DreamHack: Pro-gamer Ankit Panth on the e-sport extravaganza and the latest in the gaming world

Even as the world decks the halls with boughs of holly, there is a different festive extravaganza that Indian gamers are prepping for. DreamHack, considered one of the biggest gaming festival in the world has made its way to maximum city this weekend. On its final day today, this festival, which was earlier organised in places like Atlanta, Valencia, Marseilles and Stockholm, has gamers from across the world along with entertainment galore. DJs, cosplayers, analysts and pro gamers are all making their way down to the event. Indian gamers now have a chance to hobnob with internationally acclaimed teams like Stryker X, DSN, Energy Esports and Mineski.

Chance of a lifetime

"Making it a gaming and entertainment festival means that it has a wider audience than events that have only pro-gamers," says Ankit Panth, director of Brutality, one of the leading gaming teams in the country. "Though brands are jumping into the gaming industry but then it is still in a nascent stage. This is bigger than ESL India, which would only have gamers coming in. Here you have DJs, cosplayers, analysts, big international teams," the gamer elaborates, adding that this event marks a milestone in the Indian gaming scene.

It not only brings the focus to India in a global gaming scenario with top teams from across the world coming down, but also gives Indian gamers a chance to see how highly professional teams function. Panth explains, "Gamers here lack the kind of professionalism and skill that international teams have. We need to find out that it's about more than just sitting behind a screen and playing computer games. You have to get sponsors, you have to compete in tournaments, stream online, get followers and sponsors..."

In a country where gaming as a career is still looked upon with suspicion, it is difficult to get sponsors and funding. Panth confesses that his own parents have had a hard time acclimating to the fact that he wanted to take up professional gaming. "They even thought it may be illegal or gambling!" It was only after he was part of Ronnie Screwvala's gaming reality show on MTV – U Cypher – that Panth got the recognition he has today. And also got his family off his back about having a legitimate career.

What's new

Be that as it may, gaming still has a tremendous market among amateur gamers – a fact that anyone who has downloaded PUBG in the past few months will attest to. "PUBG Mobile has seen a huge following in India, more so than the PC and PlayStation versions. The youth here have smart phones and the internet network providers also provide a certain bulk amount of free data every day," reasons Panth. "It's like people have switched from Candycrush to PUBG. All you need is a phone for PUBG and it's a multiplayer game that engages different people and propagates team spirit. So, in India, it's taken off in a big way."

Globally, the trends are a bit different. While PUBG is definitely popular worldwide, Fortnite, a game developed and released by Epic Games in 2017, is the biggest phenomenon. With three versions – Fortnite: Save the World (a shooter-survival game against zombies), Fortnite Battle Royale (where upto 100 players fight to be the last one standing), and Fortnite: Creative (where players can create their own arenas and worlds), the game is statistically the most-played game in the world. "Red Dead Redemption 2 is another phenomenon that saw a box office opening like no other," says Panth, referring to the Rockstar Games Western-themed action-adventure creation of 2018. "It generated 725 Million Dollars in just three days. This is the biggest opening that any game has had."

A game that people of many generations can relate to has also made a comeback. "Counterstrike Global Offensive has got people back to the game," says Panth. "The publisher has introduced different skins for weapons that will make them look better. They keep updating it. CS is also free to play and they have introduced a battle royale sequence similar to PUBG that wasn't there before. It's a game that my team plays the most and keeps coming back to," he signs off.