Backstage Pass Students Awarded Student Game of the Year at IGDC 2025

When you commit to your dream project and say, “Yes, I can do it at any cost”, then no boundaries or barriers will stop you. And thats what happened at IGDC 2025 in Chennai. Students from Backstage Pass Institute of Gaming made their mark on India’s biggest gaming stage by taking home the prestigious “Student Game of the Year” award!

Winning the “Student Game of the Year” award was a message from Backstage Pass that anything is possible with the right resources and mentorship.

Let’s dive into what makes this win such a power move for India’s next generation of game developers.

What Is the India Game Developer Conference (IGDC)?

To make you understand this event better, lets say IGDC is the Comic-Con for Game Developers. It’s India’s largest and most influential game development event, bringing together studios, indie devs, and students from across India and foreign countries.

Its an event where indie studios and game producers showcase their groundbreaking games. Most importantly, it hosts global game industry leaders and other famous personalities, where they share their valuable knowledge.

About the “Student Game of the Year” Award

The “Student Game of the Year” award recognises innovation, gameplay experience, and technical mastery in student-created game projects.

Students participating in IGDC are like they are launching a career milestone. And, Backstage Pass is like a gateway for the students to enter this kind of event.

The Games That Made Backstage Pass Proud

Winner: “ESC Sim”

Genre: Puzzle, First-Person

Team Members:

• K. Kiranmouli – Bachelor’s in Computer Science and  Game Development
• G. Gagan Gupta – Bachelor’s in Computer Science and  Game Development

ESC Sim is a quirky first-person escape puzzle game set in a whimsical study room packed with hidden clues and clever surprises. It’s light-hearted, smart, and built with tons of creativity.

Runner-Up: “Resonance”

Genre: Puzzle

Team Members:

• Jay Jain – Bachelor’s in Game Art and Design
• Vivek Pattnayak – Bachelor’s in Game Art and Design

Resonance is a serene puzzle experience about rhythm and repetition, a meditative take on finding harmony through loops and timing. It’s peaceful, elegant, and beautifully designed.

Mentorship and Guidance at Backstage Pass

Behind every award-winning game is great mentorship, and that’s where Backstage Pass Institute shines.

Students here don’t just learn to make games, but they learn to make impactful games. 

Through:

• Industry-based Game Design and Development Projects
• Expert Mentorship 8+ years of experience in the gaming industry
• Hands-on training in game engines like Unity and Unreal
• Portfolio with real games at the accelerator program 
• Placements in the top game studios

That combination of creativity, code, and coaching is what puts Backstage Pass among the Best Game Development Colleges in India.

Never Forgot About This

This win is your call to action. At Backstage Pass, every idea has the potential to become the next big breakthrough. With the right guidance, creativity, and dedication, you could be the one standing on the IGDC stage next year.