KOCHI: Just imagine how wonderful it’d be to be able to turn your childhood hobby into a profession. Raunak Sen (Crowley) is living his childhood dream of becoming a professional gamer.Raunak’s journey began in the Internet cafes in his neighbourhood in Mumbai. “Eight years ago, I began playing online games at internet cafes. The first game that I played was Counter Strike,” he said.
He turned pro three years ago. “I started playing Defence Of The Ancients (DOTA). Initially, I participated in small matches within India,” he said. Today, he is a famous DOTA player in the country and has won everything that is to win at DOTA tourneys. “The game is played as a team. I am a member of the team Signify,” he said.
Raunak, who has been to the international level of DOTA said, “As the team, of five, crosses each level of the competition, the going gets tougher. The international level is very tough. We have been able to reach the fifth position in some of the tourneys. However, sponsorships and other remunerations make-up and more the cost incurred.”
He says online gaming is a viable career option. “It is just like a normal job. Every online gamer has to spend around eight hours playing the game. Of course in the initial days, the flow of money is not much. But once a player gets the hang of it, he or she begins earning Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh. Once a year a player takes home Rs 25 lakh,” he said.Everything about online games is like other sports. “Players even have brands sponsoring them,” said the 21-year-old Commerce graduate.