THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: For Sujayendra Krishna, gaming is a part of his identity. He has been playing video games since his childhood, and there was no looking back after that. “The earliest memory that I have is of playing video games, is me playing a game when I was five,” shares Hyderabad-based Krishna.
Currently the game he’s addicted to is The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, an open world action role-playing video game. Some of the other games that he specialises in, includes Counter Strike and Need For Speed: Most Wanted. “I enjoy role-playing games the most. It gives me a that thrill. Counter strike is something that I have been playing since college days, and I continue to do so even today,” he says.
Krishna, who went to Srinidhi College of Engineering, Hyderabad, was also a professional gamer, before taking up a job as a writer. “When I was in college, I took part in several gaming competitions. We also started a website called just another gaming site. It goes by the url www.japs.com. Though I don’t write for it any longer, I’m still one of the founding members of the website,” shares the youngster, who currently works as a staff writer for a magazine called Stumagz.
For the 25-year-old Hyderabadi, the feeling of accomplishment that a victory gives is the most exciting part of being a gamer. “You feel triumphant after a game. It gives you a sense of achievement. Even if it’s virtual, that feeling of achieving something when you win in a video game is what gets us addicted to it,”
he shares.
Just like any other young kid Krishna too as a child faced a lot of opposition from his parents for playing too many video games. However, he concedes that they weren’t too discouraging either. “They weren’t very supportive of the idea of me being a professional gamer. At the same time, they never really stopped me from doing what I am passionate about. Ultimately, you listen to what they have to say but do what you have to do. I just followed my heart and my passion,” he explains.
Krishna is currently taking a break from gaming as his job keeps him busy all the time. But he admits that gaming has changed his life. “Whatever I am today is because of playing video games. The way I speak, the way I behave around people is influenced by the video games that I have played. In fact, when I was young, I wasn’t fluent in English and I learnt the language through gaming,” he laughs.
Language and behaviour aside, gaming has also shaped Krishna’s thoughts to a great extent. “Because of gaming, I developed a lot of interest in geo politics. I like to keep myself updated with whatever is happening across the world. To a large extent, I believe that gaming has also made me more knowledgeable,” he smiles.