Prime Minister Narendra Modi went into candid mode during his interaction with the top professional gamers of India. One of the guests and a pro esports athlete, Animesh Agarwal aka Thug narrated his education journey and said that he started studying at a very young age. The Prime Minister without missing this opportunity, showed his wit and jokingly said, "Everyone starts at a young age only."
PM Modi also joked about Agarwal's gaming name and said, "There's a problem. Now when people think of a thug then they will remember you and when they see you they will think he is a good man so how can we call him thug." Agarwal responded by saying that he has made a decent name for himself in the gaming industry due to which people see 'Thug' in a respectful way.
Watch the full interaction here:
Parents' Concerns About Their Children Pursuing Gaming
Anshu Bisht aka GamerFleet talked about how his family was facing a tough situation financially before he decided to pursue gaming. He said, "I am from a lower-middle-class family. My father worked as a bus conductor in a private school for 30 years so that I and my sister could study in the school. I started giving tuition to kids to earn, took a few jobs and made a computer for myself. Since the financial condition was not that good, it was understandable for them to think that their child was spending his whole day yelling in front of a computer. As in if you yell out of excitement while playing then only viewers will also be interested and think that he is having so much fun."
The Prime Minister was spot on with his one-liner again and said, "Basically you also have to act while playing to increase viewership."
Esports athlete Naman Mathur aka Mortal talked about how he got into gaming and said that he developed his interest in it by watching YouTube after which PM Modi said, "I (Mortal) am obsessed with this so you also become."
Not Having Apt Facilities
Payal Dhare aka PayalGaming while sharing her story said, "I come from a small town in Madhya Pradesh. I was interested in gaming but there were not enough facilities at home. Till 12th grade, I did not even have a personal mobile phone. I used to collect information about gaming from here and there like from my friends' brother. That's where I developed a basic understanding of what gaming is. Gaming started to become popular on YouTube and so I decided to give it a shot and encourage other girls to opt for gaming as a career choice."
PM Modi asked Dhare whether there are enough opportunities for girls in this industry or not. She responded by saying, "The biggest challenge is that parents worry a lot that their child is going out to work. Some families even have restrictions where they don't give daughters an opportunity. But it is a stable career option for them. Even today, I get like 100-200 messages from girls saying that they started by watching me do this.
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Creating Unique & Engaging Content
Mithilesh Patankar aka Mythpat said, "I've always tried to give unique content and I think that's why people like me. I mix all three components and present it in my videos - gaming, commentary and mimicry." PM Modi in a very relaxed manner took a playful jibe at him and said, "You make a whole salad."
Patankar continued to say, "I wanted to create such content that people from even out of India appreciate and like. Two years ago, the Streamy Awards was conducted which is considered to be one of the most prestigious awards. In the international category, I was the only Indian to be nominated. I won that award and that is a proud moment for me."
The Spread Of 'Bimari' In Kutch
Tirth Mehta aka GctTirth said that he is from Bhuj, Kutch, Gujarat and has been playing Hearthstone since 2014. PM Modi wittily asked, "Bhuj mein ye bimari kaha aa gayi?" It roughly translates to - How did this disease (gaming) reach Bhuj?
PM Modi then asked Mehta whether people recognised him in Kutch now or does he had to carry his medal everywhere and say that he had won it. He said, "Initially nobody knew me but after I won the Asian Games medal, since then people started recognising me."
Fulfilling Parents' Dreams By Becoming A Pro Esports Player
Ganesh Gangadhar aka SkRossi said, "My friends introduced me to gaming when I was in college. When I played for the first time, I was outperforming other players present there. I had a lot of fun at it and decided to make big in this. At the age of 17, I represented India in Indonesia."
He added, "When I got success, then I took responsibility and fulfilled my parents' wish of owning a house and made them both retire from their jobs. Relatives don't taunt me anymore."
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How Much Time Do Esports Athletes Dedicate For Training
Thug said that an esports athlete dedicates around six to seven hours daily to practice because there is a proper routine that they have to follow. He added that it includes waking up, playing games, diet, and many other things. He then talked about how content creators operate and said that around 12 hours you spend in ideation only.
Then the video creation may be done in just two hours or it might take ten days.
How Do Indian Gamers Contribute To Content Space
Mythpat said, "In the past two years, the content on YouTube has levelled up. Of course, now people have mobile phones and the internet that's why we are enjoying such unique content which even the world might not have seen yet."
PM Modi asked the gamers whether they and other gamers know that they have been able to accomplish their dreams because the internet rates in India are so cheap. Every player present at the interaction agreed that the cheap rates and free internet during the year 2016 helped them a lot in starting this journey. PM Modi jokingly asked, "So every good thing happened after I came."
How Do Gamers Deal With Preconceived Notions
Mythpat said that we encounter a number of parents who ask us to motivate their children by telling them to stop playing and focus on their studies. SkRossi said that right now his only goal is to help a child who really loves to game and explain to his parents how this can be beneficial for him because this is still a lesser-explored field.
The Prime Minister then asked them whether they had any suggestions that should be implemented to boost the growth of gaming in India. Mortal asked whether a regulatory body could be established in this field. PM Modi said that regularised might not be the right word because if it happens then the government has a tendency to intervene. He added that it could be brought under a legal structure and be made an organised space to uplift its reputation.
Thug gave the suggestion of identifying esports the way sports was done and getting rid of the misconception that it is a space for gambling.
Dos & Don'ts For Aspiring Gamers
GamerFleet said that when someone tells me that they want to become like me then the only thing that I tell them is that walk on the path that I did. He said, "I followed my passion for gaming in college. I also did a job and did gaming on the side."
He added, "I did not give up on every other responsibility till the time I became successful in gaming. I didn't abandon every aspect of my life till I became successful."