CHENNAI: It’s 2011 and a Russian civil war has spread to the UK, Middle East, Azerbaijan, and Ukraine, resulting in the outbreak of World War II. No, it’s not an alternative universe, it’s Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (COD4), a game that was appreciated for its realistic setting. And EvoX.SIL aka Shriramakrishnan is crazy about this game. The 25-year-old is a B.Com graduate who currently works in an IT company.
Recalling how it all started, he shares, “I used to play single player games like Prince of Persia when I was young. One day my friend introduced me to COD4 . I eventually got hooked to it and played it continuously for 8-10 hours a day.” While he had to face the wrath of his parents for ‘wasting time’ playing games, they eventually supported his passion.
Shriramakrishnan has a round-the-clock schedule, but still manages to engage in gaming. “I usually come home by midnight and online tournaments take place at 1 am. I am usually so tired that I am awake only to play my game. If a tournament coincides with my work hours, I take a leave. I’ve made it a point to never miss a tournament,” he says.
This member of the Team EvoX, one of India’s top COD4 teams, says he was inspired by Stevey Berheyen, the Belgium scoper of Team Fnatic. He considers Space aka Anand and Dominator aka Umesh Arora, his team members, as his gaming gurus who taught him the art of killing
people online.
Team EvoX Gaming won the 2013 BYOC (Bring Your Own Computer) competition held at Ambience Mall, Gurgaon, and were runners up in 2012, 2014 and 2015. He has also played along with his team at gaming evens held at Blur, Sathyam Cinemas, Chennai.
“We don’t usually go by our real names,” he says while trying to recollect some of his teammates’ real names. “We recognise each other only through the names we have in the gaming arena and we ‘reveal our identity’ only when we become close friends,” he adds.
Talking about balancing his love for gaming and his work schedule he says, “When you have certain responsibilities, your passion takes a backseat. You can’t take up gaming professionally unless you are wealthy.”
Unfortunately in India, gaming is not taken seriously. “It is tough for gamers in India. People don’t understand that you can be as passionate about gaming as you are about cricket or football,” he rues.
The fewer tournaments organised in the country is also a drawback. “Though online tournaments are conducted all the time, the prize is not all that great. In countries abroad, tournaments are conducted once every month or two. The amateurs get exposure and here it is not so much,”he avers.
The cash prize for most of the tournaments here is not much. “For the BYOC tournament, we had to go by flight. We ended up spending more than what we earn. We won `30,000 and we had to split it five ways,” he adds.
Shriramakrishnan encourages young gamers to go ahead with their passion. “If they are passionate, there is nothing for me to tell them. They’ll realise their potential and look for opportunities, spend time, and excel in it,” he says.