“We in the gaming industry have the opportunity to show people that possibilities are limitless”: Ian Tan, Gaming Lead of Lenovo Asia Pacific

The video games industry is growing by the minute, creating more opportunities in the field for a wider variety of talent.

Sportskeeda Esports’ Abhishek Mallick got in touch with Ian Tan, Gaming Lead of Lenovo Asia Pacific, to talk about the importance of entry-level gaming PCs and how affordable devices will be the forerunners in helping the industry reach newer heights.

He opens up about the ramifications of subscription-based gaming, and the whole new dimension that the “metaverse” will be bringing with it in the near future.

Here is an excerpt of the conversation.

Ian Tan opens up about the future of gaming and Lenovo in India

Q. Ian, I would love to get your thoughts on the South Asian and Indian video games and esports market. How much do you feel the industry has developed over the last couple of years, and where do you see it in the next 5?’

Ian Tan: The gaming market in India has been growing rapidly, especially in the past few years. Our Legion gaming PC business has more than doubled in size since 2019.

This is due to a combination of factors – gaming laptops becoming more powerful and affordable, the pandemic driving demand for high-end work-from-home solutions, and the increasing popularity of multiplayer games like Valorant and Apex Legends.

The next five years will definitely see more growth for gaming devices, and more people will buy a gaming laptop for their first computer. Some people believe that one’s first computer should be a budget PC, but we are seeing more families invest in higher-end laptops because they offer greater bang for the buck.

Games will sport even more realistic graphics (this is a never-ending pursuit of graphical fidelity in all of gaming) and we will see more games that are less about hardcore battles but more about cooperation and collaboration as games get more inclusive.

Q. You have always been quite vocal about the importance of inclusivity when it comes to video games. Talk to us a bit about how gender, skills, ability, and demographics play a key role in helping the industry reach a wider audience and consumer base? What would you say are some of the biggest opportunities that help gaming be a more inclusive experience?

Ian Tan: Firstly, I believe anyone can be anything they wish to be. What often limits people are their misconceptions or self-limiting thoughts. This is not to say anyone can become a top esports athlete – some people have a greater aptitude or natural dexterity in different areas that give them an advantage, yet nobody should say no to their dreams.

Secondly, we in the gaming industry have the opportunity to show people that possibilities are limitless, and that’s why we have been running different initiatives for the community.

Our Rise of Legion online tournaments are meant for casual players, but we are happy if pro esports players come in to have some fun too. We don’t want competitive games to get too serious or it can chase away the majority of gamers. We also run the females-only Legion of Valkyries tournaments to provide a space for female gamers to play and train together, as some of them are wary of joining conventional all-gender tourneys.

In Australia, we have been running The Apprentice program for several seasons. Here, we invite people from all backgrounds to win an opportunity to apprentice in different parts of the gaming industry, and this broadens the perspective of people about what our industry does.

In the Philippines and Thailand, we run the Legion Academy where we invite people to come try out being a streamer or content creator, and this has seen great reception in both markets.

To discover one’s future possibilities, one must be willing to try different things. We help do that along with our community initiatives to help make a difference in people’s lives.

Q. What are your thoughts on “subscription gaming”, the opportunities that it brings, and how it can be the next gaming trend across all regions and gaming platforms?

Ian Tan: I am a big fan of subscription gaming as I use Xbox Game Pass regularly. There are too many great games out there, and it is not feasible to buy every one of them. Game Pass allows me to sample many games and different genres for a fixed fee, and this allows me to decide if I want to buy the game for good. It is changing the way people try and buy games, and it is a matter of time before more gaming platforms challenge Game Pass in this space.

Game Pass is getting more popular by the day, and if you buy a Legion PC preloaded with Windows 11 today, you can get up to three months of free Game Pass subscription.

Q. Video game content creation has been one of the biggest benefactors towards the growth of the market. What would you say are some of the biggest challenges that video game streamers and content creators face today in a market like India?

Ian Tan: Frankly, I see many more opportunities than challenges for content creators in every country. Demand is going up for content, there are different types of audiences to engage, and there is no shortage of content to focus on.

Recently I spoke to a young 3D content creator, and he said that he was not able to get an internship with big global gaming developers due to stiff competition. I suggested that he could also look at many non-gaming companies which require his skills – like advertising agencies or government departments – to create great 3D content to communicate key messages.

The coming of the metaverse also means even more opportunities to create the building blocks of the new digital universe.

Q. When it comes to gaming devices, gamers today desire a system that they can use for both work, and casual gaming. Talk to us about the importance that entry-level gaming laptops and other gaming devices hold when it comes to orienting the masses to the field of casual gaming and promoting inclusivity.

Ian Tan: Entry-level gaming PCs are more powerful than non-gaming PCs at the same price point, and they expose people to the exhilarating feeling of using a powerful device without breaking the bank.

These PCs can be used for both casual and hardcore gaming as you can always dial down graphical settings for higher frame rates. This means that consumers can buy a gaming laptop at the price point they are comfortable with, there is no fear of missing out.

Q. To make gaming a more widespread hobby, entry-level devices need to offer high-end technology at a much more affordable and competitive price tag. What would you say are some of the biggest hurdles that companies like Lenovo have to face in bringing the best of these two worlds to casual gamers?

Ian Tan: The hurdle is usually the limits of the current state of technology and we overcome this with careful planning and Lenovo’s engineering prowess.

We spend a lot of time internally deciding on optimal configurations of components for different Legion models to strike that careful balance between price and performance. At the same time, our development teams spend a great deal of time maxing out the performance of each model with a lot of testing and tweaking.

This is why our Lenovo gaming laptops have been getting high benchmark scores when compared to other competing products. We believe we must deliver the best computing performance and keep pushing against the limits for the customer’s benefit.

Q. What do you think are some of the biggest challenges that the Indian video games market faces today? What would some of your personal solutions be to the problem?

Ian Tan: I don’t think it’s so much of a challenge but the opportunity is for more games that are developed in India to gain global recognition. I don’t have a solution to this but as India continues to grow as one of the biggest gaming markets in Asia, the tide might change soon.

Q. With esports being added as a medal event in Asian Games 2022, do you think that the event will affect the video games industry in a nation like India? Would esports start getting recognized as traditional sporting events?

Ian Tan: For one thing, non-gamers will gain a better understanding of what games are like when more of such medal events happen. This in turn can lead to greater support for gaming athletes by government bodies and schools. I was privileged to be part of the group of industry people who helped make esports a medal event for the first time at the 2019 Southeast Asian Games and we always believed that day would come.

In recent months, to help spread awareness of the gaming industry and competitive esports, Lenovo India has worked with Dice Media to produce a unique web series on esports called Clutch and it has been really well-received with over five million viewers per episode. Esports athletes sacrifice a lot for their goals and they deserve much recognition for their efforts.

Q. What are Lenovo’s plans for India? Especially keeping in mind that mobile gaming is significantly more popular than PC in the nation.

Ian Tan: We aspire for everyone to think of “Lenovo Legion” whenever they think of gaming on any platform. That will take a lot of work and we will share more of our plans in the future!