CHENNAI: Chennai-based Krishnakumar is a student of game design and development, and all he needs to learn is play. He is not afraid of taking the road less travelled with joysticks in his hand and gameplans on his mind. A gamer for the past nine years and a professional at that for four, Krishnakumar talks to CE about his journey with mouse and graphics, how he balances his academics and profession, and the story behind his game name ‘Joker’.
“It all started when I was eight. My first thought every morning then used to be to come back from school and play on my computer. I used to have a CRT monitor with a decent configuration which was a big deal back then. I used to play Age of Empires II on it which still remains my dream game,” recalls Krishnakumar.
He started his professional gaming career with Counter-Strike (CS) 1.6 and then shifted to DOTA 2 and Overwatch, “DOTA 2 is a fun game to play with friends. But Overwatch is best to compete in. This game changed my life as this was my ticket to get sponsorship and tournament bounties,” he says.
Krishnakumar states that playing games helped him improve his game designing skills. “Now I know how to play as well as design a game. This helps me balance my passion with studies. When I play a game now, I not only concentrate on new tactics but I analyse the quality of the graphics, types of texture they have used for the game and also the functions that a particular game provides the user. Playing helps develop my aesthetic sense towards game designing,” he explains adding that he sees himself as a game designer in the future. “I play for around six to eight hours a day but if I have a college project I reduce it to two to three matches before studying,” he adds.
Krishnakumar is a member of Global E-sports, and he plays the role of a ‘tanker’ in a team of eight. “ During tournaments, we have boot camps with the team to brainstorm new ideas and strategies. Our sponsor takes care of all our expenses and they even pay a monthly remuneration for the practice sessions,” he says.
So, how did he get the name Joker? “I kept my game name as Joker™, as a tribute to Heath Ledger, as I am a huge fan of the character and the actor. I was supposed to be called so, only for a couple of tournaments, but it stuck on,” he says.
Favourite Games
● Dave
● Claw
● Age of Empires II
● Rollercoaster tycoon
● CS
● Dota 2
● Overwatch
Tournaments
● Winner of ILG Majors Cup, Chennai
● 1st runner-up at ILG Cup Majors, Pune
● 2nd runner-up at ILG Cup Majors, Hyderabad