A little something for the passionate gamers and their concerned parents…
What, in my opinion, are the problems with the gaming scenario in India?
The gaming scene in India has seen a lot. It brought exposure to the latest trends, but it also brought a list of problems, serious problems to deal with.
From Mobile games to PC games, from professional players to casual streamers, the Indian gaming community has evolved with time. From starting with evergreen classics to representing worldwide with impeccable rosters for international gaming titles, the community seems to be constantly releasing fresh talent. And a part of the credit goes to the platforms like YouTube, Rooter, and organizations such as NODWIN gaming, Global Esports, and many more who support these potential superstars. There seems to be no doubt that a lot has changed, or has it?
Despite the current scenario, there lie these realities, which might be a bit dark or harsh. These are the real eye-openers that should be considered, be it by the casuals or the professionals.
Spoiler Alert: What you’re about to read is quite exaggerated and can even influence you, so read carefully and act responsibly.
1. Lack of awareness and wrong perspective
We live in a country that has given iconic esports athletes and streamers. Still, we also live in a country that holds back potential gamers from becoming the next gaming sensation. And the primary source of this is our society, parents, and even children. Our Indian community claims to be progressive but still is orthodox towards gaming and other career lines.
Most of these talented gamers come from middle-class households. A job that helps you fit into society is more essential than following your passion. Our community considers gaming only for time-pass, and parents idealize gamers as rebels. Children are no less. Their straightaway demands for high-end gaming machines and the in-game purchases have made not just them, but also their parents, go bonkers.
2. Cost and Availability of resources
The thought of buying a gaming rig is one part, but buying one is another. Gaming machines, especially PCs, need to have those high-end components. Without them, great graphics and frame rates would be just a dream. And we all know, that just the GPU is costly enough to drain down your pockets in just a go. Add the costs of the rest of the components, and the minimum price goes up to one lakh rupees. To cut down that costs, some people go for a console.
The other problem is with Availability. Everyone knows that out of every other PC component, only the GPUs go out of stock, forcing people to opt for less powerful GPUs for the time being.
3. Lack of Recognition
So far, we have witnessed how the gamers have been provided platforms and opportunities to showcase their skills. But when it comes to recognition, it takes months, even years, to get credit. Society stills see them as outcasts. The media doesn’t bother to look into this domain, even though esports have now been considered an official game event in Asian Games.
World Championships for various games are organized, but the rewards of hard work, dedication, zeal, and glory only reach the rest of the world, not India. Contribution towards providing outreach can help people realize that esports can be a viable career, and streamers are freelancers in this domain deserve respect.
4. Absence of Cloud Gaming services
As discussed in our second point, the cost and Availability of PC components is a serious issue. Moreover, remember, this is India my homies!! Indians can’t afford to buy a gaming PC or Laptop. But some people still want one. What to do? That’s where India can shine as a market for Cloud Gaming services.
Cloud Gaming services are online gaming rigs running on the incredible cloud network, in my opinion. All you need is a good internet connection and display, and you’re good to go. With a subscription-based service system (per hour costs are based on monthly to yearly plans), these services can help you cut down costs and save many bucks. The only problem is that the best ones (Google Stadia, Amazon Luna, Nvidia GeForce Experience) are unavailable.
5. Current Lifestyle
There’s no denying the fact that lifestyle-borne diseases and disorders are prevailing all over the country. Never a day goes by when I don’t see people losing their cool in their personal life due to the stress and workload in their professional life. Moreover, COVID has led to so many problems that it seems to get worse. But as they say, everything in life seems to be a curse or a nightmare only if you let it become one.
A recent video by Global Esports informed this in their video. They referred to a research paper explaining how gaming could help learn and improve critical thinking, decision-making, resource management, stress reduction, and whatnot. These are what you don’t acquire by studying, but games teach you all of that in a fun way.
6. Indian Media
There was a time when Indian media was deemed to be concerned about incidents of national interest. But nowadays, Indian media has seriously inclined itself towards dirty politics, illogical controversies, and exaggeration of unnecessary topics. And this exaggeration isn’t limited to just extreme issues, but also some cases where Indian media tends to show the darker side more than its brighter side.
Our Indian media doesn’t broadcast much about esports achievements but shows children’s exaggerated form of reckless behaviour and irresponsible parenting. You’ll get to see such news and articles where children had spent over a lakh rupees off their parent’s accounts to get that Battle Pass and other in-game currencies !! It propagates the dark facet of the Indian gaming community. It is a matter that needs to be addressed not negatively, but rather as an awareness program among children and parents.
7. Lack of Online Etiquettes
A topic much addressed by the media as well as fellow gaming icons. Players like Ankit ‘V3NOM’ Panth have addressed this through YouTube and Instagram. In his videos, Ankit discussed gaming behaviour and usage of inappropriate actions on their stream and promotion among the audience. Such cases have been where these streamers have been taken into police custody for their indecency and propagating controversies.
8. Online Malpractices
Gaming has always been under constant threat from people who use online malpractices such as piracy and hacking to achieve their motives. Indians are no less. There have been many incidents because the Indian gaming community had to go through a hard time regaining trust and honour.
Remember the CS:GO cheating incident where Nikhil ‘Forsaken’ Kumawat used a hack labelled as ‘word.exe,’ which gave him aimbot within the game. Plus, websites like ‘Ocean of Games’ and even the torrenting sites promote piracy by helping people download cracked games which, in my opinion, is a great disrespect towards the game developers.
And how’s this for a fact: you think that downloading cracked games helps you save a lot of bucks, but you just prepared your computer for a dance with the devil, or should I say Malware. So please prefer buying games and not downloading cracked ones because when you do so, you help the developers of that game earn some money for their hard work and keep your computer safe.
9. Unhealthy gaming practices
From playing physical sports to playing games on devices, healthy practices are a must. According to my, practice makes a man perfect, but healthy practice makes a man supreme. A significant contribution to the negative image of gamers is due to the absence of healthy gaming practices. And as intimidating as the topic sounds, the ingredients for it aren’t.
Simple steps like waking up early, having a good nutritious meal, doing exercise, playing for a fixed duration, taking breaks, spending some time working on your hobbies, and sometimes just having a me-time will do the job perfectly. And also, remember that family comes first. So do make sure to spend some time with your family.
Gamers are usually idealized as clumsy, couch-potatoes who eat, sleep, game, and repeat. But let me tell you something, even the pro players you watch follow a strict routine to maintain themselves. It’s even mentioned in their contracts. And if you don’t believe me, watch Ankit ‘V3NOM’ Panth grooming himself every day, both physically and mentally, to give his best.
10. Lack of great role models
That is a topic which needs to be addressed among children to parents. The internet has provided a platform for everyone, and ‘everyone’ includes people of every kind. Some may be humble, while some may be toxic. Either way, children and teens are the ones that get affected the most. If your ward follows the right person, he will undoubtedly impact a change that will change him forever. But if your child follows the wrong person, the effect will be the same as with the right one; the only thing will be that it will be the other way around.
So, as a responsible parent, you should sometimes keep an eye on what your child watches and whom he follows online. Try to talk over the issues as a friend, and trust me, your doubts will vanish instantly.
So, these are the ten major problems that exist within our Indian gaming community. Remember, these can be resolved quickly. As the gamer from team 8-Bit, Thug, has said:
“What parents think about you is not wrong and you certainly don’t have to revolt against them. All you have to do is convince them through small, positive actions and they’ll follow.”
