Online gaming Industry has demanded soft-touch regulation: I&B Official

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Though at the moment, there are none, the government is taking the gaming sector seriously and may soon introduce regulations for it. “The stakeholders in their consultations with the government have suggested a soft-touch regulation,” Vikram Sahay, joint-secretary, ministry of I&B, said.

On Friday in Delhi, Sahay delivered a speech at the India Gaming Summit 2022 by Financial Express Digital, where he said: “The gaming industry requires a push not only from people but also the government.”

In addition, Vinay Thakur, MD, National Informatics Centre, Government of India, stated that the AVGC Task Force, which the government established, suggested that in the forthcoming Gaming Bill, which is anticipated to take effect soon, there should be regulation on the gaming sector across all of India rather than each state passing its own laws.

“Everyone was under a misconception that gaming is equivalent to gambling as the sector is the state’s subject and has its own legislations on this sector. There are 42-crore active gamers in the country, and pan-India legislation will enable them to thrive,” Thakur said.

Thakur added that the gaming industry as a whole currently ranks sixth globally in terms of money made. The sector generated earnings of Rs 7,000 crore in CY2021, and it is predicted that this amount will increase to Rs 15,000 crore by 2024. Similarly, the sector offered job possibilities to around 44,000 individuals in 2022, representing an increase of 60% from the 25,000 people employed in 2017.

“As the monetization opportunities become a lot more stronger, more people have begun considering gaming as a serious career option,” Khalid Wani, senior director, sales, India, Western Digital, said.

Additionally, industry leaders claimed that gaming is becoming a legitimate job choice. “As the monetization opportunities become a lot more stronger, more people have begun considering gaming as a serious career option,” Khalid Wani, senior director, sales, India, Western Digital, said.

When discussing a gaming profession, it is important to remember that employees must be trained and connected to global talent for skill enhancement. “The gaming industry has a lot of potentials. To have the skill gap demand fulfilled, we have to train people, and secondly, it is important to engage with global talents,” Abhishek Ravi, chief information officer of Dream Sports, claimed.

By the end of CY2022, the PC gaming market is anticipated to generate close to $106 million. “Yet, it failed to gain popularity among the gaming community due to lack of enablers for the masses,” Nitin Goel, country manager, Indian sub-continent, Gameloft, said.

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