Booming gaming industry: Building a career in gaming

India is not exempt from the global trend of gaming becoming a legitimate industry. Over the years, analysts have observed a sharp increase in the number of gamers in the Indian market. It is also expected that by the year 2025, the value of the industry will be three times as to what it is today. India has always been about gaming. The unexpected surge in the gaming industry within the country took everyone by surprise. However, there were a lot of factors behind this surge including a young population, increase in the number of smartphone users and the pandemic. Online games became an important source of entertainment during the lockdown, therefore it can be said that the pandemic had the largest impact.

The global gaming market is currently valued at over 245 billion, much more than movies and music industry. And the sheer size of the market tells us how many vast the opportunities are present. From being a developer to a marketeer, to being an esports athlete and beyond, the gaming industry offers a multitude of career opportunities in diverse fields. The range of roles is very vast. India has an advantage over other countries in terms of talent involved in gaming and is also well-equipped with the technological know-how. When it comes to animation and game development, India seems to have provided a sizable cost advantage as compared to other nations.

Making a career out of gaming is a viable and rewarding endeavor, irrespective of your gaming experience or the skill sets that you bring. In this everchanging environment, women are not far away. Even they have joined the workforce, following their passion and aspiration. They are known to change the whole narrative of the gaming industry by becoming a part of this one upon a time - male dominated industry.

Career in the gaming industry does not only restrict itself to playing games. It is much more than that. There are a variety of roles that one can take if they are passionate about the gaming industry. A developer is known to help develop the application. The product managers help to ideate and strategize about the gaming product. The finance team helps to manage the budget and Profit and Loss (P&L). Operation team runs the day to day tasks. Marketeers, social media and community managers help to scale and promote the product. Networking helps to open up various possibilities in this field and also help in supporting the growth of the career. The roles are similar to any other category or any other traditional company and the opportunities to grow are endless today.

Besides the above mentioned roles, a gaming industry also offers roles and opportunities like a content creator, streamer, an esports athlete and even a caster and much more. All it takes is passion unlike any other industry and the right set of guidance. There are multiple universities abroad and even a few in India offering various courses and specializations in the field of gaming. Success in the gaming industry is also dependent on ongoing learning. This is a rapidly growing industry. It is not only advantageous but also important to stay up to date with the latest technological innovations.

Adopting a lifelong learning mindset is the key to success and makes one an indispensable resource in this ever-growing field of gaming. By accepting these challenges and seeing them as chances of personal development, anyone can prosper in this exciting and fast-paced sector. This rewarding and successful career path is available to everyone with a penchant for creativity, a love for gaming and the flexibility to learn and develop. The future appears to be bright for those who wish to enter the burgeoning gaming industry, given the rise and ongoing development of new game genres such as cloud and internet gaming.

In conclusion, given the fastpaced development, financial stability, job security, the gaming industry appears to be a great choice for people looking for a career.

The author of the article is Nauman Mulla, Co-Founder & COO, STAN, a gaming community startup. Views expressed are personal.