Gaming the Future, Gorakhpur Style

By Pickle November 23, 2025

At Waves Film Bazaar, Mohit Sharma showcases Ourcadium—India’s indigenous XR gaming platform.

At the Tech Pavilion of the WAVES Film Bazaar in Goa, amid the murmur of international delegates and the flicker of screens, a quiet transformation is underway. Mohit Kumar Sharma, a 1993-born entrepreneur from Gorakhpur, stands at the crossroads of tradition and future as he demonstrates Ourcadium—India’s homegrown XR gaming ecosystem—to a fascinated crowd.

As the founder and CEO of Youth Buzz, Mohit isn’t just showcasing a product; he is unveiling a philosophy, an ambition shaped by family, myth, and the promise of New India.

Mohit’s story is emblematic of a broader shift—one where Indian innovators are no longer content to play catch-up to Silicon Valley or import aspirations from the West. Instead, they are building platforms, hardware, and narratives rooted in Indian culture, powered by indigenous technology, and aimed at the world.

His journey is not just about bytes and devices, but about bravery, belief, and a vision that stretches from the bylanes of Gorakhpur to the global stage.

The Mother Who Believed First

Behind every startup, there is a moment of improbable faith—a person who bets on the dream before anyone else does. For Mohit, that unwavering pillar was his mother. In the fledgling days of Youth Buzz, when it was just a concept—a youth magazine, some VR experiments, and the glimmer of possibility—it was his mother who became his first angel investor.

Her support was not measured in spreadsheets or seed funding rounds; it was born of a parent’s trust, the kind that underpins every leap into the unknown. “My mother is my first angel investor,” Mohit reflects, a note of gratitude coloring his words. Growing up in Gorakhpur, his parents didn’t just invest money—they invested faith, philosophy, and permission to take risks. When Mohit moved to Greater Noida to pursue a B.Tech in mechanical engineering at Amity University, his family stood behind him, even as he deviated from the traditional career path and plunged into technology ventures that, at the time, seemed like a gamble.

The Entrepreneur vs. The Corporate Mindset

With an engineering degree in hand and a coder’s comfort with complexity, Mohit faced a choice: the reassuring stability of a corporate job or entrepreneurship’s wild uncertainty. He chose the latter—not out of rebellion, but of clarity. “I find more opportunities in working as an entrepreneur than fighting mindsets in a 9-to-5 atmosphere,” he says. His was not a rejection of the system, but an embrace of possibility.

Mohit’s exposure wasn’t limited to India. He participated in Korean government initiatives and came close to being incubated at South Korea’s famed Pangyo Techno Valley. But rather than settle abroad, he made a deliberate choice to return home. “Those places already have a lot. Why not create something here?” he reasoned. In Mohit’s mind, New India was a land of both opportunity and responsibility—a place to build infrastructure, not just climb existing ladders. “When we connect these two worlds, the impact will be huge.”

From Youth Magazine to Deep Tech

Youth Buzz’s roots stretch back to 2014, when Mohit, Shivam (his close friend and co-founder), and others launched a youth magazine in Greater Noida. The goal was deceptively simple: “Connect all kids, all youth, with opportunities and events happening around them.” But even then, Mohit’s sights were set on immersive storytelling. He and his team experimented with VR long before it was mainstream in India, hustling to import headsets from the US through friends and acquaintances.

This spirit of innovation led to the formal incorporation of Youth Buzz Eduform LLP in 2017, marking its evolution from a student project into a deep tech venture specializing in XR (extended reality). Over the next seven years, Youth Buzz completed over 50 projects spanning 15 countries and diverse sectors—education, training, music, gaming—gaining a firsthand understanding of the shifting XR landscape.

The COVID pandemic and the arrival of 5G marked a turning point. Consumer demand for immersive content surged, and Youth Buzz adapted, evolving from a services firm into a product-driven innovator.

Ourcadium: Philosophy Meets Gameplay

At the center of Youth Buzz’s product suite is Ourcadium, a cross-platform gaming ecosystem that draws on Indian philosophy and global technology. The name itself is a portmanteau of “our,” “arcade,” and “stadium”—a nod to its hybrid nature, bridging the digital and the physical, the local and the connected.

“Ourcadium is inspired by Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam,” Mohit explains, referencing the ancient Sanskrit principle that “the world is one family.” In practical terms, it means Ourcadium allows players from different devices—mobile, VR, and more—to seamlessly interact, creating a multiplayer universe where borders blur and Indian stories take center stage.

Ourcadium’s “Arcadeverse” is a layered ecosystem, with multiple narrative threads:

Immersive Warfare Chapter One: A cross-platform game where mobile and VR players can compete and collaborate in real time.

Immersive Warfare Chapter Two: A free-roam VR experience, pushing the boundaries of Indian gaming.

Man versus Generative: A technical showpiece where players face off against generative AI bots that learn and adapt strategy in real time, presenting a dynamic, ever-evolving challenge.

Vishwa: A science fiction quest inspired by India’s space achievements; players recover the Pragyan rover and conduct experiments, blending gameplay with real-world inspiration.

The Secret Society: Building The Game of Dimensions

Mohit’s most ambitious narrative project is The Game of Dimensions, a game world inspired by the legendary Nine Unknown Men of Ashoka—a secret society entrenched in Indian mythology. While the West has its tales of the Illuminati and Freemasons, ancient India’s mythos includes this enigmatic order, believed by some to still exist and shape global events from the shadows.

“These are stories of nine unknown men who are believed to be powerful. Even India has secret societies as powerful as people believe still exist,” Mohit explains. “It’s a fantasy, you can say, or a conspiracy theory, but we’re developing something in the background of it.”

Within The Game of Dimensions, all storylines converge into an intergalactic finale, where arcade simulators act as portals to dimensions governed by these nine ancient guardians. It’s a world that fuses Indian mythology, global conspiracies, and next-gen technology—unapologetically local, yet universally compelling.

The Made-in-India Hardware Revolution

Most gaming arcades in India rely on equipment that is over 90% imported, old, and costly. Mohit set out to change that. With guidance from professors at IIT Jodhpur (where he is pursuing his M.Tech in AR/VR), Youth Buzz engineered India’s first indigenous haptic gun and an eight-point haptic vest.

The Haptic Gun: Engineered at a 1:1 scale, the gun delivers authentic tactile feedback, including recoil and decorative laser effects. This not only enhances immersion but draws crowds in arcades.

The Haptic Vest: Featuring eight feedback points (four front, four back), it allows players to feel bullet impacts, vastly improving the sense of realism. The vest has applications beyond gaming; it can be used in training and even helps counter VR-induced motion sickness.

This drive isn’t just about commercial potential, but contribution. Invoking the story of Ram’s bridge-building, Mohit says, “When Ram was building his Setu, not everyone was lifting heavy loads. Some animals were lifting small stones. If I’m not making the headset today, at least I’m making the gun. Whatever I can contribute, I should.”

Winning WAVES: The Government That Listens

Youth Buzz’s defining breakthrough came at the WAVES Creative Challenge (Create in India Challenge Season 1), held by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting as part of the World Audio Visual Entertainment Summit. Of over 2,200 applicants—most from small towns and tier-2/3 cities—Mohit’s “Immersive Warfare Simulator” won gold in the XR category and topped the hackathon overall.

The win was life-changing. Not only did it validate Youth Buzz’s vision, but it also opened doors to unparalleled government support. “The support we’re getting right now—we’re here at WAVES Film Bazaar all because of them,” Mohit says. “We were at IGDC in Chennai, IndiaJoy in Hyderabad, and we don’t know where they’ll send us next—they’re unstoppable, and so are the WAVES.”

This support isn’t accidental. It’s the result of a new, hands-on approach at the Ministry, led by Ashutosh Mohle, CEO of WaveX—the Ministry’s flagship accelerator for media, entertainment, AVGC-XR, and startups. As Joint Director at the Ministry and now as CEO, Mohle has fundamentally shifted how the government engages with innovative startups, offering mentorship, infrastructure, and connections.

Mohit credits both Ashutosh Mohle and Anubhav Singh (another MIB officer) for championing Youth Buzz at every level—from Creatosphere in WAVES 2025 to Creatosphere at IFFI 2025. “We heard about WAVES first from Ashutosh sir at a gaming event, then heard Modi Ji announce it. After that, Anubhav Singh gave us space at all the events.”

Government Facilitation: The Missing Piece

For Mohit, the importance of government support became clear during a recent visit to Gorakhpur. He discovered a local entrepreneur, Akshat Narain, building an arcade game zone—a venture that seemed impossible just a few years ago. “If such things are happening in Gorakhpur, why shouldn’t I give my 100%? If the entire ecosystem is giving its all, I should synchronize my efforts.”

WaveX’s incubation centers, equipped with 8K cameras, VR testing kits, gaming consoles, and mentorship networks, are transforming the landscape for startups. The Tech Pavilion at WAVES Film Bazaar, where Mohit is currently exhibiting, is the tangible result of this new infrastructure—a hub where XR, animation, VFX, and emerging tech are given global exposure.

Betting on Indian Talent

The Youth Buzz team reflects Mohit’s ethos. While the core group met at Amity University, the company hires beyond pedigree. “We have hired even school dropouts. Some of our team were school dropouts. We hire based on projects, not degrees,” Mohit emphasizes. Today’s students are makers, not just consumers. Some team members have shipped multiple games before even graduating college.

This portfolio-first approach has become Youth Buzz’s trademark, ensuring that the best talent—regardless of background—finds a place to innovate.

The Gen AI Layer: Next Frontier

What further distinguishes Ourcadium is its integration of generative AI. In “Man versus Generative,” players battle AI bots that learn and adapt in real time—a technical feat few Indian studios attempt. Generative AI also powers dynamic world-building and personalized gameplay, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.

Mohit points out a larger trend: “If you check the credits of most big games or Hollywood movies, you’ll find Indian names. It’s only a matter of time before we start making our own IP at home.”

New India Through Mohit’s Lens

What makes Mohit Kumar Sharma’s story truly reflective of New India isn’t just ambition, but grounded localism. He turned down lucrative roles abroad to build in India. He embedded Indian myth and philosophy in his games. He designed hardware here, breaking cycles of import dependence. He works in partnership with government, not in opposition. Most importantly, he believes that world-class innovation can emerge from Gorakhpur—not as a trickle-down from metros, but as a grassroots movement from tier-2 cities.

With India’s XR gaming sector projected to grow from $4.2 billion in 2024 to over $30 billion by 2033, Mohit and his peers are determined to ensure India’s creators own the IP and profit, not just fuel global giants. The Ministry’s initiatives—the Create in India Challenge, WaveX, Film Bazaar, and policy support—signal a new era of systemic commitment.

The Confidence That Comes with Support

At the Tech Pavilion in Creatosphere, as Mohit showcases Ourcadium to global audiences, he radiates a quiet confidence. He’s not a hustler railing against the system, nor a skeptic doubting government intent. “Whatever the Indian prime minister says, he does on a grand scale,” Mohit had remarked at the hackathon. It’s an observation born of experience—witnessing Gorakhpur’s evolution, government follow-through, and tangible transformation.

For Mohit, government facilitation is not handholding—it’s infrastructure and validation. It’s a call to action: build here, tell your story, create your future.

The Gorakhpur Architect

Mohit Kumar Sharma’s journey is a map for New India’s creators. He is the architect of an emerging ecosystem—where belief, bravery, and bytes merge. In choosing to build from Gorakhpur, he’s proving that India’s next big story doesn’t need to come from Mumbai or Bangalore. It can—and will—begin wherever there’s faith, grit, and vision.

As the lines blur between mythology and machine, between the local and the global, Mohit’s story is proof that the future of gaming—and perhaps India itself—will be written by those who dare to believe, to build, and to belong.