This Gurgaon-based Gaming Startup is a One-stop Entertainment Center for All Age Group People

Oh My Game provides a wide range of activities such as laser tags, arcade games, children’s soft play and a wide assortment of food and beverages. Oh My Game (OMG) is the perfect place where the fun, excitement, suspense and adventure come together to bring you unforgettable moments. Oh My Game is the perfect place for celebration of birthday parties, to hang up with family and friends or to plan effective team building corporate activities, with a wide range of gaming, food and beverage options.

Oh My Game (OMG) was launched on 13th August, 2016 in Sector 43, Gurugram, Haryana (INDIA).

About the founders
Sahil Sehgal and Aakritti Sethi are the co-founders of OMG. They are siblings where Sahil Sehgal has done Masters in International Business from Queen Mary University of London and Aakritti Sethi has completed her B.A (Hons.) in Textile Designing from Pearl Academy of Fashion (Delhi). They conceptualized the idea of starting a gaming center when they discovered their passion for laser tag over the same game in London.

We are publishing an interview with Ms. Aakritti Sethi, Co-founder of Oh My Game:

Q.: What is the problem you are trying to solve?
Ans: Instead of problem solving we can say that it is a passion driven endeavor very close to both of us. Through our activities we want to provide indoor playing space which gives the same level of thrill and experience as one would get when playing outside without worrying about the bad weather or lack of playground in some cases. We are an entertainment center who tries to cater to all age groups. From toddlers to infants to teenagers to adults. We have something engaging and fun for all. It’s a family entertainment center.

Q.: Can you share with us any insights that led you to believe that this is a big enough problem?
Ans: We know that weather is very unpredictable. It may rain at any hour of the day and summers are very difficult times, people are prone to heatstroke and the maximum amount of risk lingers around the kids. In such situations people are not left with not much option and can only sit back at home sulking over the unavailability of options. Therefore, to solve the problem we came up with the idea of indoor gaming space where one can avail the same games they play outdoors which is more enhanced and added with a pinch of adventure and doesn’t compromise on the intensity of the game, helping people to stay fit and healthy at the same time.

Other aspect of concern was the susceptibility of getting hurt while playing and in certain games like paint ball people are not just apprehensive of getting hurt but are also anxious of getting their clothes dirty. Laser tag, our specialty, comes to the rescue as it gives the same level of excitement as to make believe that one is playing outside while ensuring the welfare of the people by making arrangements to check any kind of physical injury or damage and also safeguarding the customers from getting dirty.

Q.: Tell us about the Product / Solution. Explain how you went about the Product-Market Fit Process.
Ans: At OMG all the services provided are done with the sole motto to come up with something new that is different which customers have never enjoyed before. We ensure that the products used are of superior quality and guarantees safety of the customers and is also easy to maintain so that we don’t have to go through the hassle of installing these types of equipment again and again. Furthermore, being conceptualized out of personal interest the founders are involved in every step where every process is scanned and approved by us.

Q.: What is your USP?
Ans: First among the many games offered by us is Laser Tag as OMG has one of the largest laser tag arena in India. Apart from laser tag bubble football is a new concept offered only by OMG in Delhi NCR. The games at OMG are not just confined to gaming but is a sport as it helps stay healthy owing to the physical activity involved in playing.

Going beyond gaming, OMG is a one stop entertainment for all age group as it is not age restrictive and welcomes everyone from children, teenagers to senior citizens. OMG also organizes corporate events, birthday parties and get together in addition to recreation activity and also has cafeteria space so that one could grab snacks after being exhausted by intensive activity.

Q.: What were your assumptions when you entered the market, learning that you have? Who in your mind is your ideal customer? Do you have at least one of them signed up?
Ans: Before setting off into the venture of business we were very optimistic with regards to the success as we were preoccupied with the notion that gaming as a source of entertainment would interest and excite the public and lead them to the doors of our center. We actually cannot differentiate between our customers as all age group people from toddlers to elders enjoy the activities and services provided by us. In terms of loyal customers, we get booking every day from all over Delhi and nearby places but we have conducted various corporate events for big names such as Deloitte, EY, Google, Accenture, Microsoft, etc. so we anticipate that apart from teenagers and kids even corporate professionals are in the list.

Q.: What has been your biggest failure as an entrepreneur and what did you learn from it??
Ans: The journey up till now is pretty smooth with certain ups and downs but have not faced any major setback. Among many factors one factor which is of utter concern is the requirement of capital for expansion. Till now the business had been a self-funded project but with the upcoming of 3 centers there is acute need of investment which is very difficult to collect.

Above all, going back the lane, when we started the business we were more instinctive rather than practical and coming from manufacturing background, had no knowledge of the retail sector. In addition to this we did not go for a proper market research having the perception that gaming was loved and enjoyed by all. But soon we realized that business needs proper structure that involves planning and strategizing.

We were also unable to foresee that in business growth is very slow with respect to returns as compared to the investment.

Another major concern is doing business with the family which has its own pros and cons and sometimes the situation is difficult to handle considering that we often take the liberty to cross the line of professionalism with family members.

After making errors we realized that entertainment will never go out of fashion as it gives relief from the ruckus of mundane and hectic life and if we channelized ourselves into a professional structure where we ensured systematic procedural work along with proper strategizing we can reach out to our customers without any difficulty and also lead our business to success. This helped us in expanding our business owing to which the 2nd and 3rd centers are more commercially viable.

Q.: How are you pricing the Product? What is the logic behind it? What is the model you are following – Free / Freemium / Premium etc.? Explain your thought process.
Ans: We provide our services at very affordable price with products which are enhanced and also innovative that gives us a niche over others as it is not possible for everyone to provide such wonderful services at reasonable or economical amount where you always avail more facilities in comparison to the price paid. Moreover the merriment that people experience here while indulging in their leisure time is worth the price paid by them as nothing can replace the cheerfulness that makes them lively.

Q.: How did you get your first customer?
Ans: We can attribute the credit to our timing and parallelly to the marketing as we had launched our first gaming center in a mall on 13th August, just two days away from Independence Day. As people are very much indulgent in recreation to spend some quality time with friends and family on 15 August, they generally visit the malls for quality time and as we were open for walk-in entries we got an inflow of customers.

Q.: Please tell us about the investors (if any)
Ans: The business is self-funded by our mother Ritu Sehgal who has her own manufacturing-packaging business in Faridabad. She is socially active accompanied by involvement in charitable endeavors where she believes in giving back to the society with kindness.

Q.: Is there any interesting success story? If yes, please write about it.?
Ans: The journey itself can be considered to be a success story as already mentioned above that in business the return rate is very slow and in most cases the company is susceptible to loss but in spite of all these we were able to launch two new centers is in a way is not ultimate success but a small achievement on our part.

Q.: What is the big picture of your startup? Is this Product/service leading to something bigger? If so, how?
Ans: We plan to expand our business by creating a franchise with 10 to 15 centers not just in Gurgaon or NCR but all over India, specially targeting metro cities. Yes, surely our service is leading to something bigger as we have a decent turnover owing to the popularity among the kids, teenagers and enthusiastic gamers, anticipating to reach the goal in 5 years.

Q.: Since inception, give us a sense of the value of business done by your venture? Please explain in details:
Ans: During the initial days it was very difficult to get customers but with our constant effort we were able to increase our sales as we were able to reach out to more people with proper channelization of marketing. Now we have a decent number of bookings along with walk-in entry and we are also able to organize corporate events, birthday parties and get together. Though there are days when we are not able to get good turnovers but overall the business is growing at a constant rate of speed.

Q.: What is the insight that you have about this market, which no one else has? Uniqueness about your Startup.
Ans: Others in the market have a targeted set of particular age group customers. But we, here at OMG welcome all age group people. In addition to this we also provide babysitting services where mothers can enjoy the free time to their fullest without worrying about the welfare of the kids as they are relaxed that they are handing over their children into save hands. Apart from this we also organize birthday parties, get together and corporate events which differentiates us from the others.

Q.: List all the names of the core Team Members, along with their Designated Roles.
Ans: Our core team comprises of PR team, Social Media team, Managers and Staff who are responsible for varied tasks pertaining to food department, serving facility, gaming sector and the babysitting services which gives an edge to OMG over others.

Since the inception of the company, we have seen the company growing, be it the overall profit of the company or evolution at the personal level. There were many employees who were graduates at the beginning but with the course of time have successfully taken on the responsibility of the Manager. Thus, we can say that individual progress, directly or indirectly attributes to the welfare of the company. Keeping in mind the fierce competition in the market we were keen on hiring employees with different background to establish diversity for enhanced crisis management as well as innovative approach towards all projects.

Q.: Who do You Perceive as Your Competition? How do you differentiate yourself with them?
Ans: Anyone belonging to the entertainment zone is our competition.

Q.: What would be your goal to accomplish in the next six months?
Ans: Our first priority is to relocate the first center.

Q.: What message do you want to convey to fellow entrepreneurs?
Ans: My only advice for the entrepreneurs would be to stay persistent and follow their dreams. Starting a business can be tough but perseverance will help you get past the difficult times and your aggression along with the passion for the work will help you see the positive side in every situation. All the above factors when accompanied by patience makes a perfect structure for a successful business.

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Thanks Aakritti. Best wishes!