Viewpoint: online gaming misses out on talent because of stigma
The egaming industry is missing out on talent because many people don't feel comfortable working in gambling, says Steve Wyatt, general manager of gaming at Sports Recruitment International, and the sector needs to find better ways of shaking off the stigma that hamstrings recruitment.
“THE ONLINE GAMING industry is not an area I’d be comfortable working in.”
This is the response I often hear when speaking to high-calibre individuals from other industries with skills that could be transferred to the online gaming sector.
Interestingly, the drinks industry could suffer from a comparable stigma, yet Diageo is the type of company high-achieving university graduates make a beeline for.
The same certainly could not be said for online gaming, despite many of our companies contributing a huge amount to charities and grassroots sports funding.
A recent YouGov poll for instance found the perception of our industry among customers is ranked the lowest of all sectors.
This all leads me to ask why public opinion of the industry is so low, and how can it be improved to help draw in talented individuals from other industries?
One popular approach among egaming companies is to promote their corporate social responsibly by aligning themselves with GamCare and Gambling Therapy.
But is this effective in changing perceptions outside of the sector, and does it feed the not uncommon public perception that this is akin to hanging a poster of Alcoholics Anonymous in the waiting room at the Priory?
I would argue a more effective strategy for the industry would be better use of PR to blow its own trumpet in the mainstream media about how much it actually gives back to the wider world.
Betfair, for instance, last year raised £500,000 for SportsAid, and this year is supporting children’s medical research charity SPARKS and the Injured Jockeys Fund.
888 supports MacMillan Cancer Support, while PartyGaming has supported no less than nine charities since 1997.
Using mainstream media to let people from outside the sector know what the industry gives back to the wider world would help convey the professional, innovative and considerate image needed to tempt in more talented individuals from other sectors.
This article first appeared in the September issue of eGaming Review.
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