It’s time we stop treating gaming as a waste of time and start recognizing it as a serious career path shaping the future of youth worldwide
By Sarah Gillani
In many households, the sight of a teen glued to a controller still triggers the same tired phrase: “Stop wasting time and do something useful.” But in 2025, that mindset couldn’t be more outdated. Gaming isn’t the enemy, it’s a modern platform for creativity, discipline, and even income. The sooner we treat it as legitimate, the more we empower the youth actually using it to build their futures.
And no, that’s not just theory, it’s happening all around us!
Let’s start with Areeb Zafar, a 19-year-old from Islamabad. During lockdown, he began streaming Valorant for fun. Two years later, he now earns around PKR 60,000 a month through Twitch subscriptions, ad revenue, and affiliate links.
“My parents thought I was wasting time,” Areeb laughs, “until I showed them my first payment.”
Or take Sara Ahmad, a 17-year-old from Karachi. She began editing her own gaming clips into memes and montages. Today, she runs a small freelance gig designing highlight reels and thumbnails for other gamers across three different countries.
“It started out as something I did for fun after school,” she says. “Now I use that money to help cover my own phone and school supplies.”
These aren’t isolated success stories. They’re signs of a shift.
Pakistan’s own Arslan Ash is living proof that gaming success can break global boundaries. Starting from local arcades in Lahore, he became the first person in history to win both EVO Japan and EVO USA—the world’s most prestigious Tekken 7 tournaments—in the same year.
“I just focused on improving myself, not proving anything,” Arslan once told.
With limited resources and no big sponsor, Arslan proved that talent, perseverance, and grit can take you from backstreet arcades to global arenas.
His rise didn’t just change perceptions, it created a movement. Today, many young Pakistani gamers view him as a national hero. The message?
You don’t have to be from Silicon Valley to be taken seriously.
Globally, stories like these are becoming the norm. In the Philippines, 23-year-old Abed Yusop became one of the youngest Dota 2 players to earn over $1 million USD in tournament winnings. His achievements sparked a wave of esports support in Southeast Asia, with governments investing in training centers and esports scholarships.
Gaming isn’t just a pastime, it’s a passport to international platforms.
If other countries can recognize gaming’s potential, why can’t we?
Thankfully, some educational institutions in Pakistan are starting to shift gears. NUST and TMUC now host national-level gaming tournaments, often backed by tech sponsors. The TMUC Gaming Society in Islamabad organizes professional-style events featuring FIFA, Valorant, and Tekken, complete with live commentators, prize pools, and digital marketing teams run by students themselves.
“We’re not just gaming, we’re learning how to organize, lead, and create,” says a TMUC student and event volunteer.
These aren’t just games, they’re platforms to teach teamwork, media literacy, event planning, and leadership. Students aren’t just pressing buttons; they’re building brands.
“Gaming teaches resilience,” says Dr. Alina Tariq, a youth psychologist in Karachi. “In competitive games, you fail a hundred times before you succeed. That mindset carries over into real life.”
Instead of brushing gaming off as brain-numbing, we should see it as a training ground for focus, analysis, strategy and even emotional intelligence.
Not every gamer will become a millionaire or a world champion—but neither will every cricketer or coder. That doesn’t mean we dismiss them. It means we support them.
“Gaming is not a phase or a distraction. It’s a platform for learning, a gateway to careers, and for some a lifeline to self-worth.”
If we keep calling it a waste of time, we’re the ones being short-sighted.
So the next time someone sees a teen deep in a game, don’t ask them to “grow up.”
Ask them what they’re building. Chances are, it’s more impressive than you think.
Read – Observations of an Expat: Sport and Politics
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Sarah Gillani is a Bachelors student at the department of Mass Communication, University of Karachi.
