20 million avid gamers will be putting their skills to the test at the first ever Video Games World Cup this November For the console generation who’re hooked on creatures screeching and screaming at any form of danger, hearty plumber, battleworn grunt or cutesey farmyard animals casting their spells in the virtual world here is an opportunity to battle your popular characters against each other through keyboard and mouse clicks. The first ever Video Games World Cup (VGWC), organised by Agence France Sport, will be launched this November. More than 100 countries and 20 million avid gamers are expected to take part in the tournament. Only 128 competitors can participate per week, per country and per game. We speak to gaming enthusiasts and founder of the Video Games World Cup about this one-of-its-kind gaming tournament. Stéphane Cosse, founder of VGWC, says, “Video games are often criticised and hardly given due appreciation. By holding a World Cup, we are giving it a new playing field, as there are one billion gamers worldwide looking for the right platform to exhibit their gaming skills.” Stéphane adds, “Each continental champion will receive a cheque for over $100,000, while the national champions will receive a cheque for over $10,000 each.” Gaming expert Ishaan Arya, like many other of his ilk, have started referring to video games with the more dignified title of e-sports. He says, “Electronic sports or e-Sports have been on the rise over the past few years and now take place at an unprecedented scale. There’s actually more money in playing them than any other physical sports like hockey, boxing or badminton. Events for games like Counter Strike, FIFA, League of Legends and Dota and now, the first ever world cup are giving gamers the opportunity to be recognised at the same level as professional athletes. Professional gaming has become an accepted career in the parts of Europe, Korea, Japan and USA and they get same visas as professional athletes. Some of the top players even make in excess of $400,000 to $1,000,000 a year.” Another gaming enthusiast Abhimanyu Chakraborty rues the fact that gaming as a career is still not-so-explored avenues and a lack of sponsorship for gamers is a major drawback. “Even in the present scenario, it is not possible to become a full-time professional gamer in India. Gaming tournaments are still not payrolled by sponsors, which is one of the major setbacks. Earlier there have been several demands of a possible spot on the Olympic Games for video-gaming but is seemed to have fallen on deaf ears. Initiatives like VGWC help in providing a global platform and brings together people with a similar passion under one roof,” he says. Globally, gaming is a well-established industry, just like music and films. “Despite of the absence of a history of hardcore gaming culture, it is gaining popularity in the Indian market too. Thanks, to the latest smartphones, consoles, Xboxes, PCs and gaming parlours offering the coolest of games. The government in India too needs to recognise the socio-economic impact of creative industries and games, in particular. As the world turns more digital, these are powerful industries that create fantastic market value. More wide scale tournaments need to be organised to give a boost to the industry,” says Vibhu Gaur, a city based gaming enthusiast. Another gaming expert Abhirup Moitra feels to be a hardcore gamer, it requires the same set of skills, passion, and dedication that is required by a sportsperson. “Then why the divide? Be it on a virtual field or the lush lawns, a sport remains to be a sport. If there can be a world cup for football, rugby, cricket and other sports, then why not for video gaming? With the advent of social gaming, developers with their addictive gaming content can now reach out to a whole new demographic such as women and older generation, who are not too keen in playing the physical sports,” concludes Abhirup. Source: The Asian Age, Reference-Image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/
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