The gaming industry in India is expected to grow 20–30% and will probably add 1 lakh new direct and indirect jobs by the FY23 end, as per a recent report by the staffing firm TeamLease Digital.

The report titled “Gaming: Tomorrow’s Blockbuster” said that at present, the sector directly employs around 50,000 individuals, of whom 30% comprise programmers and developers. The sector will add new jobs in areas such as programming (game developers, unity developers), testing (games test engineering, quality assurance, or QA lead), animation (animators), design (motion graphic designers, virtual reality designers), artistry (VFX and concept artists), and other miscellaneous roles (content writers, gaming journalists, web analysts) in the coming months.

According to a salary viewpoint, the most lucrative profiles in the gaming industry incorporate game producers (₹10 lakh per annum), game designers ₹6.5 lakh per annum), software engineers( ₹5.5 lakh per annum), game developers ( ₹5.25 lakh annum), num) and QA testes ( ₹5.11 lakh per annum).

“Despite facing hurdles owing to frequent regulatory changes, the gaming industry is expected to create 1 lakh jobs by FY23 and grow 2.5x by 2026,” said Sunil Chemmankotil, chief executive officer, TeamLease Digital.

Munira Loliwala, Business Head-Specialized Staffing, TeamLease Digital, highlighted the development outline of the industry and said, “We are at the cusp of exponential growth in the sector.” This industry is on track to grow by 20%–30% by FY23 and is expected to reach 38,097 crores by 2026. “With a 480 million-strong gaming community, India is the second largest globally, after China.”

To address this growth, employment in the sector is going to significantly increase, said the report. “Today, we have a 90% millennial and Gen-Z workforce, and the majority of these professionals are aspiring to work in emerging sectors like gaming.” “By FY23, close to 1 lakh new jobs will be created in the sector, and this is further projected to increase by 50%, taking the industry’s overall growth trajectory to more than 113% by 2025,” Loliwala said.

The report likewise highlighted educational qualifications and skills that employers pay special attention to. Candidates aiming to work in the gaming industry are supposed to have capabilities ranging from a BCA in software and a diploma in 3D, 2D, animation, and VFX to an M.Tech. or B. Tech. in IT and a diploma in specialized languages like C++, Java, and DevOps.

“With the confluence of Web3 and the metaverse, gamification is not just restricted to traditional gaming avenues but has extended to other emerging tech sectors like e-commerce, fintech, education, etc.” “Over the next few years, aided by the sturdy growth in the sector, we will see a catapult impact on employment as well,” added Loliwala.

The report expressed that the development vision and sector investments will keep developing. At present, as far as income, India is placed 6th on the world’s most significant gaming market index (global market revenue is approximately 17,24,800 crore). The sector is expected to attract FDI worth 780 crores by FY23. Moreover, stakeholders across the industry are additionally attempting to carry out refined approaches to administer the ecosystem system.

One more report delivered on November 2 by gaming-focused venture capital firm Lumikai said that India’s gaming industry is expected to almost quadruple to $8.6 billion by 2027 from $2.6 billion.

“Industry growth is expected to be fueled by a rapidly increasing gamer base, higher conversion to paid users, and the increasing sophistication of Indian gamers,” Justin Shriram Keeling, founding general partner of Lumikai, said in a statement.

Teamlease likewise expressed that with the increasing participation of women in the gaming industry (over 40%), there will be a critical ascent in the women’s workforce, with additional women possessing influential positions in this sector.

Credit: Mint