If you are an avid League of Legends player who dreams of working for Riot Games, your ideal job is available in Singapore right now.

Riot, the creator of the multiplayer online battle arena game, set up an office here in January and is currently looking for people to join its team.

Currently, there are seven staff working at its temporary premises in Cantonment Road. There are plans to move into a larger office next year but a location has not been confirmed.

Riot's country manager of Singapore and Malaysia, Mr Benjamin Pommeraud, hopes the headcount will reach between 15 and 20 by the end of next year.

League of Legends is one of the most popular video games in the world, with over 100 million active players every month worldwide.

Mr Pommeraud said he has seen a number of applicants for the openings, but many are from overseas. "We would rather have someone from Singapore, because it is important to know the country well in order to do the job well," he said.

Positions which are currently available include associate marketing manager, community coordinator and e-sports business developer.

The office here is the first in South-east Asia, and covers both Singapore and Malaysia. Riot plans to have offices in Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia by the end of next year, with 15 to 20 staff in each.

Mr Pommeraud said Riot is now focusing on the region because of the growth of gaming overall and the fact that free-to-play games, especially League, have been performing strongly in South-east Asia.

While he was unable to reveal exact figures, he said the size of the player base in Vietnam is among the top five in the world, and that the player base in Indonesia is doubling every six months. Mr Pommeraud added that while Singapore is a relatively mature market, there is still room for growth.

Riot setting up shop here will complement efforts by its Singapore-based publisher Garena, which has been publishing the game in South-east Asia since 2010.

One advantage that Riot has is its direct access to the game's development team back in Los Angeles. "When we have a local issue here or in Malaysia, we can make sure that the people in LA understand these constraints, and adapt the game accordingly," he explained.

Examples include localisation of the game into the Malay language, and developing a different version for LAN shops, which are popular regionally.

Mr Pommeraud said the Riot office here can also work on the game's strategic positioning. While Garena has been organising events and tournaments for League players, he wants to reach out to non-gamers as well.

"Gaming in Singapore still suffers from a poor image," he said. He plans to work with educational institutes and hold more mainstream events to change this perception.

Mr Deon Moh, 32, a publishing manager at Riot, said the potential of the gaming industry is huge. "It's an up-and-coming industry that is constantly evolving... I think society will come to realise that being in this industry can be a viable career."