Those days are gone when video games were considered only a waste of time. The modern world has uplifted many things, which were considered useless in the past. Now, the gaming industry is going to become a vital part of the economies of many countries. Moreover, due to the recent development in which online gaming competitions have been held globally, it has also become a dream profession for many youngsters.
If we look at the financial importance of the gaming industry, according to Statista; The Video Gaming Industry is now estimated to be worth $159.3 billion in 2020, which is a sizeable increase of 9.3 percent from 2019. This is a marked difference in what was predicted for the industry with 2016 statistics forecasting a total worth of $90.07b for the same period – there being a huge 76.8 percent difference between the two figures. Current forecasts estimate the video gaming industry to be worth $268b by 2025. So, we can easily understand how it could play a key role in the uplift of any country’s economy.
Beside the financial perks, e-sports can help youngsters live better lives. Gamers have more stable and calm minds than the usual people because they are used to facing the hurdles at each stage in games and they also know that these hurdles are temporary. Gamers have stronger problem-solving skills, which directly impact them to counter real life problems in an efficient way. Gamers are always optimistic and have a try again attitude. So, gaming itself is not bad, things get negative when we have excessive behavior. So, the world can be more productive with the gamer’s attitude.
Pakistan’s e-sports industry is promising, and though the market is still quite new, many believe it has the potential to be a powerhouse of talent; Sumail Hassan, Yawar Hassan, and Arsalan Ash are the three most prominent figures in the e-sports industry. They have earned more than $50 million dollars by participating in different international events without any government support.
The early bird catches the worm, Japan and India took the initial initiatives and now they are earning billions of dollars from the e-sports industry. Imagine if the players have the government support, they can earn more and can enable the rest of Pakistan’s youth with a stable income stream. We can cater to both serious issues which are unemployment and remittances. Pakistan just needs a serious and intelligent attitude.
Written by Wajid Ali | Lahore
