Dr. Hameed-ur-Rehman of Air University highlighted ongoing initiatives to educate children about career possibilities in the gaming industry and enhance teaching methods to generate interest. The discussion, titled “Gaming as an export industry: opportunities and challenges for Pakistan,” was hosted by the Institute of Regional Studies (IRS).
Despite the industry’s enormous potential, Dr. Rehman acknowledged that only a small number of students currently consider gaming as a viable career option. The objective is to encourage more students to explore careers in gaming and leverage the industry’s potential for economic growth.
Abdul Salam, CEO of 9D Technologies, expressed concerns about the skilled labor shortage in the gaming industry, particularly within his own business. He emphasized the need for the education sector to produce a talented pool of individuals specifically trained in animation and game development to address this critical shortage of skilled resources.
Kashoon Leeza, Policy Advocacy Lead at P@SHA, highlighted Pakistan’s substantial user base of gamers, with approximately 80 million people. However, she pointed out the lack of specific policies targeting IT sub-sectors, as the current 26 policies apply to the entire IT industry. She also raised concerns about the absence of a well-organized one-window system, which hampers access to foreign funding despite Pakistan offering direct investors 100% ownership.
Muhammad Bilal Abbasi, General Manager of IGNITE National Technology Fund, emphasized the need for government intervention to address identified gaps in the private sector. These include the lack of motion detection suits and studio space for game developers.
