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Wednesday, 16 September 2020 | Arvind Balakrishna

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The gaming sector today has evolved beyond its nascent stages to transform into a broad field. The industry offers a series of career options, says Arvind Balakrishna

Online gaming is one of the largest segments within the entertainment industry. In India, the online gaming market currently stands at $930 million and is projected to reach $3.7 billion by 2024. Several factors including the advancement of digital infrastructure, the proliferation of low-cost smartphones, and improved quality and engagement of gaming content are contributing to this market volume, reveals a report by Maple Capital Advisors.

According to the report — Gaming — India Story, India is now home to more than 400 gaming startups with mobile gaming capturing 85% share of the total online gaming market. The profound growth of India’s gaming industry makes it amongst the most promising sources of employment. There are ample career opportunities available for both freshers and experienced candidates across a wide variety of job roles. It is also a good time for gamers who want to turn their passion into a career.

Opportunities galore

The gaming sector today has evolved beyond its nascent stages to transform into a broad field. The core industry offers a series of career options such as game developer, game designer, game artist, game programmer, network programmer, scriptwriter, audio engineer, game tester, and game management. Additionally, there is a heightened demand for graphic designers, security engineers, product managers, operations personnel, supply chain managers, legal professionals, and marketing managers.

For gamers, large PC companies, as well as small gaming startups, now organise large-scale gaming tournaments wherein participants can win attractive cash rewards and gaming merchandise. The emergence of real-money skill gaming, too, has presented an earning opportunity for gaming enthusiasts.

Pursuing a career in gaming

While the arrival of online gaming in India can be dated back to 2000s, it was only in this decade when gaming became a part of the mainstream entertainment culture. Hence, the job prospects in the gaming sector were fairly restricted up until a few years ago. Today, however, pursuing a career in gaming can be highly rewarding and satisfactory. Moreover, many gaming companies allow employees to work on flexible hours and/or even work remotely.

When it comes to qualifications, most recruiters in the gaming industry focus primarily on technical skills and applied knowledge over professional degrees. However, if ones to become a game developer, having an engineering degree is mandatory. For aspiring game designers, there are several diploma and certificate courses offered by premium institutes. The minimum eligibility required for applying for these courses is Class XII. Besides this, one should be well acquainted with digital tools such as Photoshop, Maya, Max, Substance Designer etc. In terms of remuneration, freshers start with a modest salary, but experienced professionals can earn up to `10-`12 lakhs or even more.

Analysing the future potential

The Indian online gaming market is growing rapidly, both in terms of monetisation and user base. With increased investor interest, enhanced customer lifecycle, better gender parity and the rise of localised gaming content, it is touted as one of the most lucrative sectors. As suggested by industry estimates, 190 million Indians will actively participate in online gaming by 2021. Looking at its dynamic expansion, it is expected that the industry will become a hotbed for jobs.

The COVID-19 pandemic will also play a significant role in the growth of new users as more people turn to gaming apps and platforms to unwind themselves. Against this background, the gaming industry will generate more and more employment opportunities. Of course, there are still misconceptions around gaming, but the mindset of students and their parents are slowly changing and they are now considering starting their professional journey in the gaming world.

The writer is Founder, Pacific Gaming

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