Board games and card games are back in a big way — haven’t you heard? The only difference is that they are being played on the phone, as people across the country rediscover old favourites — from Monopoly to Ludo — with friends and family via apps.
The latest to join the bandwagon, and this time with a local twist is the popular card game Donkey/ Ass. However, to know what is different about the advanced app version of it, Kalutai, deserves to be downloaded and played, says well-known entrepreneur-politician Sam Paul, the brains behind the reinvented version.
“We have been playing the game for the last 15-odd years in my family. It’s so addictive and we easily get through 40 games a day as it just takes five to seven minutes for one game. All you need is a 52-card deck, but our version also involves a certain amount of planning and strategising that goes behind figuring out how to win,” says Sam, who is also spending his time in lockdown.
“It struck me that an online version would be an amazing way to learn these decision-making skills and also have fun while doing it,” he adds.
Screenshot from the game
Released under the banner of his Paulsons Group, the gaming app Kalutai (Donkey in Tamil) has been in development for over three years and with tech teams across two different continents — but it was a complete coincidence that its launch is happening during the lockdown, says Sam.
“We began conceptualising it quite sometime ago, and there have been multiple levels of coding and design that has gone into making this accessible to play. There are different modes as well: playing with friends, playing with people online across the world, practising offline with bots, creating custom game rooms for friends/ family and there’s a chat option as well as voice chat to boot, which can be used to taunt opponents!” grins Sam.
The motive is not to be the last person standing, and finish off all the cards as soon as possible. The last person with cards in their hands is the Kalutai!
“It is optimum for four players to play together, or a single person against bots,” Sam states.
The game was released earlier this week by cricketer Badrinath Subramaniam, and will be available for free download for a short period of time on Android and iOS.
Sam concludes with a word of advice for entrepreneurs and businessmen dealing with the lockdown. “Honestly, the best thing to do right now is to stay patient. I know it’s difficult to do so, and there are lots of people predicting how things will play out over the next few months, but the reality is that nobody knows for sure. Please stay put and be safe for now.”
