A Sneak Peek Into a Gamer’s Life
“Playing E-sports has its own benefits. It improves one’s problem-solving skills, increases one’s creative output, reduces stress and many more.” The way people are into video games nowadays is mind-blowing. As we all know, a decade ago, nobody thought of E-sports growing at this pace. India currently has 1.5 billion players, 20+ broadcasters, 85 million viewers, and numerous brands, organizers, and publishers living it for gaming.
I am here with a guest, Karan, today who is a gamer and has been playing for the last two years. He is here to tell us the story of gamers around us…
So grab your popcorns and enjoy this conversation.
“Hi Karan, hope you’re doing well.”
“Hey, yes! I am doing amazing. Let us start with our discussion.”
“Sure!, so let us begin with something basic.”
Tell us about your experience as a gamer over the last year:
I started playing a year and a half ago when this pandemic hit us, and the lockdown began. Initially, I started playing casually, and I didn’t have much interest in it back then. Now I consider myself a massive part of it, and I can’t go a day without playing. I started as a rookie, obviously, and faced a lot of things difficulties while playing. I thought I would not be able to grow as players are playing since way before I was, but eventually, I realized that it, like everything else, is just a matter of practice and since I have been continuously improving in my gameplay.
That’s great. Can you elaborate on your struggles as a rookie gamer?
Initially, I didn’t understand the game, but as I played every day, I learned many things and built gameplay, which led me here today. I faced some fundamental issues like I didn’t find a perfect tournament for me, I didn’t have people of my level to play with. There wasn’t any team, and at one point, I also needed mentorship. I tried looking for help on YouTube, but it was hard as I could only watch them play.
That is true; players don’t get a guide to gaming. So, what do you feel about E-sports culture in India?
To be honest, there are not many proper facilities provided for gamers in India. People don’t take gaming seriously, and there is no formal guidance or mentorship provided here. You have to do everything on your own if you are a gamer or aspire to be one. On the other hand, E-sports culture has risen at a higher pace than usual in the last few years. Pro-players have increased, and now I am proud to say that I am an E-sports player.
Okay, now let’s talk about your virtual or, as we say as your social life.
“My virtual life is amazing.” I can say that now, haha. In the beginning, nobody has friends online. We try making some but end up playing a solo casual. But as the gameplay grows, people get to know you. They want to play with you, be on your friend list. I have many friends now, most of whom I can count on, and the rest are hard players!
Do you feel that gaming has detached you from your previous hobbies?
Um, yes! Haha, yes, it has. However, I don’t regret it because gaming is more fun, of course. I used to play the guitar, read books, etc. Now I rarely read, and I haven’t practised playing the guitar in a while. It is alright because I see a future in gaming rather than in playing the guitar.
Here we go to a more challenging question now, Do parents support you?
They don’t support me for now. But I feel that they will understand it as it is also a skill-based sport, just like any other sport. It requires hard work and practice. I don’t share much with my parents. There are many benefits of playing it, though, as playing E-sports has its own advantages. It improves one’s problem-solving skills, increases one’s creative output, reduces stress and many more. So, I am not giving up on it no matter what.
What do you feel is hindering your growth as a professional gamer?
I think a device matters when you’re playing on your mobile. And even if you don’t have a suitable device to play on, at least coordinating teammates is a need. Initially, one doesn’t have a good team to play with, but eventually, everything is sorted; when your game is established. Difficulties like time management is still an issue for a lot of us. There are also some other hurdles such as a proper place to play, show our skills, polish them and be a better player. Arrangement of perfect tournaments lacks; a place where we can find excellent players to play with, who match our rank. Sponsorship is also missing, along with a proper gaming ecosystem. A gamer does face daily challenges in this world.
That is true; as a gamer, I agree with most of the points you said. We appreciate your efforts, the way to built yourself up is commendable. And as for the issues, I think all of us face these somewhere or the other and we can together make a better community for gamers. Thank you for having this conversation with us, Karan. It was fun talking to you. We wish you luck in your gaming future. Your gaming skills and your vast gaming effects might be beneficial to our new gamers. Expect more of such a short conversation from our side.
Stay Tuned. Cheers!
