An Introduction to the Gaming Industry

6 min readOct 19, 2021

Originally published at https://www.niit.com/india/

In recent years, the gaming industry has generated tremendous interest. Many companies are investing millions of dollars in the development of new and innovative games. The industry is growing by leaps and bounds.

The tremendous growth of this sector has created new opportunities and revenue streams for brands, online businesses, and also individuals planning to take up gaming as a full-fledged career.

Let’s look at an overview of the gaming industry.

Equipment and technology used for gaming

PC Gaming

Nearly a billion people use computers for gaming since PC gaming is all about efficiency. PCs come with their own dedicated RAM space, GPUs, and cooling systems which help to efficiently run games in real-time. PCs can handle graphically demanding games. They can also be reliable systems for gaming and live-streaming simultaneously. Games like Minecraft, Fortnite, and League of Legends have made PC gaming a popular form of entertainment across the world.

Quantum computing is an important sector when it comes to gaming.
Although it is still in its infancy, quantum computing could completely upend the gaming industry
Quantum computers are leagues above regular computers. The technology involved is primed to make an impact on the gaming industry.
Quantum computers come with unfathomable amounts of information storage and power. This lets them render the best graphics imaginable in real-time.
Quantum computers also address the problem of predictability in the gaming industry. Their large storage of algorithms could help make gaming unpredictable and unique for player

Console gaming

Video game consoles are specialised gaming devices that connect to a TV. Xbox, PlayStation and Wii are some popular gaming consoles. Also, there are a number of hand-held game consoles that come with a built-in display and are completely self-contained.

With an external display unit, the console generates the required type of audio and video signals. These signals get transmitted to the display unit via the appropriate cable type.
It is one of the original and probably most well-known forms of gaming.
In the beginning, consoles were joysticks built to run simple games.
Now, consoles come with specially designed microchips that efficiently process images and power, all the while being designed for 8K television screens.

A game console differs from a personal computer. A personal computer is designed to run virtually any kind of software compatible with its architecture. A game console is limited to the game software. Some game consoles can double as media centres and can play audio and video disks. Players usually invest in a game console for the superior game-playing experience they receive.

Mobile gaming

Mobile games are simple and interesting, yet addictive. Games like Candy Crush, Angry Birds and PubG have redefined mobile gaming. Instead of being confined to just one place, or having to pop a disc into a console, with mobile gaming, a user can play wherever they want to.

India’s mobile app market has grown at breakneck speeds in the last few years.
On a global level, games drive mobile app growth. India also contributes globally to game downloads on the app market.
The continuous adoption of low-cost, powerful smartphones will keep enabling mobile gaming’s growing presence. This will position India to be the next major gaming market in the world.
A career in mobile game development could therefore be a promising one.

Cloud gaming

It is the newest type of video game technology that is making headlines.

With cloud gaming, you can scroll through a library of games, choose the kind of game you want, and instantly start playing the game.
This kind of gaming involves no discs or load times.
You can play games on your phone, console, or tablet.
The seamless accessibility makes these games easy to play anywhere at any time.

New cloud-based ultra-fast gaming platforms are also on the rise, and they are attempting to make the whole gaming experience seamless.

AR gaming

Augmented Reality or AR, a part of virtual technology, is a creative and immersive experience. It is a more engaging gaming experience as users get to interact personally with the digital environment. AR combines game visuals with audio content, blending it with the user’s environment in real-time to create an artificial environment. AR adds digital influences to real life. For examples, in games such as Pokemon Go, users can find and capture virtual Pokemon in their real surroundings.

Popular careers in the gaming industry

This section discusses the different roles an individual can take up to make their career in the gaming industry.

Game Designer

A game designer is tasked with the job to make games incredibly intricate, extensive, and visually beautiful. It takes a team of extremely talented video game designers days, months, and, even years, to create all the aspects and dimensions encountered by users playing the game. Designers go through different prototypes of the game before rendering the final version that customers get to play.

A role of a game designer requires the ability to be focused, resilient, and have extensive background knowledge of game design skills, tools, and techniques.
Game design jobs may require a bachelor’s or master’s degree with extensive knowledge of subjects like 3D animation, graphic design, and, at times, even physics.
The job prospects of game design look quite promising, thanks to the rise in PC, console, and mobile gaming.

Game Programmer

Video game programmers deal with the development of codebases for video games. Video game programmers work primarily on game development software and gaming programs. They have to work extensively on game programming, which requires expertise in software programming and coding. Game developers oversee the projects run by game programmers. If you plan to study coding, game programming could be a great choice for a career in the game development industry.

Game Animator

You cannot have a high-quality game without the inputs of video game animators. Their role is to give physical structure and movement to the objects, characters, sceneries, and the environments in the game.

Their work provides details to the skin textures for each element, from the sheen of the raindrops or the shadows and hues cast under different sources of light.
Their skills are used to define how objects move, bend, accelerate, and even stay still.
Game animators start every project with a basic storyboard, then aim to bring that story to life via a series of intricate animations.
They usually have an extensive background in multimedia knowledge, along with degrees in a field like animation or computer graphics.
There are different job roles that can be taken up in the visual department, such as 3D Modellers, 2D/Texture Artists, and Concept Artists.
All these roles need a unique set of techniques and responsibilities to be fulfilled.

Game Tester

Often the ultimate dream job of many students, a game tester (also known as video game quality assurance tester) gets paid for playing games. More than playing, video game testers must break the game. The job of game quality assurance testers is to push the work of animators, programmers, and designers to their limits. This ensures that games are free of bugs and allows gamers to enjoy the virtual environments in the games. Testers usually must run the games matrix testing where every permutation and combination of events that can possibly happen in the game is tested to ensure nothing can break it.

There are no officially suggested educational credentials required for testing video games for quality assurance.

Testers do need to have an eye for details, a tolerance for repetition
while playing, and of course, an intense passion for gaming.
Video game testers are often in demand (especially in mobile gaming) because of the rapid increase in the number of games being produced.

Considering the video game industry growth and the nature of the job, establishing a career in the gaming industry in India can offer endless opportunities for professionals.

NIIT offers its game development course in India for students and professionals to build their skills and start a career in the gaming world. Explore now for a bright future in the industry.