trying to squeeze into this ocean of information slop because “I don’t want to go to a factory, I’m smart, I shouldn’t work for my uncle,” well, that’s it.
Just like this youthful romanticism about the “dream job”. Most games make money from people’s loneliness and parasocial parasitism, turning people into mental cripples. I would much rather play Dandy with someone together than a cool AAA game alone. This is much more useful and more fun than spending years creating information garbage, which only strengthens the cult of loneliness among people.
No, there are, of course, geniuses who will create not thanks to, but in spite of, but such geniuses do not need any advice or tactics. And their creativity will always be head and shoulders above youthful romanticism “oh, if only I had all the conditions, I would start making games like this!».
What I mean is that the strategy of banging your head against the wall like a sheep is within your means:
After all this is the very definition of insanity. It is better to realize and think about the situation. People don’t have a shortage of games. What they really need now is society, not lonely outing into another project. And a simple clone of a contra for two on a non-macker and famistudio, made in three months, will be much more valuable than an AAA project that you will dream about for decades. And it’s even better to create your own computer club-anti-cafe, where people could unite and enjoy live group gaming, rather than trying to find communication on soulless streams.
I hope I gave the author food for thought.
People come and are like: “Oh, I did it on flash,” I tell them: “Oh, me too.”. They ask me: “Have you posted on Newgrounds??“And I did it on the table, I didn’t know about any Newgrounds at all.
Andrey Gribinyuk, indie developer from Bishkek
repeated literally every other paragraph. only with another author.
anyway, great blog. good luck to the creators.
Damn, comrade, thank you!
Metapostmodern industry is precisely a consequence of this misunderstanding. Everyone continues to rip out content like schizophrenics, although there are already trillions of it. We already need content that would unite people, and not force them to go out alone.
But in fact, there is a reason for all this and it is always the same – money. Riveting content is the only way available to a wide range of people not to go to the factory. And if you create content to the tune of investors, you must also be guaranteed to be responsible for profits.
But here everything can be reduced to communism.
And, yes, you’re right, people now purposefully go to gamedev without really playing games, just so as not to go to the warehouse to work. And you can’t become a specialist if you spend time on games and not on learning.
In fact, the main problem is that developers are often not players. That is, they don’t understand how it should be to be interesting. Purely from my experience. And that’s why situations arise when some simple, obvious mistakes are not corrected. Although formally the testing seems to have been carried out.
I go to the factory, rivet content (only reviews for now). One does not interfere with the other. I’m almost ready to make games, but I don’t really want to.
By the way, an interesting trend is emerging – MMORPGs are needed again, and they come from the old school. Everything there with social services is more than excellent.
So first I play, then review. An unreal amount of time has been played in recent years)
Then it turns out that watching a movie or listening to music is also “outing alone”?
No, it’s better to buy NesMaker, download Famistudio, order a dandy and a flash cartridge on Aliexpress, make a game for two on it, invite living people home and have a retro party.
The key point is live communication. MMORPGs provide only a simulacrum of communication.
Or could I spend this time playing games?. By reviewing games, you automatically narrow your horizons. The writer’s paradox, yes.