PremiumNew Delhi: Playing video games in competitive tournaments and streaming gaming sessions on YouTube and Facebook Gaming have become full-time career options for many young Indians who took up gaming during the pandemic
New Delhi: Playing video games in competitive tournaments and streaming gaming sessions on YouTube and Facebook Gaming have become full-time career options for many young Indians who took up gaming during the pandemic. The intent originally was to pass the time or make some money on the side, but these are now evolving into full-time careers, said industry experts.
Around 33% of 2,000 casual gamers surveyed by PC maker HP said they are considering the option of gaming as a full-time career. Another 33% were thinking of taking up gaming as a part-time career, said the report, HP India Gaming Landscape Study 2022. The top reasons cited by the participants for pivoting toward gaming as a career include good earning prospects, excitement and fun, career flexibility, recognition, and a desire to make a hobby a profession.
“The gaming landscape in India will create numerous job opportunities for the coming generations," said Bharat Patel, chairman and director of Yudiz Solutions, a game development firm.
Gamers can develop their career by playing games, developing one, or becoming an influencer. Patel pointed out. “The income of a gaming professional will significantly depend upon their skills and experience as a gamer. Beginners earn ₹3-5 lakh annually, intermediates earn ₹5-7 lakh, and professionals get ₹10-15 lakh annually," he said.
Gamers can pursue seven to eight types of careers in gaming, including eSports journalism, content creation, eSports athlete, talent management, mentorship, and coaching, according to Trinity Gaming India, which handles gaming content creators.
“Gamers have many revenue streams, including ad money, goods revenue, platform revenue, fan engagement, and sponsorship revenue," said Abhishek Aggarwal, co-founder and chief executive officer (CEO), Trinity Gaming.
The HP report found that 53% want to explore a career as a gamer, 20% as a gaming influencer, 18% as a software developer, 8% as a streamer, and 2% as an animator. Career opportunities in software development and animation in gaming are also growing in India. Top gaming publishers in North America and Europe, which have been outsourcing some animation and artwork to India for many years, are now asking them to work on complex characters, environments, and even level development.
US-based Rockstar Games and French gaming company Ubisoft have set up studios in India and are hiring local talent.
In April, the information and broadcasting (I&B) ministry announced the appointment of a task force to promote the development of animation, visual effects, gaming and comics (AVGC) in India. The task force, which has members from the industry, is entrusted with framing a national AVGC policy to create more job opportunities, help Indian startups expand and provide incentives to attract foreign direct investment in the AVGC sector.
The gaming industry in India has seen massive growth. The revenue of the mobile gaming industry alone is expected to grow from $1.5 billion to more than $5 billion by 2025, according to a November 2021 report by BCG and Sequoia.
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