‘Every conversation that ends in the contemplation, ‘mujhe gaming me kuch karna hai,’ will find the answer in this program’

Esports giant NODWIN Gaming and Hero Vired’s newly launched Certificate Program in Gaming and Esports promises to fill in the gap between gaming and esports industry’s growing demand for a skilled workforce with relevant talent. So that Indian youth are not just passionate for a career in gaming and esports but also aptly skilled.

As the esports fever catches on in India, we witness a lot of movement in the industry. Athletes are celebrated, new games are welcomed, tournaments are launched. This is causing the esports ecosystem to become a massive one, which is creating new jobs and opportunities.

For the Indian youth, which is gaga about doing ‘something in gaming’, leading gaming and esports company, NODWIN Gaming has tied up with Hero Vired, a premium Indian learntech company to launch a Certificate Program in Gaming and Esports.

The program comes with a 100% job guarantee, where in enrollees can look forward to internships and jobs with NODWIN Gaming before completing the program. Anyone above 18 years of age with an interest in the gaming and esports industry can enrol in the program.

The Tech Panda spoke to Akshat Rathee, MD and Co-Founder of NODWIN Gaming about the motivation behind launching the program.

We keep calling ourselves a gaming nation now for multiple reasons, but even though it’s such a big thing for everyone, there is no skilling

“Gaming education and esports education in India is either there for very elite people or it’s not just not there. We keep calling ourselves a gaming nation now for multiple reasons, but even though it’s such a big thing for everyone, there is no skilling,” he says.

Rathee, an avid gamer himself, entered the esports market after an unfortunate experience with a company in Noida, going on to create one of the largest esports companies in the world.

“Obviously, it’s a pedagogy problem, a demand problem, and a market problem, but more importantly, we want someone who believes in this industry to provide backing. And that’s where the Hero Vired venture team got together with us and said, let’s go out and try and make this happen,” he adds.

NODWIN Gaming, which was established in 2015, is one of the world’s leading esports companies. The company is part of Nazara Technologies, and operates businesses across media, influencers, tournament IPs, brand solutions and merchandising.

The launch of the Certificate Program is a testament to the company’s intent to build a sustainable framework of professional gamers, content creators, and much more.

Program Features that Fill in Industry Gaps

The Program is the first comprehensive one for those who wish to pursue a career in gaming and esports. Aspirants can prepare for a variety of roles in the gaming and esports industry, which include game designing, visualizing, publishing, league operations, team ownership and management, live production and content creation, etc.

With the first batch slated to start by the first week of November 2022, the program is instructor-led and highlights practical elements such as integrated mini-projects, hands-on workshops, etc.

Learners will be accessing global game jams and tournaments as well as the opportunity to certify from Unity Technologies, with post-program access to the latest content. With an inbuilt paid internship, the opportunity is a sure shot one to become a part of the professional gaming industry, while recovering the program fee.

As an industry player, we believe we understand some of the demand needs of the industry. That’s where we come in and work with a guaranteed job employment program

In addition to NODWIN, the program has UNITY, NSDC, and MESC as certificate partners and GameEon, HolyCow Productions, Godspeed Games, and Moonfrog as industry partners.

Being leaders in the esports industry, says Rathee, NODWIN feels a responsibility towards the ecosystem, since they know they are capable of bringing about change and movement.

“As an industry player, we believe we understand some of the demand needs of the industry. That’s where we come in and work with a guaranteed job employment program,” he says.

“As industry leaders, we also work on the kind of content and skill sets we require candidates to actually have as part of the graduation program. Then we marry both supply and availability of talent and intent of talent to work in the sector with demand that is already there,” he adds.

Who Can Go for this Program?

Practically, anyone with interest in esports and gaming can benefit from this course, which includes gamer, caster, content creator, game level designer, analyst, tech reviewer, the list goes on.

While adding several more career options to this list, Rathee says every conversation that ends in the contemplation, ‘mujhe gaming me kuch karna hai,’ (I want to do something in gaming) will find the answer in this program.

“There are hundreds of aspirations that esports aspirants have. Then they think, how do I learn to do this? What are the opportunities? What are the options available to me so I can specialize in one of them?” he says.

I think this program solves both a width need and a depth need for a certain number of people who have already been skilled in, say, some other career, and then want a relevant certification in the gaming sector

“I think this program solves both a width need and a depth need for a certain number of people who have already been skilled in, say, some other career, and then want a relevant certification in the gaming sector,” he explains.

For instance, an MBA, a chemical engineer, or a BBA in visual arts, can add to their resume by obtaining a certification in gaming.

“This way, their skill sets get a little more honed towards gaming, because that is the career they seek. It increases their employability and skill set that’s relevant to the gaming industry because gaming companies might be looking for a play tester or a coach for a team,” he adds.

A report by EY projects the Indian esports market size to expand to INR 11 billion by 2025, growing 46% CAGR over the next four years. This means a significant generation of employment in the near future.

NODWIN and Hero Vired’s Certificate Program in Gaming and Esports promises to fill in the gap between gaming and esports industry’s growing demand for a skilled workforce with relevant talent. Those who dream of an esports and gaming career can now become aptly skilled.

Navanwita Bora Sachdev

Navanwita is the editor of The Tech Panda who also frequently publishes stories in news outlets such as The Indian Express, Entrepreneur India, and The Business Standard