Levelling up talent in the gaming industry: Lenovo's Ian Tan

The gaming industry is a steadily growing one, and has not been as severely affected by COVID-19 as some others—one UK study, for instance, found that game studios were generally better positioned to ride out the pandemic compared to other industries. And in the Asia Pacific region, the industry is still growing.

People Matters asked Ian Tan, Asia-Pacific Gaming Lead at Lenovo, about the direction that the industry is taking and what's needed to nurture talent in this fast-growing sector. Here's what he shared.

What are the roles and skill sets now most in demand in the gaming industry? Are gaming companies able to find the talent they need around the region?

In Asia Pacific, the gaming market is expected to generate US$78.3 billion this year, accounting for 49 percent of the global games market revenue. The job opportunities are vast, because the gaming ecosystem is huge and requires many types of skills.

Within the game publishing industry, there is always strong demand for software developers, concept artists, scriptwriters, animators and level designers to produce games. Like any content industry, there are also opportunities for sales, marketing and operations professionals.

The gaming industry also includes gaming hardware makers, where there are opportunities for product developers, sales, marketing and operations people. And if you consider the e-sports industry (a subset of the gaming industry), there are jobs for e-sports coaches, event organizers, livestreamers and shoutcasters, and so on.

The list is long, but ultimately, given the highly dynamic and competitive environment, top talent is in huge demand across multiple roles. The one thing that links them all is the passion for games.

Do you see that some roles are now being phased out, or undergoing major changes?

The roles that are being phased out are the same as those in other industries which are being affected by technological and societal advances. For example, most people buy games digitally now, and this has meant the closure of many traditional boxed software stores.

With the ongoing virus epidemic, big bang gaming events have also been cancelled and will probably not come back with the same fanfare. Event organizers have adapted to creating online events which are more timely and less costly.

For gaming companies, what are the talent gaps they face? What might be the solution, and what's worked for Lenovo in closing the skill gaps?

As mentioned above, there are many different roles available in the gaming industry and a high level of expertise and experience is demanded for each role. We are constantly on the look out for the best talent—those who have joined us have helped Lenovo Legion become the fastest-growing Gaming PC brand in Asia-Pacific.

For new entrants to the industry, companies must create opportunities for them to gain the right skillsets and experience.

In Australia, the Lenovo consumer team has launched the Lenovo Legion Epprentice program, an initiative designed to equip games industry enthusiasts and passionate gamers with the right tech and professional tips to develop skills and highlight careers available to them in the games industry.

The initiative received hundreds of entries from ANZ's most passionate gamers who were looking to get their start in the industry. After rounds of careful selection, Amy Campbell became their first ever Epprentice and she has received professional mentorship in different aspects of the gaming industry.

Lenovo is also encouraging more female talents to take part in gaming tournaments (which are usually male-dominated events). With a commitment to promote more diversity and inclusion, the Legion of Valkyries tournaments are held throughout the year for ladies only, reducing the barriers for female gamers to enter the competitive gaming scene.

For individuals, what are the gaps people might face in gaming careers? What usually holds them back?

While some gaming enthusiasts have made the jump to turn their passion into their career, navigating this booming industry is not child’s play. A research project we did in Australia and New Zealand recently showed that while as many as six in 10 said they want to pursue a career in gaming, only 19 percent knew what they needed to do to break into the industry.

Hence, learning programmes (like The Epprentice program), and mentorships that are crucial to success in pursuing any career, are still lacking in this industry.

Individuals who are interested in pursuing a career in the gaming industry, such as in game design, programming and artistic direction, need proper mentorship and training programmes just like any other industries.

Looking forward, what career trajectory might people in various types of gaming careers expect? Has COVID-19 changed much about these predictions?

The gaming industry is so vast today, there are multiple career paths for one to choose, and advancing technologies mean new types of roles appear all the time. For example, shoutcasters are in high demand to provide running commentaries for online tournaments.

COVID-19 has only accelerated the growth of the gaming industry. More people play games than ever now on multiple devices, and this is reflected in the huge growth in gaming revenue and gaming hardware sales.

What's most needed right now to sustain the growth of the industry?

The gaming industry has been growing well for several decades now, and its growth is accelerating as more people work from home and take up gaming as a pastime. Gaming has long become a mainstream form of entertainment with the average age of gamers being 38 years old. Perhaps one might ask what can slow the gaming industry down!