Gaming providing unprecedented career opportunities for today’s youngsters
Those of us who grew up in the latter years of the 20th century probably remember cutting remarks from parents that sitting around playing video games would never earn us a living. Fast forward to 2020, and that’s no longer necessarily the case. One thing the past month or so has taught us is that gaming in general, and eSport in particular has enormous appeal.
The industry has seen a significant spike over recent weeks, especially since pro sports stars have started to go online and take part in virtual soccer, motor racing and even boxing matches. It’s a trend that was already evident before the current circumstances, and gaming will continue to thrive when the world returns to normal. In the leisure sector, popularity leads to profitability, and there are more career options in the world of gaming than you might think.
Consigning the tennis club mentality to history
When you look back at the history of other sports, social and racial divides are plain for all to see. Sports like tennis and golf were more elitist than the likes of basketball or boxing. Even today, you’ll see more kids from lower income African families throwing some hoops than practicing their backhand.
Thank goodness we live in more progressive times and there are no such divides in eSport. Or are there? Last year, Ryan Johnson founded Cxmmunity, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping youngsters from minority groups to access eSport. Johnson explained that exactly that “tennis club” phenomenon was becoming plain to see in eSport. While the discipline was blossoming and presenting a world of opportunities, youths from minorities were “absent from the discussion.”
He said that the organization is about more than just playing games. He explained that there are “multidisciplinary career paths” within eSport. Arguably, there are even more than in conventional sport due to the many technological processes and areas of expertise that are involved in bringing an eSport game to market.
There’s more to gaming than eSport
Once you think of it that way, you can rapidly find yourself disappearing down the rabbit hole. Those multidisciplinary paths split and multiply even further when you consider that eSport is only a small subset of the overall gaming industry.
To look at just one other example, let’s consider igaming. It’s another genre within the broader gaming landscape that has seen a dramatic increase in interest and participation over recent weeks since most physical casinos have been temporarily closed. The industry is dominated by a handful of software providers making table and slot games, while the platforms themselves must provide cutting edge user experience to attract customers in a massively competitive environment.
A world of opportunity
The net result is a world of opportunity for talented developers, designers, programmers and those with a flair for digital marketing and SEO. That competitive environment means there’s a willingness to push the envelope in search of an edge, so there’s also significant interest in areas like artificial intelligence and virtual reality.
Both developers and casino brands themselves are beginning to offer internships to attract young, enthusiastic talent straight from college. It’s a great way into the industry, and once you have your foot in the door, there’s no telling where those “multidisciplinary career paths” could take you.
