CHENNAI: Anish B Jain started out with GTA San Andreas on the PC, and was initially a PC gamer. It was only in 2017 did the then-14-year-old get hooked onto the PS4. “The day after I got the PS4, I played day and night for one week straight. Eventually, my gaming time was restricted to weekends only. In 10th grade, I completely stopped playing,” said the 16-year-old.
Once he completed his exams, Anish got back into gaming seriously, and loves competitive play. Currently, he is playing Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege. He plays for about three hours a day during weekdays and about eight hours during weekends. Anish made the best use of the resources he had. With a VGA monitor, he purchased a VGA to HDMI converter wires worth `1,000 and now has a decent setup. He is happy playing on his ASUS monitor with Boat headphones. He enjoys story-based games but prefers multiplayer games. “Multiplayer games are competitive. Competitive gaming is for those who want to take up gaming professionally and those who are genuine about gaming. It forces us to hone our skills and become better playing the game,” says Anish.
Anish feels that the scope for console gaming in India is lacking. Only one out of ten competitions are held for console gaming, the rest being dominated by PC gaming. “For the games I play, competitions are not held. Most of the hardcore gamers are usually PC gamers. Though investing in a PC for gaming is an expensive affair, it is the best platform for competitive gaming. In India, even though people are talented, they don’t spend much for gaming due to lack of parental support. Switching over to PC gaming can help pave way for a better future in gaming,” he said.
nish makes sure his gaming doesn’t affect his academics. “Right now, I feel I should prioritise academics over gaming as I have other responsibilities too,” he said. Anish’s squad of gamers hail from Malaysia, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, New Delhi and Chennai. “I invite people if they are online and then we play together. A gamer from Malaysia is my coach and guides me when I am stuck. I also meet them when I get the chance. I recently met up with a gamer friend from Chennai and we played together at a gaming centre in Nungambakkam. I am going to Bengaluru soon and am planning to meet the gamer from Bengaluru,” said Anish.