WinZO partners with top universities to develop skill-based game assessment model

Vernacular skill-gaming platform WinZO has partnered with professors from technology institutions, including IIT Madras, IIT Delhi, IIT Kanpur, Stanford University, and California State University, to build a statistical model aimed at differentiating between gaming activities that hinge on skill and those influenced by chance. 

Driven by concerns over the impartiality of proposed Self-Regulatory Bodies (SRBs) within India's online gaming sector and their access to confidential proprietary information, WinZO took the initiative to work with academicians globally to establish transparent and unbiased models for distinguishing games of skill from betting and gambling.  

It also wants to develop a highly scientific model that could be democratised and applied universally to assess the skill level of any game, eliminating the need for access to proprietary data or risking the violation of intellectual property rights. 

“As a gaming platform that publishes games of over 100 game developers, it was important for us to have a predictable, transparent, and accountable methodology to determine through a scientific methodology if the game is a game of skill. By democratising the assessment of games on skill, we aim to empower startups and lower their financial challenges - something we faced during our early years. This marks a significant step forward in our journey to foster a gaming environment characterized by scientific rigour, collaboration, and objectivity," said Paavan Nanda, Co-founder of WinZO. 

“Overall, this research is a valuable contribution to the gaming industry, providing empirical evidence and a quantifiable framework for distinguishing games of skill. WinZO is boosting consumer confidence, providing benchmarks for the development of future games. Finally, policymakers may also greatly benefit from the insights of these methodologies in their policy decisions,” said Neelesh S Upadhye, Dept of Mathematics, IIT Madras.

The collaborative effort produced statistical tests using real game data from over 100 million users and billions of game plays to determine skill prevalence over chance in various games. Additionally, it holds the potential to ease compliance burdens for online gaming and address regulatory challenges in evolving business models.

WinZO has also partnered with IIT Delhi, Delhi Technological University, Netaji Subhash University of Technology, and the IIITD to launch its new cyber security programme, Code Health and Security Evaluation (CHASE). 

Established in 2018, WinZO collaborates with third-party developers, hosting games on its Android app to offer users personalised multiplayer gameplay experiences. The platform is accessible in 12 languages, including English, Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi, Bengali, and Bhojpuri, with over 175 million registered users.

The Series C funded venture recently raised $100 million from gaming and entertainment investors like Griffin Gaming Partners, Courtside Ventures, and Maker's Fund.