At a conference on the economic potential of the gaming industry in Pakistan, experts stated on Tuesday that the sector might bring in up to $400 million annually if ease of doing business was guaranteed.
Tencent Games and the Pakistan Software Houses Association (PASHA) organized the conference in Islamabad. Government representatives, game developers, business owners, freelancers, and telecom companies all attended the event.
Panelists talked on the state of Pakistan’s gaming business at the time and the difficulties it would have to face to expand sustainably in the years to come, according to a press release released after the event.
Tencent’s Senior Director for Public Affairs Lih Shiun noted that the IT sector was actively involved in the gaming industry and is “well-poised to capture the immense opportunities the global video games industry brings”.
Shiun also emphasized that the gaming industry has a secondary influence through e-sports and other online competitions in addition to its direct effects on employment and economic output.
“You can see how much potential there is for Pakistan’s video gaming business given the expanding application of video game-related technology in other sectors and areas like industrial design and cultural heritage promotion and protection,” he said.
Meanwhile, PASHA Chairman Badar Khushnood stated that Pakistan “possibly has access to a $90 billion mobile gaming business alone” and added that the gaming sector “might promote economic growth in Pakistan if it was backed with the appropriate laws.”
According to his unofficial estimates, Pakistanis have already spent $260 million on video games. “Game-makers in Pakistan typically produce mobile games for a global audience. If supported with the right policies, the gaming sector can spur economic growth in Pakistan,” he said
