CHENNAI: Stephen Samuel B aka ‘Mastermind’ is not just a pro gamer from the past eleven years, but also the CEO of Blitz-Zone esports, a gaming hangout based in Bengaluru. Apart from enjoying celebrity status among gaming freaks in his city, he also enjoys a modest fan following internationally. “When my team (Go figure) and I represented India for the Point blank International cup in Jakarta this year, we were treated like celebs by strangers on the streets! The other participants too showed great respect, which we’ve never experienced in India.” says Stephen.
At the age of 12, his brother (Vincent) introduced him to the world of gaming. Initially he played on an 8-bit video game then PSP followed by other computer games. He loves playing action -oriented games as it keeps his mind active. “Through gaming, one gets to meet people of similar interests. On a personal level, gaming has helped me in enhancing memory power, improve concentration levels and also helped me make some crucial decisions,” he adds.
Stephen’s all-time favourite game is Defence of The Ancient-2 (Dota-2) due to its strategic nature which involves a lot of teamwork and co-ordination. Calling himself a gamer by ‘blood and soul’, he says that there is no game that he wouldn’t like to play. “I am currently looking forward to play PUBG — Players Unknown Battle Ground. I lam open to playing any type of game...I don’t discriminate,” he smiles. Though he always liked gaming, his tryst with it grew stronger after winning National tournament held in Hyderabad known as ‘IMBA Gamers Cup’ with team Err0R. Later on he started winning a lot of college tournaments and his team was considered as the best in Dota1.
“In 2010, I decided for once and all that I want to go pro. But my family members were not very supportive and my whole team decided to quit gaming. A decade back, gaming was even considered to be some sort of gambling by our respective family members,” reminisces Stephen.
But Stephen was not someone to give up his passion fearing society’s preconceived notions. The struggle was hard but they were successful in proving their parents wrong that they were not into any illicit activity by winning at Bangalore Mirror ‘GOD of Gaming (2010)’. Stephen says,” When my parents saw my team’s photo in a newspaper they were really impressed and after that, they began supporting me in pursuing gaming as a full time vocation.”
And since then, there is no looking back for this gaming freak. Till date he has won 50-odd tournaments on national and international level. His dream to represent India on an international platform became a reality in 2017 when his team won the Piercing Blow National Cup-2017 held in Jakarta, Indonesia. “Though we were able to secure only the 8th position, it gave us a lot of confidence. I am very sure now that we can become a winning team and grab the first prize next time,” adds Stephen.
The one gaming trend that he is happy about is that specially-abled people have started choosing gaming as a means of earning their livelihood and are giving a tough competition to others when it comes to showcasing their gaming skills.“I think it is great that gaming has become more inclusive than ever before,” he avers. The success and failure of a gamer depends not only on his gaming abilities but also greatly depends on the society’s attitude towards esports.
And Stephen agrees, “A gamer experiences failure when society refuses to accept him or her as a professional player. It is because of this very fact that many young aspirants are forced to give up their passion at a very early stage. If people make the choice to view things without prejudice and be more accepting, it can really motivate one to realise their true potential.”
His advice to the upcoming gamers who play esports as a hobby is simple. “Esports is growing at a steady pace globally and for the all gamers in India it’s actually a time to rejoice and feel very proud as Esports has been included in the medal games category in the upcoming Asian Games-2022. If you think you have the potential to win, then you should prove naysayers wrong and make India proud,” he says.
In the pursuit to recognise and encourage upcoming gamers, the ‘Blitz eSports Mela’ was organised by Stephen’s team on December 23 in Marathhalli.
“This event aimed to provide a forum to upcoming gamers by offering them professional coaching, gaming facilities and also sponsoring teams to represent our gaming community in both national and international competitions.” shares Stephen, who is super optimistic that Indian esports players will leave their mark in the upcoming Asian Games.