The growth in the online gaming market is driven by factors like - frictionless payments, high youth population, affordable new technologies, vast internet reach and growing local developer ecosystem

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The online gaming industry in India is growing at a rapid pace. Millions of people across the country play online games for different reasons - some to kill time, some to challenge oneself, some to learn new tactics, some to pursue it as a serious career option and so on. This growth in the online gaming market is driven by factors like - frictionless payments, high youth population, affordable new technologies, vast internet reach and growing local developer ecosystem. The country is home to one-tenth of the world’s gamers and the number of game-development companies here has gone from just 25 in 2010 to 250 today. At this pace, KPMG report states that the industry is expected to gain momentum and reach a market value of 1 billion USD and 310 million online gamer(s) by 2021.

The KPMG report also states that puzzles and action games are the most popular amongst online games. Companies and entrepreneurs are observing this fondness for games by the people and hence a lot of effort is being made by them in developing new games and updating the existing ones. This has naturally led to an array of new job opportunities in the gaming industry too. Game Art professionals are in great demand across the entire world, resulting in huge employment potential for young aspirants within India. The job opportunities shall continue to grow as India develops into an outsourcing hub for international gaming companies.

There are many career choices in this industry too. Following are a few of the many options:

Game Developer -- As the name suggests, the professional who builds the gaming interface is known as the game developer. He/she is involved in the conception as well as the execution of the game and is required to be proficient in programming languages, such as java or C++. Coding, programming, and designing are the key areas of work for a game developer. A degree of B.tech in Computer Science is a must for becoming a professional game developer. 

Designer – Another new career opportunity is that of a game designer. A game designer specializes in any of the following areas - game, narration and/or sound. A degree in Animation or Graphic Designing is required for becoming a designer. 

a. Game Designer – A game designer conducts market research to analyze the viability and acceptability of games in the market. He/she also chalks out the elements of the game such as characters, concept, rules, etc. Typically, he/she works with a team to design the game.

b. Narrative Designer – A narrative designer provides the narration to the game and adds elements that make the game appear more realistic. 

c. Sound Designer – As the name suggests, a sound designer provides the sound effects in the game such as that of a gunshot, characters jumping, laughing, boxing, distributing cards in a poker game, background score, etc. 

Animator – This person, on one hand, creates animated characters for the game and on the other hand, creates the animations in the game such as the game environment, hurdles, journey, etc.

Game Tester – A professional checks the game before it goes live. It includes playing the game repeatedly to ensure the game is smooth and free of bugs. It is a fun yet tedious task.

Game Critic – A game critic like any other critics gives reviews about the game. This person is a cross between a gamer and a writer; and has a thorough understanding of the game. Extensive experience in the gaming industry is an important requirement for the job. 

There are several other career prospects other than these. Several gamers join the industry as a player or a company-contracted player, through eSports Tournaments such as PUBG tournaments, Poker Tournaments and so on. The tournament is a great opportunity to represent oneself in a national/international arena and compete with like players for a prize amount. Another career opportunity being a trainer and teach the skills of the game to the amateurs.

It is a good time to be in this industry as a player or as an industry professional since the opportunities are galore. 

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