CHENNAI : Crediting his ability to think outside the box and on his feet to gaming, Ashwin N feels that gaming has helped him in many ways. The 26-year-old engineering graduate, currently working as a senior quality analyst in Costrategix Technologies in Bengaluru, started his gaming journey with Dave and Prince Megahit.
Very soon, he found himself plonked in front of his PC for hours on end. “I was fascinated with the idea of gaming since childhood, and very soon got hooked onto the hand-held monochrome consoles. I gradually updated to Nintendo’s Game Boy (a handheld gaming device first released in 1989). I then started using the PC and advanced gaming console like PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4, which were gifted to me by my parents based on my academic performance,” he says.
With Ashwin playing for 10-12 hours a day, which sometimes extended to 16, his parents worried about his gaming habits. “Sometimes they pampered me, sometimes they punished me. They often restricted my timings, especially at times when I played for 16 hours straight without loo breaks,” says Ashwin, who, after his marriage and employment, has cut-down the number of hours to a maximum of two to three.
The owner of a PS4c and gaming laptop — the Asus Republic of Gamers series — Ashwin admits that he has no clue on the amount his parents have shelled out towards his gaming equipment. “Ever since I started earning, I have put in `98,000 for a laptop, `35,000 for a PS4 and `1.5 lakhs for a good television,” he says.
As a gamer, Ashwin’s favourite genre are First Person Shooter Games and his favourite games include Middle of Earth: Shadow of War and Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. Gaming has helped him solve problems, and think out of the box, a key skill in his line of work.His advice to aspiring gamers is to take their passion seriously. “Nowadays, gaming is a profession in itself. There are companies which hire gamers as testers. You never know, your passion can turn into a well-paying profession,” he says.
Think on your feet, think out of the box
As a gamer, Ashwin’s favourite genre is First Person Shooter Games, and his favourite games include Middle of Earth: Shadow of War and Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. Gaming has helped him solve problems, and think out of the box, a key skill in his line of work. The 26-year-old, currently working as a senior quality analyst in Costrategix Technologies in Bengaluru, suggests gamers to take their passion seriously.