Pakistan to introduce first national esports policy

Dubai: Pakistan has unveiled its first-ever national esports policy that aims to establish a Pakistan Esports Federation to support the growing gaming industry.  

The decision came after a meeting on July 29, spearheaded by the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MoITT). Several key local members attended this meeting, alongside representatives from the British Esports Federation and the Commonwealth Secretariat. 

Here’s an overview of the new proposed policy. 

Expansion efforts

Currently, one of the challenges Pakistani developers face is lack of opportunities. While some developers have been able to contribute to international platforms like Nintendo or SEGA, the absence of a national-level support continues to create hurdles in the process.

Shaza Fatima Khawaja, the Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication, emphasised the efforts of Pakistani developers. “We have immense young talent; commercialisation is the bottleneck. We seek your support to help Pakistani developers reach international markets,” the Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV) quoted her as saying.

To combat these problems, Khawaja presented the framework of a new strategy that highlights three key areas in need of change. For instance, the strategy calls for introducing training and academic coursework for gaming technology. It also underlines efforts for employment and commercialisation, such as by establishing funding initiatives and prioritising market access for homegrown games.

Rana Mashood Ahmad Khan, Chairman of the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme, said the upcoming changes is, “a wonderful opportunity to collaborate on game-tech,” PTV reported.

The overall aim is to ensure that the new policy not only adheres to international standards, but also supports Pakistan’s greater digital and economic initiatives.

Digital-first future

As Pakistan remains committed to expanding and improving their digital ecosystem, the country is receiving growing international support.

Pakistan’s gaming and app industry has demonstrated impressive growth, including a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 32% in global downloads of locally-made apps from 2018 to 2023, the Associated Press of Pakistan reported.

As for global partnerships, Google unveiled two new programs aimed at supporting Pakistan’s gaming and app industry at their Think Apps event last year. The programs included a Game Design Masterclass and a Google Ads Academy, which were released across major cities.