Gaming.

This handbook aims to bring you an insight

of the gaming industry in India and the
world so as to help you explore gaming as a
career.
Read on and happy decision making !!
 Contents
Indian Gaming Industry 04

Global Gaming Industry 05

Benefits of Playing Games 06

Why Is Education In Gaming Important 10
Gaming is more than playing 12
Job Opportunities in the Gaming Industry 13
What are the Alternative Job 14
Opportunities?
Future of the Gaming Industry and 15
Opportunities for Youth.

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Indian Gaming
Industry
From being an outsourcing hub for foreign gaming
companies till a few years back to being home to more
than 25 game companies today, the Indian gaming industry
has really taken off. Today, according to NASSCOM, the
industry is around 890 million dollars in size with a growth
rate of about 30 per cent year on year.
The spurt of game companies has to do with the freedom
to publish games and the increasing penetration of smart
phones which makes games easily accessible to the common
man unlike the PC or console based games. Many game
companies have found success by foraying into the mobile
segment. This has also led to the growth of many startups in
the industry.
Anyone with an average android phone can play games on
their mobiles. Added to this, game players on smart phones
are able to give instant feedback and user ratings which
help developers tweak the game and improve the player
experience.
Games can be easily downloaded on mobiles and the fact
that among the 100 top grossing apps on Google Play
store, 60 percent of the apps are games has encouraged the
gaming industry to create mobile games. Also the revenue
generating ability of these games is a plus point.
The gaming industry is poised for growth in India and
is attracting a lot of global players. Mobile games are
becoming increasingly popular with the younger generation
of players today and the platform provides an opportunity
for developers to experiment. According to a report by
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KPMG the Indian gaming industry is expected to grow from Rs 13 billion to Rs 46 billion
by 2016 much of this growth will be due to the increasing use of smart phones.
Gaming industry will see an upward growth curve with increase in use of portable devices
and improved connectivity.
According to a report by
NASSCOM, smart phone users
are projected to increase by
100 million every year
and with mobile carrier
billing, the gaming
industry will see
an exponential
growth in
revenue.
Global Gaming Industry
The global gaming industry is poised to reach $107Bn in 2017.PricewaterhouseCoopers
in its Global and Entertainment Media Outlook 2015-2019 report released last year says
“While traditional gaming will continue to account for nearly 75 percent of all gaming
revenues, it will be eclipsed by social and casual gaming in some emerging market.”
The top trends to look out for in the global gaming industry would be the free to play
trend where players can play free online games without necessarily having to purchase it.
This model helps to attract new players and developers are using this model to develop
games across all platforms. Monetization in this model is through advertising and in app
purchases.
More trends are women entering it in larger numbers. There are many forums that are
exclusive to women gamers where they can interact and share ideas. It serves to encourage
women in game development. One such forum for women gamers is http://women.igda.org/
Another emerging trend is the delivery of games in a multiplayer format. Games available
in the cloud allow developers to improve and upgrade on the game based on the feedback
from players. This enhances the experience of playing games. This requires continuous
management of the game development process.
With the internet penetration increasing globally game developers have to plan to make
their games appeal and be available to a worldwide audience. The interest of a diverse set
of players from different parts of the world has to be satiated if the game is to be a success.
This will also mean increased global revenues for game developers.
As games on the mobile platform become increasingly popular, developers have to plan
to make games that will appeal to young gamers and female gamers who find the mobile
platform more accessible to play games.
Lumosity or even Angry Birds
will improve brain function.
As for children games help in their cognitive development and balancing physical activities
with playing online games provides a healthy balance for all round growth. Gaming can
be educational and can help one develop reflexes. Many games help to develop lateral
thinking and creativity.

Online gaming communities and multiplayer game formats help to make online friends
and meet new people. It also helps one to stay connected with relatives and friends living
far away. One can find a common source of enjoyment by playing these games together
and strengthening the bonds one shares with relatives and friends.
Gaming can also help in relaxation and provide entertainment. It can be pursued as a
Benefits of Playing Games hobby but one must ensure that it does not become addictive.
Challenges
As with any industry, the gaming industry too has its fair share of challenges. The main
Online games are more often viewed as time wasters rather than productivity boosters. But areas are:
playing can bring some benefits. With gaming becoming more popular one needs to know
about their positive impact as well. • Talent Crunch
• Right Training
Some online games hone our problem-solving skills which in turn improves our brain • Content
functioning and both the young and old find mental stimulation in playing games that • Monetisation
include puzzles like Mahjong and Sudoku or trivia games which pose challenges. One of • Funding
these is Petite created by Asar Dandala of Backstage Pass. The game has won international • Infrastructure
prizes and is a great one. • Piracy
Adults can use the lesser used parts of their brain by playing games that test their reasoning,
logic, speed and memory. Learning to use all parts of the brain can stave off dementia
and lets the brain stay young even if one grows older. Online crosswords and games like
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 Talent Crunch
One major challenge faced by game companies in India is the lack of a scalable talent base
that is programmers and designers. Gaming is largely viewed as a passive leisure activity and
a waste of time. Game Development as a career choice is not encouraged and does not find
many takers.
This means that very few individuals venture into a career in gaming but if you have the
interest and skills gaming can be an attractive career option because the industry has a high-
growth rate and there is constant demand for talent.
There is a serious talent crunch. According to a report released by NASSCOM, 75 per cent
of the workforce in the Indian games industry is below the age of 30. It also says that that
about 60 per cent of Indian games companies existing today were founded in 2012 or later,
and most of them have fewer than ten employees. This means a lack of age, experience and
scale.
Training
Young people aspiring to succeed in this field must ensure that they get the required
qualification and develop the skills required to succeed. For this they should choose the
right training centre.
Students should carefully choose their institute because there are very few institutes
dedicated to teaching game development. Most of the existing training centres are not
attuned to the present trends in the industry and as a result students need to learn on the
job.
Content
Due to the popularity of mobile based games, game companies are forced to focus more on
mobile games than developing the more challenging PC or console games. This is more out
of practical necessity rather than personal preference. This is because mobile games have a
larger audience. If companies have to reach a global audience, they need to develop PC or
console based games. At the same time developing world class games requires substantial
funding and number of years to develop. Very few companies have the luxury of money
or time to develop such games. Further, to appeal to an international audience games
developed in India need to move out of localized characters and mythological stories to
themes of universal appeal. So there is a need to do a rethink on the content of games.
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Monetisation
Another challenge for the industry is monetisation. Considering that games on the mobile
platform in India are more popular than PC or console based games, revenues from this
platform are hard to generate. The revenue in this platform amounts to just about 150
million dollars from a potential market of 200 million smart phone users.
This can be enhanced provided there is more focus on advertising. In- app purchases must
also be encouraged. This can improve only with increase in credit card penetration and a
better e-commerce infrastructure and carrier billing integration.
Funding
A hurdle facing companies is the lack of funding options. Though there are many start-ups
wanting to make a go at gaming, they face hurdles when it comes to getting business capital.
This is because investors and VCs are reluctant to fund game developers where success is
determined by the number of hits much like the movies.
VCs expect companies to be profitable after a single game but this rarely happens because
the gaming industry is not like a product market. To counter this challenge in funding,
established game companies have come together to set up a fund capital for start-ups in the
industry.
Infrastructure
Infrastructure problems are another challenge. The lack of dedicated servers to play games
and also the mainstream bandwidth provided in India by ISPs is low by international
standards, this leads to many bug related problems in games created here.
Piracy
Piracy is another problem. Pirated versions of games find takers due to lower prices, hitting
the revenues of game companies. This can be countered by online
selling and ensuring better availability of games.
These are some of the challenges faced by the industry and
can be countered by dedicated efforts in the areas of
technology, talent, creativity, marketing and quality.
 The field today has grown into a complex activity that combines programming, writing,
design, coding, art, documenting etc.

Today there are many institutes in India that offer courses in game design but you should
be discerning in choosing the right one. There are very few training centres in 3D media
designing, artwork creation etc. Others just offer preliminary level training or training only
in modelling and animation, not content creation so you need to do a thorough research
before picking on the right institute.

Why is Education in Gaming
Important?
Gaming as a career combines technology, creativity and fun. It is a highly competitive and
challenging field. Game development is not an individual effort but requires the work of a
whole team that includes skilled individuals like game designers, programmers, engineers,
writers, artists, producers etc.
Techniques including illustration and animation, 3D and 2D design, storytelling, graphic
design, web design, interactive media, digital production etc are also used.
Find a good college and assess the course portfolio and decide accordingly. Gaming is more
about practical knowledge than about theory. See if the institute focuses more on practical
knowledge.
Game development is dynamic with changing technology, software packages and working
methods, so to succeed in this field you must constantly try to learn and be up to date
with technological developments. The use of smart phones and handheld games devices
has encouraged game development in wireless platforms and interactive game applications,
these present new areas for students to explore.
Doing a course from a good institute not only hones your skills but gives you the
professional edge to succeed in an industry that has a CAGR of 30% and will always require
qualified and skilled professionals.

The qualities and skill sets required to make a career in this field include strong skills
in drawing, creative bent of mind, analytical thinking, visualization, logical thinking,
interpersonal skills etc.
A passion for games goes without saying. This means not being just a passive player of
games but analysing the games you play, understanding how they work, and deconstructing
them. Apart from this you should also know some basics of coding.

To become a good game designer, you should start by developing games and no matter how
bad they are, just keep going. Doing a course in game design is a good idea if you want to
make it your career.
Game development is often equated with computer programming but the fact is it is
an activity that goes beyond this. Game development since the last two decades has
evolved into a creative activity of which programming is only one aspect. In addition to
programming, it includes creativity, design, art and game play (the look and feel of the
game).
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Gaming is More than Playing
There is more to games than just playing them. Games can be a wonderful way to teach,
train reinforce positive behaviour and even motivate people. Games as tools to achieve these
objectives are not a new concept. But today organisations and individuals are using the
power of online games to achieve their goals. This has been defined as gamification.
What is Gamification?
According to Gartner, “Gamification is the concept of applying game mechanics and game
design techniques to engage and motivate people to achieve their goals.” Gamification was a
term first coined in 2003 by Nick Pelling but has gained popularity only recently.
Gamification involves the use of game mechanics and game design techniques in non-game
contexts like education, management, psychology, human resources etc. Games have always
aimed at pleasing humans and providing them with motivation and engagement. This has
been used to help people learn from games and this is called gamification.
Gamification has been applied in non-game applications and processes and works by
making technology more engaging and encouraging users to display desired behaviours.
This is because games have the ability to keep people engaged for a long time and build
relationships and trust between people. They develop problem-solving and creative skills.
Gamification in Business and Human Resources
Gamification can be used in HR to attract, induct, train and develop, engage and retain
employees. Games can be developed for recruitment, induction, training and motivating
employees on the job.
Organisations have started using games to encourage collaboration among employees and
overcome communication problems. Games are being used to help employees beat the
boredom that comes with doing routine tasks.
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Gamification in Education and Learning :
Gamification can work in education and learning where games can be used by instructors
to explain concepts, improve practice and motivate the students.
Computer based courses can use gamification to improve student participation and help
them learn by using game based logic.
Researchers are discovering new ways to use games in different fields and there is a lot of
potential for gamification in the future.
Job Opportunities in the Gaming
Industry
There are many career options in game industry, these include:
Game Designer
A game designer conceptualises and designs a game at various levels. This includes the
game, characters and user interface.
Game Developer
A game developer develops the software to create and design the plan of the game which
includes the theme, missions, the rules and the game play.
The Importance of Game Developers:
Game developers participate in the various aspects of a game’s creation from concept and
story writing to the coding and programming. A game developer is sometimes involved
in the audio, design, production and visual arts aspects of the games.
Even though game development is a collective activity of writers, designers and artists,
programmers and software developers the Game Developer wears multiple hats:
• Creating story lines and character biographies
• Conducting design reviews
• Designing role-play mechanics
• Creating prototypes for staff and management
• Documenting game design process
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 Game Artist
A game artist creates the virtual reality elements of the game and makes games come to life
visually.
Game Programmer
Game programmers are software engineers or programmers who are responsible to handle
the programming aspects of the game. It is the game programmer’s task to design and
develop the code for the functioning of the video games.
Game Writer
Game writers are responsible for the documentation and instructions that go along with
the game. Game writers create the story the game is based upon and write dialogue for the
characters.
Game Testers
Game testers are responsible of quality assurance, finding mistakes, bugs and other problems
in the game. They test through the swiftness of the game while it is still in development and
when it is completed.
What are the Alternative Job
Opportunities?
Apart from game designing, an undergraduate degree or diploma in game design can
help you excel in some alternative career options. They can seek employment in areas like
software development, computer programming, industrial design, animation or writing
for film and television, project management etc. Another option would be to work as
freelancers but this requires doing everything from basic artwork, sound effects and music,
programming and coding etc.
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Future of the Gaming Industry
and Opportunities for Youth
Gaming industry in India has an annual CAGR of 30% and the NASSCOM report on the
Indian Gaming Industry for 2014 says the industry is headed for exciting times. Key facts of
the report include:
•The Indian gaming industry is close to USD 890 million.
•Over 100 game development organisations work in India.
•Availability of creative talent.
•Huge skills base across IT, testing and arts.
•World-class infrastructure and advanced technology.
According to the National Skill Development Commission, animators, game designers,
modellers, script writers, programmers, and testers make the workforce in a game
development company. And the projection of growth in jobs is:
Workforce Animation, VFX, and Gaming (NSDC) Jobs
2013 20,000
2017 30,000
2022 40,000
All signs ranging from the outlook, availability of training and demand for skilled resources
are all in favour of those who want to pursue gaming as a career. And what are you waiting
for? Log on to www.backstagepass.co.in and give wings to your imagination, skills, and life.
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www.backstagepass.co.in.