To live a virtual dream
CHENNAI:Santanu Basu started gaming when he was five. As a child, he was introduced to the world of recreational video gaming, playing with his friends after school hours. More than two decades later, this Kolkata-based gamer is one of India’s most renowned gaming personalities, having participated in over 400 gaming events in India and around 30 international competitions.
Today, Santanu is the only Indian gamer to be a part of a US-based international gaming team, Tempo Storm and has been sponsored by multinational gaming company, AMD Inc (Advanced Micro Devices). Santanu’s forte is e-sports. “When I first heard of the World Cyber Games, I decided that I wanted to become a professional gamer,” he says. The World Cyber Games was a competitive, international video gaming event operated by WCG Inc. and sponsored by Samsung Electronics and Microsoft. Considered the Olympics of the e-sports world, the now defunct WCG provided a platform for competitive gamers from across the world.
What was Santanu’s journey to the WCG like? “I first attended the WCG qualifier in 2004, in Kolkata. I lost in the first round,” he smiles. “But in 2007, I won the first place in the qualifiers held in Kolkata, second in Chennai and Bengaluru, and third in Mumbai.” He adds that his best memory was coming third at an international e-sports tournament in China in 2015. “That night, I was signed by Tempo Storm.”
His motivation for getting into gaming was precipitated by the fact that he suffers from acute pancreatitis. “I love football and wanted to become a footballer, but because of a major operation, I was not allowed to exert too much. But now I follow my dreams in the virtual world,” he says.
Before fame and fortune came his way, he struggled to balance his passion with the realities of daily life. “Once in Mumbai, Amar Ratnam, a fellow gamer, bought me food because I couldn’t afford a meal. By the end of the tournament, as I was written about a lot, and a company sponsored my return home by flight,” he laughs.
He practices around six hours every day. He works with Circle Gaming, a gaming peripherals company. “They have always supported me, and give me some top-class gaming gear.” Santanu is optimistic about the future of gaming in India. “It has improved a lot. There are so many tournaments and pro-gamers in the country now.”