16/10/2011 Press Release By 2015, the gaming industry will reach Rs. 3830 crores • New companies entering the gaming-animation sector Hyderabad - News Today Arthi, a 10th-grade student, rushed home as soon as she got off the school bus. As soon as she entered, her mother Annapurna said, "Change your dress and come... I’ll put something to eat. Then you can do your homework." A little while later, Annapurna couldn't find her daughter in the hall. Wondering where she was, she searched and found her sitting in the next room in front of the computer, playing games on the internet without changing her school uniform. Such a situation is no longer confined to just one home. Whenever there's free time, people—especially children—spend hours playing games online or on mobile phones. The gaming industry is rapidly expanding in the country due to these changing circumstances. Companies in this sector are aiming for substantial revenues and moving forward aggressively. Games like Angry Birds (a mobile game), Farmville, and Cityville (social games) are extremely popular globally. The revenue generated by these games is astronomical. The gaming and animation sectors present new opportunities for India, and it is necessary for the country to capitalize on these, according to L. Maruti Shankar, Managing Director of 7Seas Entertainment. He believes that this sector has the potential to create large-scale employment opportunities. On the prospects, challenges, and opportunities in the gaming sector, he said in a special interview with News Today: Q: What opportunities and challenges are emerging in the gaming sector? The gaming-animation sector is expanding rapidly in India, creating a great potential for large-scale employment and revenue generation. The gaming industry is expected to grow at a rate of 30-35% annually in the coming years. New companies and experts are finding opportunities in this field, though there are challenges as well. The major problem is the shortage of skilled professionals. On the government front, there is insufficient support. As technology keeps evolving, development costs are rising. However, there is no doubt that the industry has a promising future. Q: Which segment of the gaming and animation industry has the most potential for growth? According to the "Indian Media and Entertainment Industry Report 2011," jointly prepared by FICCI and KPMG, the domestic gaming industry is expected to reach Rs. 3800 crores by 2015, growing at a rate of 31% annually. Recognizing the fast-paced growth in this sector, many national and international gaming companies are trying to develop and provide as many games as possible. Currently, the Indian gaming market is estimated to be worth Rs. 1000 crores. The global social gaming market is worth $15 billion and is expected to grow to $4 billion by 2015. Recently, mobile service providers and broadcasters have increasingly entered into agreements with gaming/content development companies to collaborate. In the gaming market, console games currently have the largest share. However, experts believe that the mobile gaming segment will surpass all others in the future. They predict that this segment will reach Rs. 1740 crores by 2015. Online/PC gaming is also expected to grow by 35%. Q: What does the future hold for the sector if the government offers support? The gaming sector has immense potential to provide jobs to people with diverse skills. I firmly believe that this sector has the ability to provide the next big opportunity in India after the IT sector. However, there is still a shortage of skilled professionals in this field. Q: How is your company progressing? In the News Today interview, Maruti Shankar, MD of 7Seas Entertainment, stated that content development is a major business opportunity. Aggregators, who provide various games through their websites to users, are numerous. At the same time, the number of users is growing rapidly. To cater to this large user base, we must constantly develop new games, as users do not continue playing the same game forever. Hence, the content development sector has become highly interesting. Q: Are professionals available according to the needs of the industry? The gaming industry requires not only programming talent but also various other skill sets. We need digital programmers, graphic artists, concept designers, and game testers, among others. Q: How is the sector growing in our state? Gaming and animation companies have been operating in our state for the past five years. However, there have been no significant efforts to promote this sector. The state government has planned to develop a special gaming-animation policy, but it has not yet materialized. If the government announces a supportive policy with attractive incentives, this sector will grow significantly in the state, and many job opportunities will arise. Karnataka seems to be ahead of us in this regard. They are soon going to unveil a new gaming-animation policy under the 'Bengaluru IT.Com' initiative. If we do not want to fall behind, the government must act swiftly. - press release