"Recognition allows the community to grow" - in conversation with Ankur Diwakar, gamer and Esports evangelist

The recently concluded U Cypher gaming championships kicked up quite a lot of buzz in India. For one, it was the first time that a gaming championship was being telecast across multiple platforms including mainstream television channels such as MTV. It was in many ways, gaming, announcing itself in a big way, to say loud and clear, that they feel they have well and truly arrived.

Of course, it's not overnight that gaming is now all of a sudden the rage; it is the result of a concerted effort over time which has seen a spurt in recent years. The event was also a chance to showcase some of the best gaming talents in the country who have had to endure tough times to get here.

Gaming in India hasn't always had the best backing, but some of these gamers endured, stuck to their passions and didn't throw in the towel. In their own circles, they were all quite the celebrities, but this was a chance for a wider audience to get to know them.

One of those gamers was Ankur Diwakar. Ankur has been gaming now for almost a decade. He is a professional FIFA gamer and was part of the Yakshas team that took home the inaugural U Cypher championship. Sportskeeda caught up with Ankur for a brief chat about the victory as well as the gaming scene in general in India.

Excerpts:

About the impact of the U Cypher championship

After a point of time, money and prizes don't matter. Recognition is what allows the community to grow. It also motivates and inspires others to grow. So the invitation from U Cypher was something really exceptional. Me and my fellow gamers got to reach out through television to tier II cities and other remote areas where may be they're good, but not aware of such competitions.

It was also a statement that now we can take gaming seriously. So it was very good and very much exciting as well for us.

On him playing Tekken at the championship, as opposed to his usual game FIFA

Sadly in this tournament, FIFA wasn't there. Tekken is not very well established in India, so I thought why not take this. I used to practice 8-10 hours a day because Tekken usually takes years to master. Later I realized that the people I've been competing with have a few years’ experience. Initially, it was very challenging because it was my first time playing this game.

But people in the industry know me and I knew my friends and family would be watching. So I didn't want to look like a moderate gamer. So I made sure I put my heart into it, even left FIFA for three months. As soon as I signed the contract, I made sure I practised day in, day out and reached out to players from other countries to help me out. It was really great, really exciting.

On the strategies and preparation needed to be good at FIFA

For sports games, you have to be aware of the sport first before you start gaming. You should have actual knowledge about it.

Attack and defence are the two main aspects of FIFA, but there are about 10 other aspects such as what's your pregame strategy, what formation are you going to use, what is the counter-formation of your opponent, all these things have to be taken care of.

Then you need to have some custom tactics; like if things are not working out after about 10 minutes or so, you'll need to change it up. And obviously hours of practice.

If I'm preparing for a tournament, I keep three teams for myself. Like if one team doesn't work, I switch to the other one. Also, have three different styles. Like if I'm playing a very aggressive player, I need to have a very good defensive lineup, so I go for Bayern. If I'm playing a moderate player, then I might go for Real Madrid or Manchester United.

The winning Yakshas team at the U Cypher championships

FIFA is very competitive because there's a new meta, new gameplay with every new release. So you need to keep on evolving as a gamer.

On how the other genres vary compared to sports-based games

Counter Strike is a skill based game and actually requires a lot of coordination. You need to actually have many strategies on how to play as a terrorist or counter-terrorist. It's something you need to get down with your team and get it sorted.

DOTA is a chess game. There are about 1,000 ways to win. Whosoever does it better will win so you need to practice on your unique skills.

On the level of competition in FIFA

Sports games are very realistic and highly competitive as well. Which is why you don't see the same gamers dominating for 2-3 years at a stretch. You need to be very adaptive to stay in the scene and consistently perform.

Initially, when I and my fellow mates used to go to FIFA tournaments, you used to have about 50-60 people showing up. And it was all repetitive faces. So we used to plan and eventually we would get to know how to beat a certain guy.

But now, there are so many people who are doing a good job of promoting their platform and giving chances for people to get into gaming. Plus, there are many online tournaments happening which are easily accessible from home.

Now when I go for a competition, I see a hundred different faces. So I need to make sure my game is on point. The competition is so exciting because of which there are so many new players each time and they have a huge influence. That's making the competitive scene very exciting. You never know when you're going to get upset at a tournament.

On how sponsorship and investment in gaming has changed with time

I remember back in 2007-08 when I started, I used to save up some pocket money to be able to go to a cafe and just play. Not even compete, just play.

After a point of time, like around 2010, when I realized there are all these tournaments where you can represent India and go abroad and all that, there was a different feel towards gaming that we developed. That's when I required someone who could take care of my console or PC. So at that time, managing travel, stay and then practice was very difficult.

It's not just about money either. There are sponsors who provide equipment to keep players at their best. So be it travelling, be it equipment, be it cash, it helps.

But in 2017-18, which has been a great year for Esports, we've seen a huge jump. Many of the gamers are on a salaried arrangement, they're getting paid to do what they love and make a living out of it. Startups also are now willing to invest. That's really nice to see.

We're still lacking in terms of the gap to other countries around the world. If I had to compare, India right now is like what the scene was in the US in say 2010-11. So yes, we're about 3-4 years behind, but we're closing the gap year by year.

On sponsorship initiatives

And there are different brands who are supporting the industry now. Like if you take Red Bull, they are not into monetary terms at all. They don't believe in giving money, rather they believe in relationships. They provide the right contacts to people, they back their players. This is what we require; if you can't support us monetarily, at least get us noticed.

Recently, many other brands are conducting seminars, taking gamers to many cities, educating colleges and schools. Such initiatives are obviously required in the industry. We are yet to see a huge investment like how it is abroad, but I'm expecting much more in 2018.

(Red Bull ran the 'Every game can be a good game offer' from February to mid-March across Circle Gaming Cafe in Mumbai, Pune, and Nashik)

On the difference in other Asian countries such as the far East

There's a huge difference. One of my friends who travelled there to participate in a FIFA event, he saw people working with keyboards. Almost like an unemployed guy who would go out and try and make some money for his family, these guys just take their keyboards and go to any random tournament to try and make some money, make a living out of it.

I was actually amazed to see this and there were people who would come take selfies and autographs with these wandering gamers. And this was back in 2011.

So Korea, Japan and Singapore, they respect the players, respect gaming. The Singapore government supports so many events. Government getting involved in something like this actually takes it to a different level.

Now, as you know, it's going to be at the Asian Games and soon to be trialled at the Olympics too. So let's see how it goes. After that, hopefully, the Indian government also lends its support to it and makes it an industry to invest in.

On his entry into gaming and early struggles

When I started playing, I used to go to different colleges and meet different people to test my game out. Back then we didn't have great internet speeds; 128 kbps was something we used to brag about. I had a pocket money of 10 rupees and I used to bunk college to get into this and get more game time. Obviously, I wasn't aware gaming would take me to where I am right now.

Initially, it was very difficult to survive because that 10 rupees I would have to pay to play like for an hour in a cafe. And I needed to spend 5-6 hours. So we used to play 'losers pay’; I knock you down, you play for my game time. I didn't have money to invest so this how I made do. If I lost, I had to go back home and study. So I would play extra hard.

And even prize money in most places would be 500 or 1000 rupees at max. And that too you would only get it after a month or two from the college. And there were times when I would just get coupons, no cash prizes.

It really was a difficult stage to carry on. I actually saw many of my friends quit gaming as a result, and trust me they were great players. They quit because of lack of money, lack of exposure, lack of sponsorship.

On when the gaming scene picked up to the journey here

After 2010-11, it started improving. I started to travel to different cities. We also had better internet connection. That was when we realized, like alright, we are at the right stage now. Even I had thought about quitting once. I did my B.Com because it was convenient for me to bunk more to go play. After graduating, around 2010, I felt family pressure. Obviously back then, you can't just go and tell your mom and dad, 'I want to be a gamer.’

So I did my diploma in game design, so as to not lose touch with gaming. But I couldn't make much progress especially with creating a game.

So I switched to marketing, got into Accenture. I used to make maps for Walmart, UK. Getting up at 4 AM in the morning and doing this was not something I fancied. I was doing great, but I quit after 2 months because it kept me away from gaming. I felt incomplete. I soon realized I had to sit down, get my stuff sorted and think about how can I play games.

So I did my research and started my own advertising company, my own start-up. Now I have employees who work under me and I play games professionally where I can play without any hassle.

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(You can get in touch with Ankur at www.instagram.com/ankur.diwakar)