The global gaming industry is a multibillion-dollar one, racking up an estimated value of US$300 billion, according to the 2021 Accenture report, and many individuals are tapping into the market and earning big bucks. On a recent Digital Jamaica Live show, hosts Kadia Francis and Monique McIntosh sat down with local industry experts Glen Henry, founder of Spritewrench Studios; Zane Francis, indie game developer; and Raccine Malcolm, co-founder of Games Marketing Essentials to discuss this booming industry.

“When monetising games, if you are targeting PC, Steam is a great platform as it is a juggernaut within the industry, controlling 90 per cent of the market,” said Henry.

Other platforms such as Nintendo and Xbox are excellent game publishing platforms and are ultimately the most lucrative. The platforms will push your game to the gamers and once a purchase is made, developers will receive revenue after the platform holder has taken its share. Other monetisation routes include launching free video games and monetising through ad revenue and in-app purchases. Francis noted that popular games such as Clash of Clans and ClashRoyal are well known for their in-app purchases. Just last year, both games generated about US$480 million in revenue, and this was all from in-app purchases.

Other ways to monetise include creating YouTube gaming content, as is being done by Jamaican gaming YouTuber Yanrique, who holds a community of over 1 million subscribers. Francis stressed that having a strong community is a major strategy to making money with your content. If you desire to earn by playing games professionally, eSports is the avenue for you. Many game lovers train rigorously to become professional gamers, entering huge tournaments to win millions in cash prizes pooled by big sponsors such as Dell. In the gaming industry, marketing can be a profitable area as well, a point made by Malcolm who works as a gaming marketer. Marketers can work with developers or triple-A studios, he said.

“During the earlier portion of my career, I mainly worked with NDStudios, which is a great way to get your foot into the industry. I helped smaller studios push their games out there and develop their communities,” Malcolm added.

On average, a gaming marketer has the potential to earn about US$100,000 per year, depending on the studio you work with. The world of gaming is also profitable, as there are roles for gaming editors, illustrators, and even lawyers are needed to help gamers with their intellectual property rights. These experts’ advice to anyone wanting to get started within the gaming industry is to just get started. Zane pointed out that you don’t even have to be great at gaming to create content. “There are many people out there who create an entire brand of being bad at playing games,” he said. Additionally, they encouraged gamers to build a relationship with their community and always be consistent.

Kadia Francis and Monique McIntosh host Digital Jamaica Live every Tuesday at 10:00 am, live-streamed on LinkedIn, YouTube and Twitter. Kadia and Monique are also co-founders of the Digital Disruption Agency.