CHENNAI : Gaming is something this 31-year-old gamer, Roshan Joshua has been keen on doing from a very young age. He considers this field to be more than a game. He says, “Gaming has changed my life in a personal level. It’s my escape from the mundane. You get to meet different people with different interests and personalities. Some of the closest friends I have are people I’ve met through gaming. So, gaming has definitely been a huge part of my life.”
Thiruvananthapuram-based Roshan is a Counter-strike: Global Offensive player, a fast paced first person shooter where a team of five are pitted against each other. The rounds are short and the guns are lethal with most being capable of one shot kills. This latest version is part of the Counter-strike series that started in 2000. The gamer says, “While the game has changed with changing times, the heart and soul of Counter-strike remains timeless and no first person shooter game has so much following as the CS:GO.”
His tryst with gaming began many years ago. He adds, “It started with games like Contra, Road rash, Doom but what changed my entire perception of gaming was my first LAN experience. There’s something about competing against real human players that’s vastly different from playing a single player game. The atmosphere is tense, the team spirit is high, the wins are sweeter and the losses make you even more determined to win. This got me hooked to this game.”
Talking about the competitiveness in the gaming world he says that gaming is getting a lot more commercialized now than it was ten years ago. There’s a lot of positives in that as well as a lot of negatives. Ten years ago one couldn’t imagine making a living through gaming. Now there are lot of people doing just that, whether it’s competitive gaming or streaming or other gaming-related fields. “The competitive scene in India has seen money in-flow but is yet to mature to an international standard as far as professionalism goes. Positive changes are happening though,” adds Roshan.
Like every other gamer, Roshan also has a favourite in the gaming world. He says, “My favourite gaming idol is Pasha, a Polish CS:GO professional player. He might not be the best player out there but he’s inspirational to me because of the way he finds balance in the game.”
Roshan has taken part in many tournaments. The latest being ‘Plug and Play’ where teams from across south India participated and his team won the game. He used to follow a schedule when he used to play for the team but now it’s mostly whenever he gets free time, usually from 10pm to 1pm. Although he has not been able to game much for almost a year because of a right shoulder injury. He is looking forward on opening a gaming cafe.