By Manvendra Shukul
The Indian gaming industry is in an exciting phase. A remarkably fast-growing market, India crossed half a billion gamers and witnessed fifteen billion downloads in FY22. With a projection to reach $8.6 Bn in FY27, India’s gaming market and the demand for skilled talent will continue to grow. As per the XDS 2023 survey report, India is amongst the top three countries in external development on many fronts, notably in Art, Engineering, Co-Development and QA.
The gaming industry today provides a range of exciting, creatively satisfying and financially rewarding career options. While most people who want to make a career in this field prefer to join a game development studio, one could also consider joining a services studio to create content for games and allied fields.
Game Engineering Services: Building the Foundation
Game Engineering involves developing the underlying systems, frameworks, and tools that power video games. It encompasses programming, software engineering, and optimization techniques. Game engineers collaborate with designers and artists to create the mechanics, physics, and interactions that shape the player’s experience. A career in Game Engineering allows individuals to contribute to the core infrastructure of games and shape the future of the industry. Strong computer science fundamentals and knowledge of leading game engines like Unreal, Unity etc. along with a passion to develop games is essential for a career in this domain.
Art Services: Crafting Immersive Experiences
With the ever-evolving visual complexity in games, gaming studios are constantly seeking skilled artists proficient in concept art, 3D Modeling, Animation, Texturing, etc. These professionals work collaboratively with the game development team to bring characters, environments, and objects to life. Pursuing a career in art services requires an inclination toward creativity and a willingness to learn essential software tools like Maya, Blender and 3dsmax.While a background in fine arts is not a necessity, it certainly offers an advantage while working.
Game Testing and Quality Assurance: Ensuring Seamless User Experiences
Game testing plays a crucial role in ensuring the quality and functionality of games. QA professionals are responsible for testing games to identify bugs, glitches, inconsistencies, or other issues that could hinder the player’s experience. They meticulously analyze the gameplay mechanics, user interfaces, user experience, and overall performance to provide valuable feedback to the development team. A career in functionality QA requires strong attention to detail, problem-solving skills, a passion for gaming, profound written & verbal English, and basic knowledge of manual testing. This is one area where you perhaps don’t require any prior training but a passion for gaming is important. Game testing also has a few technical sub-branches like first-party certification QA, automation QA and Dev QA.
Localisation: Bridging Cultural and Linguistic Barriers
The global nature of the gaming industry demands localization services to make games accessible and appealing to players from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds. Localisation professionals are responsible for translating game content and ensuring that games are culturally appropriate and enjoyable for players around the world. They also ensure that the localised game versions maintain the same quality and immersive experience as the original. As the Indian gaming industry expands globally, there is a growing demand for professionals specializing in game localization. India’s linguistic diversity presents a significant advantage, making it an ideal destination for localization professionals. Strong communication and management style are some of the prerequisites for a career in this domain.
Player Support: Fostering Community and Engagement
Player support professionals act as the bridge between game developers and players. They provide assistance to players and ensure a positive experience for them. This domain involves addressing player queries, resolving technical issues, and moderating online communities. This role requires excellent communication skills, empathy, and a deep understanding of player preferences. Careers in Player Support offer the opportunity to engage directly with players, build communities, and contribute to the growth of gaming as a social phenomenon. Strong computer science fundamentals, server-side development experience at scale and knowledge of machine learning techniques is required to get started in this field.
The gaming industry in India is currently generating a wide range of job opportunities and has become too significant for the country to ignore. Leading global game services studios like Keywords Studios are looking to hire talented developers in various domains over the next couple of years in large volumes. Career opportunities are also burgeoning in allied spheres such as Virtual Production, AR/VR and the Metaverse. The industry’s rapid growth combined with the country’s talent pool paints a promising future for the Indian gaming ecosystem.
The author is CEO of Lakshya Digital and a governing member of the Media and Entertainment Skills Council (MESC). Views are personal.