eSports in India – A Rising Phenomenon and A New Career Path

Over the last few years, esports have enjoyed a great rise in popularity in India, and with this sheer rise, they have actually reformed the gaming culture in the country. What was once considered a rather niche hobby blossomed into a thriving industry, enthralling millions of gamers and spectators alike. All put together, a bunch of factors aligned along to create this exponential growth in the popularity of esports in the nation. The increasing usage of smartphones and comparatively affordable access to the internet have been some of the key triggers, especially in urban and semi-urban centres. With smartphones becoming an integral part of daily life, gaming has also transcended conventional limits while reaching a wide spectrum of players hailing from all age groups and socio-economic backgrounds.

Besides, the rise of social media and streaming platforms has been very instrumental in increasing the popularity of esports in India. International streaming platforms, such as Twitch, YouTube Gaming, and Facebook Gaming, have found a place for Indian gamers to put forth their talents and better engage with audiences and build communities. Such digital exposures accelerate growth not only for individual gamers but also catalyse development for esports organisations, content creators, and tournament organisers.

Growth is also a reason for its rise into mainstream acceptance, as people in India have begun to take up Esports as a form of entertainment and a sport. Nowadays, the events themselves attract a large crowd and media attention, much like regular sporting events rather than just niche attractions relegated to gaming conventions.

Events like ESL India Premiership, Indian Gaming League, and the PUBG Mobile India Series are now an annual carnival, attracting thousands of contestants and audiences from every nook and corner of the country.

What’s more, the COVID-19 pandemic played a catalytic role in accelerating esports growth in the country. With physical sports events either cancelled or put on indefinite hold due to the pandemic, esports became the only safe and available alternative for competitive entertainment.

According to various analyses, the industry of eSports is estimated to grow up to Rs. 1100 crores by the year 2025 at an outstanding rate of CAGR-46%. Growth in this trend just reflects the beginning of growth. Notable research was conducted by EY, the leading audit and consulting firm, showcasing the enormous economic importance of eSports.

What is eSports? 

Esport is a form of organised competitive video gaming in which people or teams compete against each other in a virtual environment by playing video games. From local tournaments to international events, often streamed online and featuring popular cross-category video game titles such as first-person shooter games, real-time strategy games, MOBA, and sports simulations.

Professional esports players put a lot into training, competing in tournaments, and building their fanbase. Much like traditional athletes, they also can have sponsorships, endorsements, and team affiliations. For this reason, esports has grown into a multi-billion-dollar industry that covers not only competition but merchandise, media rights, advertising, and more. What’s behind esports’ massive popularity? The greatness of the appeal of esports does not stem from the prize pools awarded to the winners but also lies in the fact of its accessibility. Unlike traditional sports, which require a physical sports venue, all that esports requires is an internet connection-one can compete from anywhere around the world without any physical barriers, from the comfort of one’s home, and even on smartphones.

This has also been aided by the introduction of streaming sites and implementation of 5G networks. Streaming sites have made it possible to view events with much smoothness, in real time, without hangs or lag problems, while at the same time offering easy interaction between players and their audience or subscribers.

All in all, esports in India will be a dynamic junction of gaming, technology, and competitive sports-very well-wrapped to give participants and fans an exciting experience on digital platforms.

LAN gaming cafes started growing all over the country, marking the very origin of esports in India, which traces back to the early 2000s. These cafes provided a venue for avid gamers to meet, participate in multiplayer sessions of video games, and initiate informal competitions. Later, with advancement in technology, online gaming platforms and tournaments started to grow, accelerating the growth of esports popularity in the country.

A big turning point for esports came in the form of mobile gaming for India. As more smartphones became common and cheaper data plans were in place, access to gaming was demarcated to a more significant number of people. Since mobile gaming has now become attainable for millions, this accessibility has resulted in the high inflow of players from India.

The rise of esports in India also includes increasing numbers of professional gamers and enthusiastic communities, and their relentless pursuit of honing their gaming skills. The contribution coming from these professional players is very important because they tend to invest actively in subscriptions, in-app purchases, and memberships of gaming communities.

There is a steep rise in the number of tournaments and dedicated platforms that organise these gaming leagues. Some popular esports include BGMI, PUBG, Call of Duty, Tekken 7, DOTA 2, and FIFA, among the most prominent names. Indeed, the younger generation of India has played a very crucial role in this regard.

Besides this, since the number of female participation is noticed in most types of games, esports platforms serve to create targeting especially for women gamers which expands the pool of players and thus increases their representation in the field of gaming industry. In addition, the much-needed reinforcement from policymaking authorities’ momentum acts as long-term sustainability and growth factor for the Indian esports industry.

Key Players in the eSports Sector

Basically, it is the collaboration of five levels of stakeholders that go into creating a rich ecosystem in the industry. Key players involved in the eSports business include:

• Publishers: With regard to esports, each game is legally considered the intellectual property of the game developer; these developers are often referred to collectively as “publishers.” Publishers in the context of video gaming are usually companies that finance development, marketing, and manufacturing of video games. They perform market distribution by making deals with various distributors, retailers, and platforms.

• Tournament Organisers: While game publishers themselves directly organise some esports competitions and events, even including some of the largest competitions, most of them are organised by third-party promoters or tournament organisers. The organisers develop and operate video game competitions for amateur or professional players, as outlined by a game publisher for each specific title.

• Teams: The terms “team organisations” or even simply “esport organisations” are also used in relation to esports teams. Hundreds of professional teams currently compete in various esports tournaments and events around the world. These professional teams have developed highly professional organisational structures and employ specialist staff like coaches, analysts, scouts, nutritionists, physiotherapists, and psychologists, showing advanced technical expertise.

• Players: Players range from highly-paid professionals contracted by teams to compete in the most prestigious world-stage tournaments and leagues, through to casual players competing at all levels from grassroots events through to top-tier national or international competitions. A major part of the world of esports, however, is that the average player can sometimes find themselves competing in the same events as major esports personalities.

• Audience: There would not be any esports without audiences, heavily relying on the millions of eyeballs tuning into video streams daily and the dedicated followers who attend live events domestically and internationally many times a year. With the various types of video games out there, each holds its unique audiences and appeals to different demographics. Moreover, esports fans are very specialised, building up communities on their own around particular games, competitions, regions, websites, teams, players, or other personas, showing their undying support and commitment.

Career Scope in eSports

Career scope of esports in India is extending really fast, opening a wide plethora of opportunities in various fields. Here we go with some potential career options that esports industry could provide:

• Professional Gamer: This is perhaps the most well-known career option in esports. Professional gamers take part in tournaments, leagues, and events, thereby collecting prize money, sponsorships, and salaries from the various esport organisations.

• Coach/Analyst: A great number of esports teams hire both coaches and analysts who work with the players for performance improvement, strategy creation, gameplay analysis, and even for competition scouting.

• Tournament Organiser/Event Manager: This field also requires skilled organisers and managers who could handle logistics, production, marketing, sponsorship, and coordination with teams and venues for esports tournaments and events.

• Esports Journalist/Reporter: Reporting news, events, developments, and changes that take place within esports includes writing articles, conducting interviews, and giving analyses to various e-Sport-oriented publications, websites, and media.

• Game Developer/Game Designer: These would develop the video games on which the esports competitions would be based, including gameplay mechanics, balance features, and other esports features in the game.

• Broadcast Technician/Production Crew: Sports broadcasting requires technicians and a production crew proficient in equipment setup, streaming, audiovisual production, and editing during post-production.

These are merely a few examples of the many career options opening up in the fast-growing ecosystem of esports in India. As more esports grows and becomes professional, skilled professionals in these and various other fields will see their demand increase, thus opening exciting perspectives for gamers and esports enthusiasts.

Future of eSports in India 

The current situation for the development of esports is very favourable. With more number of events and government support, there is a big number of sponsorships and brand ambassadors, which actually is a very welcoming development in the sense that sponsorships and publicity programs are extremely essential for infrastructure, investments, and professionalism to develop together, which in turn develops a thriving ecosystem.

The future of esports in India holds immense promise, with all the necessary ingredients in place for the country to establish itself as a major player on the global esports stage. The momentum is unstoppable, powered by a principally young population deeply engaged in gaming and the rapid pace of digitalization.

Wrapping Up

In a nutshell, the Indian esports industry moved up from being a secluded amusement to an entire ecosystem. Besides, it has been way easier to access games, and the increased use of smartphones, social media, and streaming platforms added to its growth. Along with governmental support, it saw multiple sponsorships and brand endorsements, hence infrastructure and professionalism within the industry developed.

This growth trajectory has spawned a myriad of careers in the esports industry: from professional gaming, coaching, and event management to journalism, game development, broadcasting, and many more. As further growth and professionalisation take place, skilled professionals will also be increasingly required, hence bringing bright prospects to those who are enthusiastic about gaming and esports.

The future of esports in India is definitely looking bright, as everything is in place for the country to emerge as a strong contender on the international esports front. On the back of healthy governmental support, mounting investments, and a young population with avid interests in gaming, India doesn’t cease to move further toward growth and success within this industry. Enter the amazing world of eSports with the Certificate Program in Gaming and Esports in collaboration with Nodwin Gaming at Hero Vired.