Premiumhttps://afkgaming.comen-usThu, 28 Mar 2024 18:50:18 +0530“BGMI will become the second largest sport in the country after Indian cricket” - Nimish Raut, Head of Esports and Special Projects, NODWIN Gaming.https://afkgaming.com/premium/esports/bgmi-will-become-the-second-largest-sport-in-the-country-after-indian-cricket-nimish-raut-head-of-esports-and-special-projects-nodwin-gaminghttps://afkgaming.com/premium/esports/bgmi-will-become-the-second-largest-sport-in-the-country-after-indian-cricket-nimish-raut-head-of-esports-and-special-projects-nodwin-gaming#comments47904c12-33f6-4c4c-b440-916fb9cd5394Thu, 16 Jun 2022 13:23:47 +05302022-06-16T13:23:47.776+05:30Nishant Patel/api/author/1568064NODWIN Gaming,Nimish Raut,KRAFTON,Battlegrounds Mobile India,BGMI,Star SportsEsportsA day after the IPL Media Rights Auction for 2022 had concluded, I caught up with Nimish Raut about a super secret esports tournament announcement that Nodwin Gaming was working on. Raut is the global head of esports partnerships and special projects for NODWIN, and as we made our way to his home for the interview, he promised that this tournament would be a game changer for the Indian esports landscape. The cynic in me scoffed at this - almost every esports tournament organizer in India claims to have something 'groundbreaking' in store for fans.

But a few minutes into the interview, I realized that I had to eat my words - Raut was not exaggerating. Nodwin Gaming has announced the BGMI Master Series with a prize pool of INR 1.5 Crore ($192.14K USD) which will be taken to the masses via Star Sports on television. Without further ado, here’s the transcript of our conversation. If you prefer to listen / watch, you can check out the full video interview here.

Q. Nimish this is your crown jewel in the world of esports thus far. Can you tell us what it is you’re working on and why it’s such a big deal?

This has been three or four months in the making now. We are working on the BGMI Master Series, you must have already seen the announcement that Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) esports is going to be on television for the first time. This goes way back to when I came back to India and joined Fnatic. I had a vision to take esports to television the right way, and Akshat (Nodwin Gaming’s Managing Director) believed in the idea with me.

When we got the opportunity to make it happen, we managed to get the right partners, the right set up and the right format - it all kind of fell in place in the last few months. In addition to the television broadcast via Star Sports, this tournament is also going to have massive digital distribution thanks to our partners Glance and Loco. We also have some really credible partners on board. This is going to be shown as a professional sport and a professional tournament with a decent media value to it. So yeah, fingers crossed! Next season when we go back into the market more people are going to want to be a part of this

Q. Any nervousness about taking esports to TV?

You know, this project is like my baby. I’ve always envisioned that this should happen and then when things actually fall into place, you obviously get nervous about how it’s going to be right? The first question was - “will I actually get someone to believe that this should be on TV?”. Once we got that, the next question was “is this actually going to work?”. I do believe it’s going to work and I think it already has a massive fan following. The entire community takes pride in the fact that this is a sport, and it will be extremely important that every single stakeholder within the industry (gamers or non gamers), just believe that esports is a sport, and we all go back and watch it on the home of sports which is Star Sports Network.

I want people to enjoy the broadcast with their parents and their family members, to show them what esports is all about and what skills are required when a player makes rotations or tries to use grenades or the M16. People need to understand what really goes behind the game right? It’s not just a bunch of kids playing in a dark room anymore.

So yeah, to answer your question, I am nervous! But when it goes live on the 24th I’m going to cry a little bit and be happy about it but I’m certain that Akshat and I will be very proud of it. The rest of the Nodwin Gaming team has worked very hard on this one as well so this could be a very proud moment for us.

Q. There have been previous attempts to put esports on Indian television. UCypher was among the most recent ones. What’s different about this particular tournament?

There are multiple things that are different. Some of the previous attempts were way ahead of their time. I think we have come to a point where people realize that live sport is watched best on television. Yes, digital is great and has definitely boomed over the last few years, but the experience of live sport on television is something that cannot be compromised.

In India, this is always going to be an extremely important factor. Just look at what’s happened with the media rights for the cricket IP just a few days ago. It proved that there is a lot of value that people ascribe to television even today. I believe in that as well. Television has a great role to play in the growth of esports in India.

Remember that any live sport needs to have linear television to actually reach out to the masses. The second thing that’s different is both the Star sales team and Nodwin Gaming’s internal sales team have worked closely with various media partners to actually turn this into a viable ROI positive product. Every single asset has been converted into a manner that makes sense for television. I think that’s what makes it unique.

Q. Nimish, we are filming this just a day after the IPL media rights auctions have happened. Your media rights packaging looks a lot like that of traditional sports. Talk us through the structural approach that you took for this event. How did you go about convincing people that they should be paying for various buckets of media rights?

This came about through years of learning. When I came back to India, there was a lot of buzz around esports, especially BGMI. Everytime we went to a brand, they loved the idea and the numbers around the game, but nobody actually put all of that together into a package that made sense.

I mean, we’ve always had the downloads, the monthly active users and the daily active users, we have a decent viewership. But how do you now speak the same kind of media language that brands are used to talking, or speak with media agencies to actually make it happen? So we literally broke down the product into various components like broadcast inventory, segment inventory and actually created ad inventory within the pre, post and live game itself. Then we put our heads together to answer questions like what is the kind of visibility that a title sponsor would get versus an associate sponsor. We put seconds to it and a value to those seconds, got it authenticated by our media partners and came up with a valuation that we wanted to take to market.

But then some of our partners actually believed in it and said “yeah, we will spend money with you.” For the people that didn’t spend with us, we hope that they will see the value and come back next season.

Q. How has the response been from teams and participants in the BGMI Master Series? Did you face resistance or have they been welcoming to the idea?

Look, I know most of the teams and players personally. Everyone knows that Nodwin, Akshat and I always want to give back to the community. It’s extremely important for us that the teams make money. For me it was very clear. Taking this to television not only opens doors up for Nodwin Gaming and its partners, but also for teams to actually value themselves appropriately.

Today, we are seeing teams are extremely excited about the fact that they are going on television and the fact that they can now value and sell their front of jersey sponsorship, their shoulder placements and their back of jersey placements. Since this is going on TV now, teams learned that for the first time, there was truly a demand for this in the market. It’s something that everyone is very proud of. Teams don’t usually make a lot of money in esports and with this, they have realized that there is business to be done.

My attempt has always been to find avenues for them to make money and so the teams seem very excited. Some of them know that we have actually taken the effort to manufacture the jerseys ourselves. We made sure that everyone looks uniform and that they look great on stage. We also want brands to evaluate individual team sponsorships just like they evaluate any other gaming partnerships right now.

Q. When I was a kid and I would watch a tournament on TV or online, I’d always had dreams of playing there myself. Did you ever consider a zero to hero story, or a path for underdogs through open qualifiers in the BGMI Master Series?

I think people need to understand that everyone has a role to play right? As Nodwin we definitely have a role to play in esports or the development of underdogs and grassroots programs. But this is not that platform. This is the BGMI Master Series. It’s about the heroes who are already legends in their own right. It’s about coming together and showcasing what they’re capable of.

Does that mean that we are not open to the idea of an open qualifier? Of course not, for all you know in season 2 we might open up a door for an underdog team. There are enough and more tournaments where underdogs can shine and if this becomes really really big, I don’t see a reason why teams will not want to pick up younger players to be a part of this tournament.

We might even create a transfer window. Remember that this is just step one. There are ten steps for this to become extremely big. I can’t tell you all ten of them, but I’ve taken step number one right now. And I can promise you that by the time I have done the tenth step, BGMI will become the second largest sport in the country after Indian cricket. This is what I believe in, this is what Akshat believes in, and this is what NODWIN believes in. That’s the dream and it’s what we are going after. And it’s what I want all the community members to understand and support me for.

Q. Talk to me about the studio that you’re setting up for this event. I’ve heard some very nice things about it. What can you share? Will there be a live audience?

Unfortunately, this time around, there will be no live audience because we still want to make sure that we are within the COVID protocols and within a bubble. We just want to get it right this time around. But the studio is great! Again, thanks to Gautam and Akshat for believing in the idea of having a studio. They knew that I am experienced enough to build something like this because I’ve done this in the past with Riot Games. It’s 20K square feet with the potential to extend by another 20K square feet. When was the last time you heard somebody say that they have 40K square feet dedicated only for esports? Only Nodwin could do something like this. I don’t see anybody else believing in esports the way we do.

It has an amazing entrance now that it’s almost ready. It’s got a mural that is designed by me, inspired by some of the best video game characters in the esports world. Kind of like my tattooed hand, but in a 25 feet tall studio and almost 10K square feet of graffiti. It looks kickass. Inside the studio we have invested money in a Production control room, an LED setup, a player lounge and possibly in the future a permanent stage as well.

We want to do one big LAN every month. The idea is that NODWIN will produce 12 to 15 LANs a year. For any other sport, for example when you want to play a cricket game, what do you do if you’re the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) today? You have like what, 40 stadiums to choose from? Indian esports doesn’t even have one stadium. I’m not saying that this studio we’re building is a stadium but it’s definitely a start. Today it’s a studio, tomorrow it could be a stadium! We don’t need a cricket stadium to do esports events. We build our own stadiums.

Q. Any parting words as we wrap up this conversation?

Oh just one request to everyone in the community. This has taken a lot for all of us to build together, including the players, NODWIN and all other stakeholders. So on 24th June, 8 pm IST, be sure to tune in to Star Sports on your television. We’re going to watch BGMI live on television for the first time. Please become a part of history. Let’s show the world that India loves BGMI and make it the biggest sport after India cricket.

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Bleed Esports is Ready to Conquer Valorant Esports in APAChttps://afkgaming.com/premium/esports/bleed-esports-is-ready-to-conquer-valorant-esports-in-apachttps://afkgaming.com/premium/esports/bleed-esports-is-ready-to-conquer-valorant-esports-in-apac#commentsf7a674c6-0bf6-4539-84c4-7f501161feafThu, 28 Apr 2022 15:48:01 +05302022-04-28T15:48:01.175+05:30Abhimannu Das/api/author/1568072Riot Games,VALORANT,Bleed Esports,Bleed Esports ValorantEsportsValorant Champions Tour’s (VCT) 2022 season has stepped up the competition with new teams making their voices heard. OpTic Gaming, XERXIA, and The Guard are just some of the teams that have impressed fans and are looking to displace established teams. Among the new wave of teams is Bleed Esports, a Singapore-based organization featuring talent from Singapore and Europe.

Within just four months of being founded, the team gave some of the biggest names in the competition a run for their money and it is looking to become one of the best teams in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region. AFK Gaming had the opportunity to have a chat with the roster along with the team’s head coach and assistant coach, who discussed how the team is looking to adapt and overcome all obstacles.

How Bleed Esports has become a melting pot of global talent

Bleed Esports is one of the few teams in the world that has a mix of players from the Asia-Pacific region and Europe. The team features:

  • Lionel “lenne” Lim - Singapore

  • Derrick “Deryeon” Yee - Singapore

  • Jacob “pyth” Mourujärvi - Sweden

  • Max “maxie” Lönström - Sweden (in-game leader)

  • Xavier "Lexy" Lee - Singapore

  • Nikola Ninić - Germany (head coach)

  • Aaron “eno” Cheah - Singapore (assistant coach)

With players and coaches from different regions, Bleed Esports players had to learn and adapt to each others’ playstyles. Coach Ninić said, “The biggest surprise I had when I started coaching the team was how there is a lack of a ‘practice mentality’. It’s not that players from the Asia-Pacific region are not hard-working, but the little hours they put into practice were surprising. We had to step up our game immediately and work harder”

Hard work is something Bleed Esports strives to live by. Ninić knows how tough the competition is in Europe and for APAC to rise up to the same level, it will require players to push beyond their limits to match up against the world’s best.

Withstanding pressure and finding motivation

The journey in the VCT has been a difficult one for Bleed. Yee said, “The team had a rough start in 2022, and Bleed was almost knocked out before making it to Challengers. The team was trailing by five rounds to NO.Men during the APAC qualifiers and everyone was mentally drained.” The players almost reached a breaking point where they just wanted to be done with the game and start preparing for Stage Two. But the players found their rhythm in the game and managed to make a comeback.

Since then, the players developed a never-say-die attitude and managed to make it all the way to third place at the APAC Challengers event. Bleed needed to earn at least second place to qualify for Masters One and it narrowly missed out on a spot at Reykjavik against XERXIA.

The mental drain of competing against the best teams in the region and the high stakes puts a lot of pressure on the team. Lönström said “There is no respite in the Valorant Champions Tour. You compete in a game and immediately start preparing for the next game.”

Max "Maxie" Lonstrom

Mourujärvi, who has been playing for the past eight years, spends time working out, eating healthy, and he tries to maintain a healthy diet to stay focused. The team has increased its practice time from about four or five hours to eight hours in preparation for the VCT and it has been mentally exhausting. But the hard work has paid off and the team feels that its results have definitely improved after bumping up the time it spends on scrims and practice. Players are cutting down on streaming and leisure to prepare themselves mentally for the rigorous format of the VCT this year.

But competition is not the only source of mental fatigue for the players. During the group stage of the APAC Challengers event, Bleed Esports won a match against XERXIA via a forfeit which led to rude comments and toxicity from fans. XERXIA had to forfeit due to technical issues but some fans lashed out at Bleed Esports. Mourujärvi talked about how toxicity is something that he has become used to over the years. He said, “when I used to play CS:GO, I used to get death threats every day. Even my family used to receive messages from toxic fans but I have learnt to ignore them.” Bleed Esports has its sights set on only the competition and it does not let negativity from fans of other teams get in the way.

Preparing for Stage Two

Lönström and Mourujärvi didn’t know if they could play with the Bleed Esports roster which led to a lot of uncertainty in Stage One. The team did not get confirmation as early as it would have liked to and it was strapped for time when it comes to getting enough practice in and developing synergy as a new team. Lönström feels that with enough time available for Stage Two, the team has higher expectations from itself.

Lönström said, “This time around we will be stronger with a better map pool and lots of preparation. We will be a lot more glued together as a team.” Ninić, who transitioned to coaching in Valorant just four months ago, said, “it was my first team that I coached in Valorant. I need to help develop my team and also work on my individual skills as a coach. I have to get used to Valorant’s mechanics and learn from our opponents to help my team improve.”

The team is looking forward to changing its practice style and the head coach believes that he has found out the playstyle Bleed Esports wants to go for. The team wants to bounce back and improve. Former player Xavier “LEXY” Lee had to leave Bleed Esports to serve his country in the military which was a major setback for the team. The player rejoined after a month of absence and will be competing in Stage Two.

There are a lot of teams that have proven themselves in the APAC region during the 2022 season and the competition is only getting tougher. Lönström is impressed by Paper Rex and NAOS Esports. Ninić feels that Paper Rex is the best team in the region, even ahead of XERXIA, a team that has impressed everyone in the circuit.

On the current state of the Valorant Champions Tour

When it comes to Riot Games’ handling of the event, Ninić feels that there are some irregularities in the circuit. Different regions compete on different patches in some cases, which can make scrimming against teams from other regions difficult. The coach hopes Riot keeps things consistent across all regions for the events by making players compete on the same patch, or avoid patch releases during events completely.

The structure of the competitive season is something everyone is happy with. (Maxie) feels that it is extremely tough and the competition demands that you bring your A-game at all times, as even a single mistake leave an impact. But he wants the format to stay the way it is as it helps teams adapt and improve in such a competitive environment

Mourujärvi said that there is a distinct lack of an official tier-two scene. He said, “With the Valorant Champions Tour being the only major event by Riot Games that is open to everyone, teams that are knocked out do not have a place to compete in.” He is hoping for more events where teams that do not qualify for the VCT main events have a place to compete, so they can improve and get some practice in a competitive setting.

The players at Bleed are Valorant fans at heart and when it comes to watching other teams, they enjoy watching European teams compete. North America’s The Guard has been the talk of the town and Mourujärvi has been following them this year because of the dream run the team is experiencing. Underdog teams making a statement at big competitions is also something the team enjoys watching and the players are hoping for some great stories at the upcoming LAN events this year.

At the end of the interview, Lönström apologized to the team’s fans for not making it to Masters Reykjavik. The team is looking to bounce back and hopes for continued support from the community in the next stage.

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Shadowing XERXIA Esports’ Nail Biting 2022 Valorant Journeyhttps://afkgaming.com/premium/valorant/shadowing-xerxia-esports-nail-biting-2022-valorant-journeyhttps://afkgaming.com/premium/valorant/shadowing-xerxia-esports-nail-biting-2022-valorant-journey#comments65ce2d08-d7cb-46cb-b551-36be6a7ea054Tue, 12 Apr 2022 16:00:00 +05302022-04-12T16:00:00.000+05:30Sadakshi Kalyan Ramun/api/author/1633627Thailand,VALORANT,Valorant eSports,VCT Masters Reykjavík,VCT APAC Challengers OneValorantThe Valorant Champions Tour (VCT) Masters 2022 kicked off on 10th April and the hype is too real this time around. For this international competition, Riot Games decided to go back to Reykjavik, Iceland to host all the teams that are participating. This international tournament will conclude on 24th April, with one of the twelve teams taking home the glory.

One of the regions that have been stirring conversations during the Masters qualifying tournament was Valorant Champions Tour Asia-Pacific (APAC) Challengers One. This year the APAC circuit was given an additional slot at Masters 2022 and naturally, the stakes were high. A total of twenty teams from Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia & Singapore, Hongkong & Taiwan, Vietnam, South Asia, and Oceania competed in a heated competition.

While some teams had to fight through the Play-ins, some were directly seeded into the Group Stage. One such team that made a name for itself in the Group Stage was XERXIA, which entered the APAC tournament as the number one team from Thailand.

XERXIA Esports, an organization, which was founded in October 2021 by Tanakrit “Gammy” Panitchakun, stepped foot into the world of Valorant Esports in January 2022 by signing a star-studded roster.

XERXIA was one of the strongest teams that the other teams were watching out for in the tournament and was regarded as one of the top dogs of the circuit. Staying true to this, XERXIA brought its A-game to the tournament, finishing second after Paper Rex. Now, the team will test its mettle against the top teams in the world at Masters 2022.

Coach Zeus

Right after XERXIA qualified for the Masters tournament, AFK Gaming had the opportunity to chat with the team’s coach Yuttanagorn “Zeus” Kaewkongyai about their goals for VCT Masters 1, and which opponents they are keen on taking on.

The Thai powerhouse’s Valorant roster features Itthirit “foxz” Ngamsa-ard, Panyawat “sushiboys” Subsiriroj, Natchaphon “sScary” Matarat, Thanamethk “Crws” Mahatthananuyut, and Thanachart “Surf” Rungapajaratkul.

XERXIA Valorant roster

Off to a great start in VCT Masters 2022 Stage 1

As the second seed from the APAC circuit, XERXIA was seeded into the group stage alongside seven other teams. The eight teams in the group stage were split into two groups with four teams each and XERXIA was placed in Group B. In this group, it will go against the likes of KRÜ Esports (KRU), Team Liquid (TL), and OpTic Gaming (OPTIC).

Zeus said that the team was really ecstatic and surprised by the fact that it made it out of the APAC circuit and qualified for the VCT Masters 2022. He stated that they had to prepare differently and in advance for the APAC event because the playstyles of the Thai teams and the teams in the APAC circuit were completely contrasting.

With continued pristine practice and preparation, the Thai team hopes to have an even better run at the VCT Masters 2022 event. Now, if the team bags the top two spots in Group B in VCT Masters, it will move on to the playoffs and rake up Valorant circuit points, crucial for a spot in the World Championships.

In the opening match of Group B, XERXIA locked horns with OpTic Gaming from North America in its first Best-Of-Three (BO3) series on 10th April. The first two maps that the teams clashed on were Icebox and Ascent.

XERXIA picked up a 13-10 victory on Icebox and moved on to the second map with confidence. In an iconic moment in Round 11 on Ascent, sushiboys proved that "pros don't fake" as he defused the spike on A Site while Pujan "FNS" Mehta failed to check the spike.

sushiboys

With round scores of 13-10 on both Icebox and Ascent, XERXIA comfortably won the series and pushed OpTic Gaming to the Elimination Match against KRÜ Esports. While sScary was crowned the Most Valuable Player (MVP) on Icebox, Surf was named the MVP on Ascent for his stellar performance on Jett with 20 kills and a KDA of 1.6.

Surf

Following this, XERXIA went up against Team Liquid from Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) region, a team that came into the tournament as a replacement for FunPlus Phoenix. This series was a real entertainer that tested the grit of both teams. However, after three long games, Team Liquid defeated XERXIA in the series and became the first team to make it out of Group B.

Team Liquid took a decisive victory over XERXIA on the first map split with a 13-7 score. Following this, Team Liquid slowly faltered on Icebox and XERXIA managed to rob Game 2 from under Liquid’s nose by winning 13-11.

The series decider was played on Ascent. Despite having an early lead at the half, XERXIA could not retain it. Unrelenting, XERXIA pulled things back together and forced overtime. But, Liquid was able to secure the overtime 17-15 against XERXIA.

Now, XERXIA will move on to the Decider Match and play either OpTic Gaming or KRÜ Esports, whichever team wins the Elimination Match on 12th April. XERXIA has to win the Decider Match to keep its VCT Masters hope alive and to play against other world-class teams.

Zeus said XERXIA’s team members initially did not have a particular team in mind that they wanted to take on. But after G2 Esports’ Oscar "mixwell" Cañellas Colocho posted on Twitter that he wanted to cook some “sushiboys” at the Masters’ event, the team is now looking forward to playing against G2.

Exchange between mixwell and sushiboys on Twitter

VCT APAC Challengers One was a rollercoaster ride

The VCT 2022: Thailand Stage 1 Challengers sends three teams to play in the APAC tournament and as the winner of this Thailand regionals, XERXIA was seeded into the Group Stage of the APAC circuit. The team was seeded into Group C alongside Bleed eSports, ONIC Esports, and NAOS Esports and was deemed as a formidable opponent.

In the opening match, XERXIA was against ONIC Esports. Zeus stated that it was XERXIA’s favorite match. “We were able to come back from ONIC’s lead and we won the series 2-1. The team felt the need to be synchronized to win this.” added the coach.

foxz

Moving on, the team was vying for the number one spot in the group and went head-to-head with Bleed eSports, but unfortunate circumstances played spoilsport in the team’s chances of winning.

XERXIA was forced to forfeit its match against Bleed eSports due to a power outage, dealing a massive blow to the Thai squad. Zeus said they requested a postponement of the match, but the team was given only 30 minutes by the tournament organizers to reset and prepare for the match again. Sadly, the team could not show up on time because of the power outage.

Addressing this, Zeus said that he did not want the players to feel bad over losing a match that they did not play. He added that he took the team out to dine together and also played board games to mentally reset and get them ready for the next match. “I felt that it is better to move forward than constantly think about what just happened.

With the forfeited series, Bleed became the first team to make it out of Group C and XERXIA was pushed to fight ONIC again in the Decider Match, which it convincingly won.

XERXIA's run in APAC Challengers One - Group Stage

In the Knockout Stage, the first-place teams were matched up against second-place teams from other groups. In its first match, XERXIA was taking on BOOM Esports, which it beat with a scoreline of 0-2. Following this, the Thai team was staring at Paper Rex. However, it lost the series 0-2 to Paper Rex, and was pushed down to the lower bracket.

XERXIA now had to win every single matchup in the lower bracket to make it to the finals of the VCT APAC Challengers One. The team did just that and surged through the lower bracket with convincing wins over both Persija Esports (2-0) and BOOM Esports (2-1).

XERXIA had a “full-circle” moment when it was posed with the opportunity to go head-to-head against Bleed eSports again in the knockouts lower bracket finals. Bleed eSports, after losing to Paper Rex, was pushed into the lower bracket. Meanwhile, XERXIA was in full throttle as it dismantled all the opponents in its way.

The matchup between Bleed eSports and XERXIA lived up to the expectations of fans and was a barnburner of a series. According to Esports Charts, the lower bracket final between XERXIA and Bleed eSports was the most viewed series of VCT APAC Challengers One with 99.5K peak viewers.

XERXIA was dealt a defeat in the first map against Bleed when it went 10-13 on Ascent. However, it bounced back strong in the next two maps and was victorious. Following this, it moved on to the VCT APAC Challengers One final against Paper Rex.

XERXIA roster in full celebration following win against Bleed

Zeus said the team did not feel any stress after they fell into the lower bracket. He said, “We live in the moment and focus on the current match. We want to win against every single team that we take on and this mentality made us feel really good that we could finally win against Bleed.”

Sadly, the finals’ result was not in favor of XERXIA. The team fell short in its matchup against Paper Rex and became the second seed to represent APAC in VCT Masters 2022.

As a coach, Zeus said he always supports the team right after a loss or after situations like the power outage that rained on their parade. He explained that he preferred to discuss the things that the team could improve upon.

XERXIA swept the competition back home

Xerxia only entered the Thai competitive scene of Valorant in January 2022. It signed the entire roster of X10 Crit, a team that had a phenomenal run in 2021. The former X10 Crit roster won many laurels and also participated in the Valorant Champions 2021, where it went all the way until the quarterfinals where it was beaten by eventual champions Gambit Esports.

sScary

Following this, the team went into hiatus and did not compete in too many tournaments. The members were released by the organization and XERXIA pounced at the opportunity of signing the roster, including coach Zeus. But, star player Patiphan “Patiphan” Chaiwong, returned to the pro scene of Overwatch to play for the LA Gladiators. In his place, XERXIA roped in 17-year-old Surf who has proved his worth on the roster.

Crws

The VCT 2022 Thailand Challengers One event was pretty straightforward for XERXIA. It finished the group stage strong by going 3-0 and won all the matches in a clean sweep up until the finals against Made In Thailand. Despite losing a map, XERXIA bested Made In Thailand with a score of 3-1 and became the winners of the regionals, and took home prize money of $7.6K USD.

Now, in the VCT Masters 2022 tournament, XERXIA looks to play against teams from North America and Europe. Zeus said, “We want to gain experience and improve our skills. The other teams also have the same goals since all the teams want to become the champion of the tournament. This is a good opportunity to play against world-class teams.

Zeus, on behalf of all the members, thanked the fans for supporting and cheering on Xerxia even amidst unfortunate circumstances like the power outage. “Please look forward to the VCT Masters tournament. We will do our best,” he added.

Zeus oozed confidence when he said that the Thai teams’ strategies were better than other teams. He said, “We have been aiming for VCT Masters since the first season and we really want to play teams from around the world.

To the opponents, Zeus said, “Don’t underestimate XERXIA because we have shown our potential throughout the competition.

You can catch XERXIA in action at the upcoming VCT Stage 1 Masters Reykjavík 2022, where it will be going up against the best teams in North America, Latin America, and EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa) for the first time.

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How BONKERS Could Be the Spark That Ignites Australian Valoranthttps://afkgaming.com/premium/valorant/how-bonkers-could-be-the-spark-that-ignites-australian-valoranthttps://afkgaming.com/premium/valorant/how-bonkers-could-be-the-spark-that-ignites-australian-valorant#commentsc29802ee-20de-4c76-9863-574af8acfb96Tue, 05 Apr 2022 13:52:48 +05302022-04-05T13:52:48.619+05:30Sadakshi Kalyan Ramun/api/author/1633627Oceania,VCT APAC Challengers 1,VCT 2022ValorantThe Valorant esports scene in Oceania (OCE) unfortunately suffered in 2021 as a result of the pandemic. The teams in the regions were finally given a chance to compete in an international tournament with the Valorant Champions Tour Asia Pacific (VCT APAC) Stage 1 Challengers via the Valorant Oceania Tour 2022. The previous year, the top teams from the Oceania Tour Championship that qualified for the North American VCT Last Chance Qualifier event, were unfortunately barred from competing due to COVID-19 restrictions and travel curbs.

Everybody expected the Valorant Oceania Tour 2022 to be a one-sided event with the region’s heavyweights ORDER and Mindfreak sweeping away their competitors. But, the region saw the emergence of an underdog, quite literally, a team that sports “Cheems” as its logo: BONKERS.

From Nerdnecks to BONKERS

Competing through the region’s open qualifiers, BONKERS had to build up its street cred at each stage, making it all the way to Thailand to represent OCE in the APAC tournament, even slaying the Australian Goliath ORDER on its road to the tournament. Sadly, defeat at the hands of Persija Esports (PSJ) knocked BONKERS out of the tournament ruining its chances of making it to Reykjavik, Iceland.

BONKERS fought its own battles at the APAC tournament where the team played without one of its star players and also dealt with its coach not being able to travel with them. Despite the hurdles, it put up a strong showing at the APAC tournament while competing from Thailand and turned a lot of heads.

The team has since reportedly split up after returning from the APAC Challengers 1 tournament and currently, the team comprises of in-game leader (IGL) Jackson “Minimise”, Chris “NiceHacks” Wahle, and substitute player Gary “kalth” Howard.

Before the team disbanded, AFK Gaming had the opportunity to talk to Nick “tixx” Quinn (then a player of BONKERS), about the team’s journey so far.

The other former members of the team who were a part of its success are Riley “rDeeW” Wilkinson, Justin “skrawl” Lanzon, tixx, and stand-in player Noah “Nozz” McClafferty.

The team’s performance in the VCT APAC Challengers 1 started loads of conversations and discussions about OCE having another representative in the future.

BONKERS’ run in VCT APAC Challengers 1

As the winner of the Valorant Oceanic Tour 2022, BONKERS secured their spot in the group of VCT APAC Challengers 1 and was seeded into Group B with the likes of Persija Esports, Paper Rex, and Fancy United Esports. BONKERS suffered two major losses from Persija Esports, once in the opening match and later in the deciding match.

According to tixx, when going up against Persija, BONKERS’ major focus was improving its gameplay on a macro-level and spacing of games. He added that BONKERS was getting punished for its pacing where multi-frags were not traded out but worked on it the second time around. “It was a very competitive series and it could have gone either way. We did not really change much tactically,” he added.

tixx

BONKERS pulled a convincing win against Fancy United Esports (FU) with a map score of 2-0 in the elimination match. Following this, only Paper Rex (PRX) and Persija Esports (PSJ) managed to make it out of Group B.

VCT APAC Challengers 1 Group B 

It was a good learning experience and we learned a lot from competing from Thailand. Especially taking the series off Fancy United Esports and getting multiple maps against Persija. It has helped a lot with our confidence in coming back into the OCE scene. We are hoping to get an additional slot through the play-ins,” said tixx while talking about BONKERS’ experience of competing against international teams. However, the team was keen on playing Paper Rex and Xerxia. Interestingly, tixx predicted that these two teams would emerge victoriously and qualify for the VCT Masters, which they ended up doing.

A Challenging Road to Challengers

BONKERS APAC Challengers Roster

The road to VCT APAC 2022 Challengers was not smooth for BONKERS. They had to overcome multiple difficulties even before the tournament kicked off. Interestingly, this was also a blessing in disguise, since the pressure on the team went down. “We didn’t have as much pressure as I thought we would have on us just because we had a stand-in for our duelist. We had a different coach as well. We were a bit nervous that our results could have a bearing on future slots for the region,” said tixx.

NiceHacks could not secure a travel passport on time and eventually missed out on the first APAC event of the year, forcing Nozz to fill in his big shoes. The team’s coach Jordan "Jordation" Frish, too, could not fly to Thailand with BONKERS after taking up university and stepping back from Valorant coaching. Mitchell “pilski” Pilipowski stepped in place of Jordation to coach the team during its APAC run.

NiceHacks stats

It was rough losing NiceHacks because he was our entry-fragger. Nozz did a phenomenal job for the circumstances he was put in but we did feel that we lacked a bit of that entrying and explosiveness that we once had. It changed the way we saw the game and also our agent composition as well as our chemistry in general,” tixx noted. While talking about working with pilski, tixx said that it was very easy to work with him and that he let the members do their own thing and adapted well around them. “He added a level of tactical-ness that we lacked previously.

Nozz

The team also did not change its scrim schedule or its practice regime for APAC Challengers 1, tixx said the team just scrimmed against Oceania teams and Southeast Asian (SEA) teams. “We practice from 6 pm Sydney time to 7 pm and straight into two maps of Oceanic scrims and then another two or three maps of SEA scrims. We would be scrimming against teams like Persija as well as other top teams in the region.

An interesting take that tixx had on scrimming against teams from two different regions was the difference in the way Valorant is played in SEA and OCE. Tixx said that the SEA teams were a lot more aggressive and punishing. “What we found from moving from Oceanic to SEA was that we could not get away with a lot of the gimmick plays we do and the aggressive peeks that we would normally get away with within Oceania. Any misplay was basically punished for their aggression,” he added.

BONKERS’ regional stardom and success

BONKERS rightfully earned the bragging rights to be addressed as the number one team in Oceania. Just like any other team, BONKERS too had its own roster revisions. Tixx said that it was originally just the three of them – skrawl, tixx, and Minimise and later, they managed to pick up Bernard “m4jor” Chau and NiceHacks. “From there we played a few minor tournaments where we had a few wins and a few losses. Since m4jor did not really fit what we were looking for, we decided to pick up rDeeW,” he said.

Minimise

We did meet our expectations [in the Valorant Oceania Tour]. The only goal for the Valorant Oceania Tour was first-place and we achieved that pretty convincingly. We did have a rough loss in the opening playoff bracket to Iconic but after that, I don’t think we even dropped one map. We had a confident and strong end to the tournament,” stated tixx about BONKERS’ run through the open qualifiers for the region to the main event.

The team, despite a rough start to the main event, bounced back stronger and won four straight best-of-three matches against Crismas Disciples, Honey Badgers, Funcrew, and Iconic. Following this, they secured the spot in the finals to go head-to-head against ORDER.

An issue that our scene has with looking at ORDER is viewing them as unbeatable. We just went in with the mentality that they are beatable and it gave us the edge and allowed us to have a bit of unpredictability. We just had confidence in our ability to match us against them and it worked,” pointed out tixx while narrating about BONKERS’ mentality going up against ORDER. BONKERS finally put an end to the winning streak of Australian powerhouse ORDER and claimed its first regional title in the Valorant Oceania Tour 2022. Currently, the OCE region only has one slot to compete in a VCT tournament and then qualify for the Masters event.

BONKERS' victory against ORDER in the Valorant Oceania Tour 2022

The Oceanic teams, last year, had to play through North America’s Last Chance Qualifier for a chance to compete in the VCT Masters. Unfortunately for the region, this route also fell through at the last minute given the COVID-19 situation, knocking out Australia from contention on the international stage.

On top of these circumstances, OCE as a region is not all that competitive currently, opined tixx. According to him, there are only three teams that could maybe take that top slot. He mentioned that BONKERS, ORDER, and a new team called Cat Girls were in contention for this. “It is a very uncompetitive region in the sense that there is a big gap between the top and bottom teams,” he added.

He also felt that another slot for the region is very much needed and that there are talks of it being potentially snatched away from a region like Vietnam. “Having just one slot is killing the scene. The Oceanic Valorant scene would really love that second slot even if it's just through the play-ins,” he reckoned.

The amount of support and fan-following that BONKERS has built in such a short amount of time is very impressive. On behalf of all of BONKERS, tixx thanked all the fans for their relentless support. “We are all stunned by how much support we’ve got. We see all the little messages and we see everything on Twitter and Reddit. Even if we cannot say thank you individually, we just want to thank you all so much,” he said.

skrawl

The report by vlr.gg detailed that rDeeW, tixx, skrawl, along with Nozz are seeking new opportunities. On its official Twitter handle, BONKERS stated that it had a lot to announce over the next two weeks.

rDeeW

On 30th March, BONKERS also released a statement that it was parting ways with both Pilski and Jordation who were pivotal in the team’s successful run, both in its region and internationally.

According to vlr.gg at the time of writing, BONKERS had a rating of 1652 with a record of 16 wins and 9 losses in the Oceanic region, where it was ranked #1. With the team finding early success on the domestic stage and putting up a solid performance in the international event, we can only wait and see whether Riot Games shall offer a second slot for the OCE scene. For now, we shall eagerly wait to see the new BONKERS roster and how the team fares in the upcoming tournaments.

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Gaming Has Arrived And Brands Are Noticing: Advertising Using Gaming and Esportshttps://afkgaming.com/premium/esports/gaming-has-arrived-and-brands-are-noticing-advertising-using-gaming-and-esportshttps://afkgaming.com/premium/esports/gaming-has-arrived-and-brands-are-noticing-advertising-using-gaming-and-esports#comments9845c7f5-50aa-4838-abfb-d72f5f1bd003Wed, 23 Mar 2022 14:00:00 +05302022-03-23T14:00:00.000+05:30Nutan Lele/api/author/1568070Free Fire,Fortnite,100Thieves,Riot Games,Ninja,Gucci,Esports,MarketingEsportsGaming has evolved over the past few decades and gone from having a small following of computer nerds to drawing over 2.7 billion players in 2020. Major publishers like Tencent and Sony Interactive are earning in the billions announcing major consolidations like the recent Bungie takeover and Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Esports, the competitive wing of the gaming industry already has a considerable market size today, even surpassing many traditional sports in terms of both revenue and viewership. According to Statista, the size of esports audiences has grown considerably in 2021, consisting of 234 million dedicated viewers, and another 240 million occasional viewers. Viewers are spread across the world, with the Asia Pacific region becoming a growing hotspot for esports. In the United States, 13.4% of internet users in 2021 watched esports, with the figure expected to rise to 15.5% by 2023.

Free Fire is a growing mobile esport with considerable viewership in Asia and South America.

While the live-streaming market is separate from esports, there is a significant audience overlap between the two as pro players take up streaming in their spare time, and sometimes even live stream tournaments. Top streamers are also increasingly participating in publisher-hosted tournaments.

As gaming and esports became more mainstream, large corporations started taking notice of the increasing prize pools and record-breaking streaming and tournament viewership. This has led to a string of advertising deals, sponsorships, franchising and brand integrations with heavy-weights like Mastercard, BMW, and Coca-Cola entering the space. Traditional sports brands like Adidas, Nike, and Puma are coming out with collaborative clothing lines and footwear for esports and gaming. Even luxury brands like Louis Vuitton and Armani are doing high profile collaborations.

Non-endemic brands have started using gaming and esports to advertise to a younger audience. 

As the industry booms, streamers like Shroud and Ninja have garnered celebrity status, attracting lucrative collaborations. Fortnite streamer and pro player Ninja was the first gamer to be featured on the cover of ESPN Magazine, a testament to how much esports has started surpassing even traditional sports.

Gaming has even transcended the boundaries of the screen and entered into pop culture territory, with League of Legends champions like Seraphine being personified to the extent of having a verified Twitter account and Garena introducing the likes of Christiano Ronaldo as a playable character in their mobile battle royale Free Fire. Fortnite revolutionized pop culture collaborations though fan favourite IPs (Intellectual Properties) of the likes of Marvel’s Avengers, and other pop cultural imagery into the game’s universe as playable characters - creating a metaverse of sorts. The pandemic has also led to new kinds of online events where artists like Travis Scott, Arianna Grande and Lil Nas X perform concert-type events to massive audiences in games like Fortnite and Roblox turning them into content delivery platforms.

How are brands tapping into esports and gaming?

Simply put, the esports ecosystem comprises of teams who play multiplayer video games, which are organized into tournaments and broadcasted on platforms for fans to watch - either online or in-person at a physical venue. Sponsors and advertisers come in at different points in the ecosystem to tap into the growing reach of esports to boost brand visibility.

Lucrative brand partnerships make up for a significant share of esports revenue. According to McKinsey, more than half of esports revenue (58%) comes from sponsorships. This helped generate over $450 million USD in esports revenue in 2019. Sponsorships in the esports world work similar to those in traditional sporting mega-events like the Super Bowl or NBA with merchandise and brand logos incorporated into the broadcasts at various levels, like player jerseys.

Along with endemic brands like Secret Labs and Razer, non-endemic giants like PepsiCo, Mastercard, BMW and Adidas have tapped into the growing clout of the esports world. Some of these initiatives include new physical training programs for esports athletes, branded replays, live in-stream stunts, remote streams at events, sponsored giveaways, and more. French luxury fashion house Louis Vuitton and Gucci are also entering the space, collaborating with publishers like Riot Games to release in-game content and a clothing line to go with it. Along with the brands come the pricetags like Gucci’s limited-edition $10,000 Xbox Series X.

One of the best examples of this high level of brand integration in esports today is the 100 Thieves Cash App Compound.

This 16-minute video tour of the massive 100 Thieves gaming facility features a number of brand names plastered all over the place including the Rocket Mortgage League of Legends Training Room, Totino’s Fortnite Training Room, a Chipotle catered kitchen and the Cash App lounge. All of which reinforces the brands in the minds of 100 Thieves’ seizable fanbase at every turn.

"Esports players have a direct line to their fans when they stream their games online," Heather Garozzo, Vice President of Talent at international esports team Dignitas said to S&P Global.

This direct line can extend to the advertisers as well. The rise of ad blockers is another blow for advertisers as an estimated 27% of internet users are now using some form of ad blocking causing marketers to miss out on roughly a quarter of potential ad targets. SurfShark identified Europe as having the highest ad blocker search volume per capita in Europe, followed by Asia in second and North America in third. With viewers moving away from TV and installing ad blockers, advertisers and brands had to get more creative when it comes to reaching newer, younger audiences and staying in viewer memory. No ad blocker could stop Tesla from introducing its Model Y, Gigafactories and Tesla Semis into player consciousness during its PUBG Mobile and Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) events. Brands ranging from Mountain Dew, OnePlus along with movies and shows like King Kong vs. Godzilla and Jujustu Kaisen have seen collaborations with PUBG Mobile introducing their branding into the game itself.

Mobile battle royales like PUBG Mobile directly integrate media and products into the game, making sure players cannot avoid being exposed to advertising. 

And it seems to be working….

Compared to traditional sports, esports could be considered to be a more powerful branding medium because of the interactivity of streaming. While ad frequency during esports events remains low, streamers and pro players are willing to wear branded jerseys and consume products while broadcasting. For example, cans of Redbull and Monster energy drinks are a staple during live broadcasts at the desks of not only players but also analysts. According to McKinsey, with live chat, contests, and exclusive subscriber content, esports fans get to experience a level of intimacy with their favorite players and teams that traditional sports can’t realistically match.

"Viewers can chat while watching the games on Twitch, and the players often livestream behind-the-scenes as well, which in turn boosts viewer engagement. The NBA has already started doing this, as well, and you may see other sports organizations making the jump to Twitch,” says Heather Garozzo of S&P Global. Many pros stream in their spare time garnering massive followings through Twitch and YouTube. This allows for an unprecedented level of imitation intimacy, leading to viewers forming strong parasocial bonds with these personalities who in-turn push brand names and sponsors on their channels.

Streamers like Shroud, Pokimane and xQc interact with fans directly, giving the illusion of intimacy. 

Everyone from traditional sports athletes to famous rappers have taken to live streaming on platforms like Twitch to boost popularity and stay in the public eye outside of the field and stage. This has opened the door for high profile collaborations like when Drake ended up ‘breaking the internet’ by streaming Fortnite with Ninja, drawing in 628,000 concurrent viewers.

Streamers like Ninja and Shroud have become celebrities in their own right and draw the same degree of influence as traditional stars in the pop culture space. A single mention of MeUndies by Ninja led to consumers flooding and eventually crashing the brand’s website. His popularity also resulted in multiple sneaker collaborations with Adidas which sold out in under an hour after the launch. This growing popularity of bankable “stars” has paved yet another way for brands to boost recall and affinity.

Fast food chains like Wendy’s, Burger King and KFC are using gaming as a marketing strategy and getting traction in the demographic frequently associated with Doritos and Mountain Dew.

Wendy’s online stunt ended up generating a 119% increase in social media mentions and 1.5 million minutes of Twitch viewing. KFC also generated hype by announcing its own gaming KFConsole in December 2020, boasting various features, including ray tracing, up to 4K resolution, and 240Hz output along with a "Chicken Chamber '' that can store and warm its signature chicken. Despite its ridiculous premise, and whether or not it is actually released, the console generated buzz around the fast food brand with the original announcement video garnering 625,263 views. It was later picked up by several content creators to millions of views.

The console is touted to have a novel hot-swappable GPU slot, ray tracing and a "chicken chamber".

Gaming is bleeding into pop culture

The rise of intertextuality and its increasing adoption across media has also seeped into gaming. With mammoth movie studios looking to consolidate their IPs and trying to create metaverses of sorts, be it the dozens of sequels of Marvel or Facebook’s endeavor by the same name, the pressure to expand and integrate is high. Major studios like Nintendo and Activision Blizzard are already capitalizing on this phenomenon with titles like Super Smash Bros. and Heroes of the Storm. These games bring together characters from various major franchises owned by their respective entities under one roof. Disney attempted to do the same with the Kingdom Hearts series.

Games like Super Smash Bros. and Heroes of the Storm attempt to bring together different IPs of their parent companies under one virtual roof.

Intertextuality is becoming increasingly monetized by publishers, advertisers and is feeding back into already established IPs. The hype train is real and the systems feed into each other. FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) plays a huge part in this crossover galore and has become a form of social currency; playing the next big game, getting that rare event skin is what makes you "lit".

Even before the pandemic hit, the industry was experimenting with new forms of online events like the Travis Scott Astronomical concert which drew in 45.8 million views worldwide. While Fortnite doesn't have an extended games universe to field characters from, it has been proactive in tapping into the hype around IPs like John Wick, Marvel, DC, Star Wars, Terminator, Alien, The Walking Dead and more. The experience of watching Chun-Li taunt Naruto while Kratos, Rick and Morty sneak up on him is quite surreal.

Fortnite has transcended from being a run-of-the-mill Battle Royale into a "content delivery system". 

Garena Free Fire is also following this formula, introducing popular real life DJs, actors, singers and even football star Christiano Ronaldo as playable characters into the mobile battle royale. The release of Ronaldo as Chrono saw a spike in downloads for Free Fire among football fans in Southeast Asia and Brazil, where football is already popular.

Garena has tapped into the regional appeal of celebrities like DJ KSHMR, DJ Vegas and Hrithik Roshan to connect to Free Fire fans. 

Along with these real personalities, Riot Games, perhaps following the lead of previous virtual bands like Gorillaz, came up with a virtual k-pop band of their own, setting up a music label in the process. K/DA, consisting of fictional League of Legends champions Kai’Sa, Akali, Evelynn, Ahri and later Seraphine saw massive success with their debut single Pop/Stars and subsequent EP, later even performing at Worlds 2020.

The release of Seraphine, a virtual pop singer for the band, was seen by many as a successful marketing stunt. Indeed, manufactured authenticity has become a popular phenomenon in the content creation space in the past few years. Increasingly constructed authentic personas appear more relatable to their audiences, ‘just like one of them’. Seraphine is a good example of such manufactured authenticity. Her publisher Riot Games, has given her a relatable, aspirational personality, a verified Twitter account and an identifiable mental health struggle. Some have criticized what they call the exploitative nature of Seraphine’s “mental health” struggle, and its use to get thousands of likes, retweets amounting to free publicity for Riot.

Riot capitalised on the unexpected success of K/DA through tie-ins and merchandise.

Impact of the pandemic

While several LAN events ended up getting canceled during the pandemic, many tournament organizers were quick to switch to an online format and several high profile tournaments continued across the PC and mobile esports space to an increasing number of viewers. The industry has adapted. The LCS continues to be the third-most-watched professional sports league in the U.S. in the 18-to-34-year-old demographic, said LCS Commissioner Chris Greeley, citing Nielsen data. "We hit nearly 35 million total hours watched, with an average minute audience of about 485,000 for our summer finals," Greeley said. "We had a peak viewership of somewhere over 550,000, which were our biggest numbers in four to five years."

Lockdown measures also resulted in an increase in live streaming viewership across all platforms. As people around the world were confined to their homes, time spent on online gaming and watching streams on Twitch, YouTube, and Huya went up. The pandemic also accelerated the adoption of live streaming. Newzoo predicts that growth rates will stay in the double digits for most developing economies throughout 2024. China is expected to become the largest market for games live streaming, with an audience of 193.0 million in 2021.

Esports market revenue worldwide from 2019 to 2024(in million USD)

NFTs in gaming and the future of esports

With the popularity of cryptocurrency and NFTs (Non Fungible Tokens) on the rise, publishers are increasingly looking to integrate digital currency and tokens into games. While NFTs remain a controversial topic, some smaller publishers have come out with games like Axie Infinity and CryptoKitties which allows players to generate cryptocurrencies and trade NFTs in their marketplaces. Bigger studios like Square Enix, Konami and Electronic Arts have announced plans to incorporate NFTs into their ecosystems while Ubisoft has already launched NFT items for ‘Ghost Recon Breakpoint’.

Games like Axie Infinity ands CrypoKitties have become popular NFT and crypto based games, through their adoption of a play-to-earn model.

The response to NFTs in gaming has been polarized. Ubisoft’s NFT launch has not gone as expected while some developers like Valve have banned NFT games on Steam. Not everyone is buying into the NFT hype and publishers like EA are already rethinking their initial interest. However, given their profit potential NFTs look like they are here to stay. Just like loot boxes or microtransactions (which drew a lot of initial backlash) NFTs may soon end up integrated into existing gaming and esport ecosystems. What remains to be seen is whether companies can take a fresh new approach that adds significant value to the NFTs players will hold or will they fizzle out once the crypto bubble bursts.

While NFTs and Crypto were touted as the next big thing to come up, the hype around them is slowing down. Esports organizations including the likes of G2 Esports, OG, and T1 continue to announce several NFT collaborations and saturating the market.

What's next for advertising in gaming and esports?

As esports leagues evolve, they're likely to move to a franchise system. League of Legends' esports leagues took this turn with League of Legends Pro League (LPL), followed by League of Legends Championship Series (LCS), League of Legends European Championship (LEC) and League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) moving to a franchise system. Some like the Overwatch League started off there. Brand tie-ins would become a staple and advertisers will be able to streamline their campaigns and reach through these leagues.

If augmented reality, virtual reality and the metaverse take off, advertisers will get an unprecedented amount of access into consumer consciousness. It may work at first, but just like with traditional marketing, consumers will eventually become desensitised to this version of ads. Just like how we skip YouTube ads, set up spam filters and learn to tune out TV ads, players will just skip over a lot of marketing that comes in this way. The question then remains, when we start ignoring marketing that is staring us in the eyes, where do we go from here?

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The Story of Enigma Gaming’s Valorant Lineuphttps://afkgaming.com/premium/valorant/the-story-of-enigma-gamings-valorant-lineuphttps://afkgaming.com/premium/valorant/the-story-of-enigma-gamings-valorant-lineup#commentsf676caae-3747-49e2-8265-10c5adb97932Wed, 16 Mar 2022 15:00:00 +05302022-03-16T15:00:00.000+05:30Sadakshi Kalyan Ramun/api/author/1633627VALORANT,VCC 2022,Enigma GamingValorantThe Indian Valorant scene has been on the rise with the Valorant Conquerors Championship (VCC) and the Valorant Champions Tour (VCT) 2022 Asia Pacific (APAC) Challengers presenting some quality Valorant action to the Indian fans. A record 55.7K viewers tuned in to watch VCC in August 2021 and in February this year, as many as 40.2K viewers tuned in to watch VCC 2022 Stage 1, according to Esports Charts.

VCC 2022 kicked off on 18th February with eight teams from South Asia competing for glory. The top two teams from VCC – Global Esports (GE) and Velocity Gaming (VLT) – found their spots in VCT APAC Challengers Stage 1. But Global Esports’ dream was cut short in the tournament after consecutive losses to Fancy United Esports and Griffin Esports. Enigma Gaming was one among the top teams in the Indian Valorant scene which barely missed out on qualifying for the tournament. It was just one win away from making it into VCT 2022 APAC Challengers Stage 1 but a devastating defeat at the hands of Global Esports in the lower bracket of VCC stripped it of its chance. However, the team is relentless and wants to climb its way to the very top of the summit.

Enigma Gaming's lineup

AFK Gaming had the opportunity to interact with Enigma Gaming’s Valorant roster featuring Shakir “hikkA” Razak, Akram “Rawfiul” Virani, In-Game Leader (IGL) Sabyasachi “Antidote” Bose, Tejas “Rexy” Kotian, Rishi “RvK” Vijayakumar, and recent addition Karan “excali” Mhaswadkar. The team discussed the team’s evolution over the course of two years, how it came together, and roped in coach Lukas "yb" Gröning, the challenges it has faced, and their goals for the upcoming season.

How did Enigma Gaming’s come together

Enigma Gaming is one of the top esports organizations in India. It is based in Mumbai and was founded in 2020 by Aryaman Wasan and JP Renaud. Currently, the organization has rosters in Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI), Garena Free Fire, and Valorant, but the Enigma Gaming Valorant team has brought the organization into the limelight on multiple occasions. This team became the talk of the town when it exceeded expectations in VCC 2022 Qualifiers 1.

From humble beginnings, Enigma Gaming has since grown and built itself a really strong fan base in India inch-by-inch. The team has earned the love and support of Indian Valorant fans over the past couple of years, but the journey here hasn’t been easy. There is no success story without a bit of blood, sweat, and tears and Enigma Gaming has persisted through tough times to get to the place that it is today. The team had to battle numerous roster changes, experiment with different IGLs and shotcallers, and suffer tons of losses on its road to becoming an elite contender in Indian Valorant.

The current roster that we see today is not the five man lineup chosen by the organization back in 2020. In fact, hikkA is the sole remaining player from the original roster. HikkA also pointed out that if we were to consider the second iteration of Enigma, then Rawfiul would come into the picture.

hikkA

There is a story behind how every player on the Enigma Gaming Valorant roster was roped in and the current lineup had to be chiseled every step of the way. “When I left my previous organization when I was competing in Valorant, I decided to form my team and move to India. Enigma Gaming contacted me and asked if I would like to join them. They wanted to form a roster around me, which I agreed to because I thought it would be a good beginning for me, and forming my own team was always my goal,” said hikkA.

HikkA said he handpicked the roster from the tier-2 scene. He dug out players who were less known but were pretty good players. “We took part in tournaments and slowly started becoming famous by winning tournaments and also because we gave a tough fight to Global Esports and Velocity Gaming from time to time. That's how Enigma was formed,” he said.

While the original roster did achieve decent results in local tournaments, the team could not clutch when it mattered the most, placing fourth in the VCC event that was held between 20th-28th August 2021. Following this, the roster underwent significant changes. Players Saharyar “BadmaN” Shaikh, Rishabh “Ezzy” Gupta, and Sameer “godvexy” Sharma all left the organization in September 2021. Now, it was just hikkA and Rawfiul who stayed back with the organization and started the rebuilding process.

HikkA said the old rosters were plagued by issues and since he was the former captain, he was looking to make changes. He added that he wanted to bring in an IGL as he felt that was lacking in the team. “Rawfiul and I had a chat and we wanted to stay back with Enigma and form a new team. GodLike was also disbanding its team at that time so Antidote was an option. He’s really experienced in Valorant. He’s been in the scene from the start and I thought of contacting him,” he said. After having a few meetings with the team members and Enigma’s founder and owner Aryaman, Enigma narrowed down on Antidote. “We were also looking for other players and fortunately, Rexy was available and we decided to sign them both up and round out the roster. It worked very well in our favor.

Antidote

Antidote said he was a free agent when GodLike disbanded and that he was looking for options and decided to stay together with Rexy. He added that he was also wanting to play with Rawfiul and RvK because they were young players brimming with potential. “When Hikka told me about the lineup, RvK wasn’t a part of it initially and we were looking for a fifth. I had one meeting with the owner who also shared similar thoughts and then I decided to join Enigma as its IGL. Then my priority was getting RvK as the fifth. With these five I knew we could be one of the best teams in the country.

RvK, who was then roped in as the fifth man, was initially skeptical about joining Enigma. However he was eventually convinced after the ideas of the organization matched his own. “I took the offer in September and since then we’ve been doing well.

RvK

Following Antidote and Rexy’s acquisition, Enigma Gaming wanted to round off its lineup by finding a top-tier coach. It is quite natural to turn to familiar faces when things go awry. Such was the case with Antidote finding Enigma Gaming’s coach in yb. After a decade-long successful career in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS: GO) and after having worked closely with Antidote during their times with OpTic India and Signify CS:GO rosters, yb ventured into Valorant esports.

Rexy said that the decision was a no-brainer for the team.“As soon as Anti found out that he was no longer coaching, he wanted yb to join us because of his work ethics and his vision. There was not much to think and we all wanted him because we didn’t have a direction. Both yb and Anti were in OpTic and after that Signify which were the top teams. They did not have the best players but they always won. They had that X-Factor in terms of how they worked and played,” he said.

Rexy

Since yb was looking for something new and also the fact that he had fun interacting with Antidote previously, he welcomed the opportunity with open arms. “It was a fast decision. I also talked to Aryaman, the owner of Enigma Gaming and I liked his vision. It was not a difficult decision at all for me.”

Coach yb

Taking a unique approach with a six-man roster

Enigma Gaming is one of the very few Valorant teams that boasts a six-man roster and it sets them apart from the rest. It gives them more room to bounce off ideas and also constantly perform better because of the fact that they have solid support. Enigma announced the arrival of marquee fragger excali as its sixth member. Interestingly, he was signed just weeks before the VCC event.

Antidote explained that having a sixth player in the team was a necessity in Indian Valorant. According to him, with the current iteration of Valorant, there are so many tournaments that they play a total of 15-20 matches by participating in at least three tournaments a month. He drew comparisons between Indian Counter-Strike and Valorant esports, pointing out that the latter was becoming a tad bit hectic and was similar to traditional sports where you need a pair of fresh legs to come and play a couple of matches and bring energy. “It’s like football - you need bench strength as well. My vision was to get an extra player as a sixth who can instantly chip in if someone is not feeling well or fatigued. Secondly, if there’s a player who is the sixth member, then the five others on the active roster are always on their toes and they would think that they would get replaced if they don’t perform well. So there’s extra pressure for all of us.

He said he was thrilled to hear excali was free after his time with XO and that upon telling him about Enigma’s project and vision excali was just as convinced.

excali

Excali said, “I loved the idea that Anti told me. If one of the playing 5 is not performing well, they are under pressure of getting replaced and we have to improve on a daily basis. I had a long talk with Anti about the project and discussed what we’d be doing if I joined in. I was pretty convinced with the project he briefed me on.

Naturally, every coin has two sides. If a six-man roster sets a competitive scene for the team internally, it is also challenging especially considering the change in team dynamics. Elucidating the challenges faced by a six-man roster, yb said, “Firstly, it is more work. It adds an additional complexity to the whole practice. You need to make judgments and decide on who would play and how you manage the whole structure. So you need to plan ahead. Do you make it map-based or performance-based? Then also every player has their role so you cannot just replace anyone. Even if someone isn't playing, it is still difficult to replace him. Right now, we’re still experimenting and seeing what we can do and how we can do it.

How does Enigma Gaming rank against its competitors?

Enigma Gaming, Global Esports, and Velocity Gaming have been ruling the roost in the VCC, and are the top teams from India at the moment. In the tournament held in August 2021, these three teams were in the top four spots. Global Esports emerged victorious and made it to the APAC Last Chance Qualifier and Velocity Gaming came in a close second. Enigma Gaming placed fourth in the playoffs. In VCC 2022, the three teams came out on top, but their positions were shuffled this time around. Velocity Gaming won the event, Global Esports came in second, and Enigma Gaming placed third.

According to RvK, the fact that every player on the roster is skilled enough to make their own decisions in trying times sets them apart from the rest of the squads in the APAC circuit and in India and South Asia. He said, “As a roster with six players who are so committed to working hard and trying to give it our best shot, one thing that we have is good firepower individually. I also think the way we approach the game is something that sets us apart from other teams.

Ranking Enigma Gaming against the rest of the Indian Valorant scene was a lot more complicated. Yb said,“We are certainly a top three in the Indian Valorant scene but I cannot say who’s the first, second, or third best teams. Up there is Velocity and Global for sure and I also believe we are up there somewhere. It is all about consistency. Every team has a high peak and can play badly on some days. So it is pretty hard to make a judgment.

He added that Enigma Gaming would perform well against the rest of the squads in the APAC circuit. He pointed out that there are so many good teams that it gets complex. “Now, you have 20 teams on that [good] level. So if you want to beat all those teams, you need to be really very consistent and strong. I think we can beat any team. I would say that much. But would we beat these teams consistently on that level? I don't think we’re there yet, that's for sure.

Enigma Gaming vs Global Esports in VCC

Enigma Gaming had a perfect run in the VCC 2022 Qualifier 1 and made it to the Upper Bracket of the VCC Main Event. The only team that handed Enigma its defeats was Global Esports. Enigma lost 0-2 to Global Esports in the Upper Bracket Round and was pushed to the Lower Bracket where it beat Team Exploit. Enigma played Global Esports again in the Lower Bracket final where it lost 0-2.

Yb also explained why he thinks Global Esports and Velocity Gaming had the edge over Enigma in the VCC qualifier. He believed that the teams prepared really well and efficiently. “Also, the experience of the players, I’d have to say. We were not able to stay cool and I think it is just the experience we have. When compared to Global, we are less experienced and I think that also gave that edge to them. We did not play our best in the last playoffs,” added yb.

Yb however thought that Velocity Gaming and Global Esports would fare decently in the VCT 2022: APAC Challengers tournament. He said it could go either way for the teams and added, “It is very hard to say. I think they’ll go through the group stage and into the playoffs. They have the potential to do anything. They can do really well but they can also fall under pressure.

Reflecting on performances and the future of Enigma Gaming moving forward

Addressing their previous performances in the VCC, the members said it was all about the mentality and how they would approach the situation. Excali said the roster felt the added pressure of having to perform well and win the tournament after their successful run in Qualifiers 1. Concurring, hikkA said he wouldn't change anything about the way the team played. He said, “I had been watching their games from Sri Lanka on Discord. yb used to stream them for me. I also got an insight into what the guys were doing and what calls they were making. No one can change the outcome of the tournament. Unfortunate that we lost, but nothing to take away from the boys. If I was there I wouldn't change anything either way.

Excali said that the team worked really hard for the VCC tournament and that they only had a couple of weeks to practice with him. “As soon as I joined Enigma, I knew VCC was just about to start in two weeks. We utilized these two weeks like there was no tomorrow. We practiced our asses off. The goal was to win qualifiers and then go to the playoffs and win it. We achieved stage 1 but unfortunately, we couldn’t make it out of the playoffs and win the whole thing.” He added that VCC was a good learning experience for the team. He said they had a set of two or three scrims every day and that they would play, on average, six maps on a daily basis. “Then we would evaluate where and what things are going wrong and right. After scrims, every player had an individual session with yb.

While detailing the goals and future of the team, Enigma Gaming’s IGL proclaimed that the goal was to improve every day and focus on the next couple of events that are lined up for the roster. “It is a small goal but if you ask about the vision and our long-term goal, it is to be the best, if not at least the top three in Asia.

What started out as spontaneous support has now grown into an organic and passionate fan base for Enigma Gaming who sincerely appreciates the continued support of their fans, and thanked them for sticking with them through the tough times. Antidote said, “Previously when we played against VLT, the Global Esports fans supported us because they wanted us to beat VLT. Then when we played GE, VLT fans supported us. Now, we have a different fan base.

However the whole team collectively agreed that spewing hate toward rivals was unnecessary and unhealthy in the esports scene. Yb said, “It is a sad thing to see fans fighting while the teams themselves actually get along quite well. On the server we are enemies, but outside of it we are very good friends.” Rexy and RvK mirrored the same thoughts and said the hate should stop and that the community needs to understand that.

Rawfiul

According to vlr.gg, Enigma Gaming is currently ranked in 12th place in the Asia Pacific Valorant scene. At the time of writing, Enigma Gaming had a scoreline of 46 wins and 23 losses and boasted a win rate of 66.6%. It also has a vlr.gg rating of 1726 in the APAC region. Also, Rawfiul being on top of the leaderboard for his stellar in-game statistics is a cherry on top for the team. With an average combat score of 277.6 and a Kill/Death ratio of 1.36, Rawfiul has ousted stars like Ganesh “SkRossi” Gangadhar and Debanjan “DEATHMAKER” Das.

Enigma Gaming is becoming a force to be reckoned with and will certainly enter any South Asian Valorant tournament as a team to be feared. We will see the roster in action in multiple events lined up for this year including the Skyesports Grand Slam and the TEC Gauntlet playoffs. Can they surpass expectations and take that next step in becoming the best in the country?

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How Is VCT Game Changers Combating Gatekeeping?https://afkgaming.com/premium/esports/how-is-vct-game-changers-combating-gatekeepinghttps://afkgaming.com/premium/esports/how-is-vct-game-changers-combating-gatekeeping#commentse73aa9f1-ef54-4560-9f84-d6ed01b4ee6bTue, 08 Mar 2022 16:00:00 +05302022-03-08T16:00:00.000+05:30Sadakshi Kalyan Ramun/api/author/1633627Valorant eSports,VCT Game ChangersEsportsTime and again women have been told that they do not belong in the gaming and esports ecosystem and have always been treated as outsiders by the industry. According to the 2021 stats by the Interactive Software Federation of Europe (ISFE), in Europe, 47% of video game players are women. But this figure translates very poorly when it comes to the representation of women in esports, understandably so when women gamers get objectified and harassed online for playing competitive online esports titles like Valorant or League of Legends. Most women gamers, including me, have always felt the need to hide our identities online to avoid threats and harassment that are directed toward us on a near daily-basis

Women have proven that they can shine in esports when given the right opportunities. As a result of the lack of a support system, most women do not see esports as a career option. Even the few that manage to break barriers against all odds and emerge as successful esports players are not given their fair share of the limelight.

Sexism in the esports community seems to be deeply rooted and is often a subconscious reaction against women. Gatekeeping and sexism in esports has begun rearing its ugly head once again in 2022. We heard about how influential people in the industry like Motif Esports’ founder Jack “JawsYT.” actively undermined and prevented female players from stepping into the space.

Motif Esports' All Women Valorant team Motif Violet raises allegations

The team had to disband its Valorant women’s team after members shared instances of alleged sexual harassment, racism, and verbal abuse during their time at the organization. And who can forget the mass exodus of Dota 2 and Smash talent in March 2020 after a slew of sexual harassment allegations came to light. Even Riot Games had a culture of sexism that was exposed during this same time-frame.

Former Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) pro and Twitch streamer Jason "JasonR" Ruchelski was spotted deliberately avoiding female players, including pros, in his Valorant lobbies by allegedly faking technical difficulties. Incidents like these only serve to further distance women from gaming and esports culture.

However, it looks like change is in the air. Esports organizations are trying to bridge this evident gap by making esports events gender-inclusive and helping women perform without any added pressure or mistreatment. One such event that has evoked positive responses from the women gaming community is Riot Games’ Valorant Champions Tour (VCT) Game Changers which has been lauded by many.

AFK Gaming had the opportunity to discuss VCT Game Changers with VLT Asteria’s in-game leader Shreya “ShreyUwU” Prasad and Valorant Caster and Host Daniela "Dryad" Herrera about how VCT Game Changers is actively enabling women to pursue competitive esports.

Valorant Champions Tour Game Changers- What is it and how does it help?

Valorant Champions Tour Game Changers

VCT Game Changers is a program that was introduced by Riot in February 2021, aimed at diversifying Valorant’s competitive space by creating new and varied opportunities for women and other marginalized genders in its esports ecosystem. The series runs parallel to the VCT and looks to foster these talents in a safe environment away from any potential harassment.

Currently, it consists of two initiatives: the VCT Game Changers Series and the VCT Game Changers Academy. While the VCT Game Changers Series is focused on top-tier competitions across multiple regions, the Game Changers Academy is a series that allows players to compete at semi-pro and grassroots level tournaments. The tournament drew inspiration from Spectacor Gaming’s For The Women (FTW) Summer Showdown, a women-only tournament hosted by Nerd Street Gamers (NSG) as part of the Ignition Series in 2020.

The team at Riot was inspired by the work and effort of NSG and FTW to provide a platform for competitive female players. “We were so inspired, we asked Nerd Street Gamers and FTW if we could officially make it part of the Valorant Ignition Series and contribute $40,000 to bring the total prize pool to $50,000 to match previous Ignition Series events,” said Riot Games.

VCT Game Changers was launched in North America first following which Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa (EMEA) also received their own VCT Game Changers events. Later, Game Changers was brought to the Asia Pacific region. Riot Games hopes to build a toxicity-free environment within the game through VCT Game Changers. It hopes to lend a helping hand to women who want to pursue a career in Valorant esports.

Shreya "ShreyUwU" Prasad in conversation with AFK Gaming

Given the way the system is built and run, it is often very difficult for women to break barriers and enter the esports industry. “Women players aren't really supported as much to play video games by their families. That becomes the first major setback because, without your family's support, a player feels really helpless. I can't forget to mention the sexist comments that get passed on in our careers or games, with the casual hint of kitchen jokes. No funding or events to play becomes another thing that the women were losing out on for years but luckily Valorant saved us all,” said ShreyUwU.

Further explaining the troubles she had to personally endure and overcome, ShreyUwu added that there were times when she felt like giving up. “I pushed through that and I reached a point in my life where I had made a decision to pursue gaming full time even without reaping any benefits from it,” she said. “VCT Game Changers made the rocky road a little smoother because finally, women in Valorant had a goal to achieve. We weren't just playing for a yearly event with a small prize pool. This was something bigger and not just in terms of money.

Daniela "Dryad" Herrera 

Dryad shared the importance of creating a safe competitive space for women to play video games, stating that it increases the chances for women to be interested in the esports scene and to feel like they belong there. “Game Changers is not only great for the already successful female players so that they have some stability doing what they love but for the upcoming players who want to see their gender represented on the screen,”she said.

Dryad feels like VCT Game Changers’ success comes from the fact that Riot and its Valorant team listen to feedback from the community. The fact that such a serious and competitive scene is backed up by a solid goal of creating a positive environment is a feather in the cap. She added, “Game Changers players are not locked into the female scene but they are encouraged to compete in VCT and other mixed tournaments to get as much competitive experience as they want. This way both players and organizations are more willing to invest their time competing knowing that the opportunity to succeed can come from more than one door.

Need for a dedicated women’s circuit and recognizing talent

Those in the esports ecosystem feel that one of the ways to break away from gatekeeping is by organizing all-female events. These events are viewed as a non-threatening and welcoming way to include the minorities and help them establish their presence in competitive gaming.

The very nature of women-exclusive tournaments have been questioned by many. If the end-goal is to host tournaments that aren’t just uniformly male, why are separate tournaments being normalized and added to the circuit?

Both [mixed tournaments and women’s circuits] are necessary and must coexist in the same environment for different reasons,” explained Dryad “Women and marginalized gender circuits create safe spaces for players to feel more welcomed in the scene while also giving them a chance to grow in a high-level competitive environment. Mixed tournaments are necessary because they are the end goal. As many women in Game Changers have said, this is only the beginning; women have the opportunity to develop their skills through female circuits so that they can then apply those skills in mixed tournaments as is the case of VCT which allows all these Game Changers teams to compete freely.”

It has been very exciting and refreshing to see organizations field women players to compete in Valorant tournaments. Evil Geniuses paved the way in the early competitive scene as one of the first high profile mixed-gender rosters. Cloud9 also announced its all-female squad Cloud9 White which saw a lot of success early on as this squad previously known as MAJKL won the FTW Summer Showdown where it placed first with an 11-game unbeaten streak.

In October 2021, G2 Esports announced its all-women Valorant team called G2 Gozen.

To me, they aren’t a female team, they are our Valorant team,” Carlos “Ocelote” Rodriguez, founder and CEO of G2 Esports, said in the organization’s announcement. “At G2, we build teams and bring in players based on skill and brand fit. These are amongst the best female players in the world and we’re proud to have them.

Since then, Valorant has greatly expanded into the space, featuring so many women-only teams. Currently, on average, there are more than 80 teams participating in the VCT Game Changers circuit across the regions of South East Asia (SEA), North America (NA), and EMEA. Apart from this, there are teams that compete in the VCT Game Changers Academy. “A lot of new female players are entering the VALORANT scene as a result of the ever-increasing competitive opportunities Riot provides,” said Dryad. “Some of my favorite examples are Florescent from the NA scene and Hinata from the LATAM scene. Some players will still shy away from these opportunities as the scene is still so young but I believe VALORANT is making really good progress to motivate women and other marginalized genders to compete and be a part of their community.

ShreyUwU had similar thoughts about this. She said that having monthly events year-round with a main event towards the end gives women the opportunity to hustle and grind for something that they can claim as theirs. “For me and the girls in VLT Asteria, we wait through our Christmas holidays just to play this event. We get super excited whenever there is a VCT Game Changers event coming up and then get that surge of motivation to play. At the end of the day, we are all here to achieve something and Riot has given us the platform to do so,” she said. In terms of female players, if you had asked me the same question a few years ago, I would have laughed it off, saying that isn't possible. Surprisingly now there are over 100,000 new female players of all different skill levels and it's so exhilarating to watch them play.

Most organizations making announcements and publishing news of their Game Changers rosters seem the same as they would do for any team, regardless of gender, which is definitely one step in the right direction towards smashing gatekeeping in the industry.

Is VCT Game Changers drawing in sustainable viewership?

The top two regions of VCT Game Changers NA and EMEA did rake in significant viewership in 2021. According to Esports Charts, in VCT Game Changers 2021 Series 3, EMEA had a peak viewership of 21K and NA had a peak viewer count of 16.5K.

Dryad also pointed out, “In terms of viewership and fans, records have already been set in Brazil for the number of people watching female tournaments which in some cases has been even more than mixed and male-dominated tournaments.

A report by Esports Chart said that Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) accounted for nearly half of all women's esports HW (Hours Watched) for 2020 - June 2021. It noted that MLBB tournaments were mainly held only in Southeast Asia and if the discipline began to actively develop women's esports in other regions, the indicator could be even higher. Second in place was Valorant with 18% of total HW.

Esports Charts' breakup of the Most Popular Female Disciplines in Esports

Future of VCT Game Changers

While Game Changers is enabling female competitors to compete on a level playing field, its ultimate aim is to elevate marginalized communities and allow them to grow and compete against the male-dominated main-circuit.

The Game Changers scene is not going to get stale anytime soon since the Valorant team continues to plan for regional and now international tournaments exclusively for women and other marginalized genders. According to a report by NME, EMEA Valorant Esports Head Daniel Ringland said that the Game Changers event will have “a global event that will happen toward the end of this year [2022].” This event is expected to be an entry point for teams from different regions.

Dryad said that she would like to see more international tournaments in the future of Game Changers. “I am super excited for the Game Changers Global that will take place in November but it is the only international event we are going to see in this circuit for the entire year. I just think it would be nice to have at least one more international event, kind of like Valorant Masters because teams could familiarize themselves with other regions' playstyles and players before the biggest event,” she added. ShreyUwU too hopes to participate in international LANs via Game Changers. “I want to compete at an international stage against some of the top-tier teams in the world like C9 and G2 Gozen,” she said.

The fact that most top esports organizations have fielded a women’s roster just to build their Valorant presence is a breath of fresh air in an industry that is dominated by men. Top-dogs like G2 Esports, Team SoloMid, Counter Logic Gaming, Team Liquid, and Nigma Galaxy all have their own Game Changers rosters and it is only a matter of time before other esports titles follow in the footsteps of Valorant.

ESL Gaming Announces ESL Impact (CS:GO women's circuit) as part of #GGFORALL

In December 2021, ESL Gaming announced the first women’s league for CS:GO called ESL Impact as part of its #GGFORALL initiative. The tournament also boasts a prize pool of $500K USD. Valorant and CS:GO being forerunners in this new era of nurturing female gamers is truly promising.

Diversity in our globalizing world is super important and will continue to be in the years to come. It is our job to make sure we are being inclusive and promoting a positive environment in the industry we love. I hold FPS games very close to my heart so I would like publishers to continue to grow their esports opportunities for women and marginalized genders,” proclaimed Dryad.

I’m sure all of us in the esports community share the same sentiment and would love to see more tournament organizers promote women’s only events to actively build a thriving competitive scene.

Finally, I would also like to wish all the incredible women a Happy Women’s Day. On this occasion, we at AFK Gaming would like to appreciate and acknowledge everything women have accomplished in the realm of esports and hope to see many more women step forward to compete professionally.

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Can NODWIN Gaming Offer Indian PC Esports the Spotlight It Needs?https://afkgaming.com/premium/esports/can-nodwin-gaming-offer-indian-pc-esports-the-spotlight-it-needshttps://afkgaming.com/premium/esports/can-nodwin-gaming-offer-indian-pc-esports-the-spotlight-it-needs#comments511ad273-bda9-4eba-b932-a0eba3cc72baWed, 02 Mar 2022 13:14:59 +05302022-03-02T13:14:59.632+05:30Abhimannu Das/api/author/1568072NODWIN Gaming,Riot Games,VALORANT,Valorant Conquerors ChampionshipEsportsIndia is a mobile-first region when it comes to esports. The accessibility of smartphones and cheap data rates make it easy for players in the country to compete in mobile esports events without needing a high-end PC. Mobile esports is dominant in the country but one game has managed to bring PC esports back into the spotlight and that’s Riot’s competitive shooter Valorant.

After a successful launch in 2020, players in India were eager to try out the game. With dedicated Mumbai servers, it became possible for online events to offer a competitive experience with low latency. The game exploded in the region in 2021 with Global Esports and Velocity Gaming becoming the two teams that became household names within the Valorant community in India and both the teams also have competitive experience in the SEA region. Riot Games and NODWIN Gaming partnered to introduce the Valorant Conquerors Championship to capitalize on the love for Valorant, and it gave teams in South Asia an opportunity to compete in the Valorant Champions Tour.

2022 is going to be an even bigger year for Indian Valorant as two South Asian teams will be making it to the Asia Pacific (APAC) Challengers events. And this could be the stepping stone PC esports needs to make it big in India. AFK Gaming spoke to NODWIN Gaming’s co-founder and COO Gautam Virk to discuss NODWIN’s plans for Valorant esports in India moving forward.

NODWIN and Riot Games’ plans for the 2022 Valorant Champions Tour

As part of NODWIN Gaming’s partnership with Riot Games, the Valorant Conquerors Championship (VCC) will be the gateway to the Valorant Champions Tour 2022 for South Asia. Just like last year, NODWIN will be hosting the VCC event in all major South Asian countries.

Unlike Valorant Conquerors Championship 2021 which offered a single chance for South Asia to represent itself at the APAC Last Chance Qualifiers, VCC 2022 will offer direct entry to Stage One and Two of the Asia Pacific (APAC) Challengers events. Due to this Indian teams get more than one opportunity to make it to Champions and fans will be excited to see if one of the popular teams in the region makes it to the main event on the international stage.

Gautam Virk - NODWIN Gaming

NODWIN intends to build Indian esports from a grassroots level

The Valorant Conquerors Championship is just the first step for South Asian teams. All teams that qualify will receive full support from NODWIN Gaming, and the tournament organizer will assist teams all the way through to Champions if one of the VCC teams makes it to the world championship this year.

Riot Games said that it intends to promote more third-party events in the future, especially during the off-season. NODWIN Gaming is currently planning more grassroots-level events for the South Asian audience. We have seen the potential of the teams in the region and the tournament organizer wants to help promote new talent who can get noticed and picked up by esports organizations in India and other South Asian countries.

Virk revealed that NODWIN Gaming wants to engage in more community events for Valorant nad other esports titles. The goal is to offer smaller teams a platform to showcase their skills and announcements regarding these events can be expected very soon.

NODWIN is in talks with Riot Games for a League of Legends event in India as well and both parties are working to gauge the audience and its interest in Riot’s popular MOBA. The Tournament Organizer (TO) will make an official announcement shortly and if the audience responds positively, it could lay the foundation for more League of Legends events in the future.

Teamfight Tactics, DOTA 2 and CS:GO are also titles that NODWIN Gaming intends to explore in 2022. NODWIN has plans for events throughout the 2022 calendar for all of the above mentioned esports titles and we can expect more event announcements throughout the year. Virk said “We want to engage with the amateur teams in the country through these teams and gauge the audience for Indian esports for various titles.”

Regional language streams have helped esports content become more accessible

India is a diverse country with no official language. With a population of over 1.3 billion, there is no one language that could make esports content accessible for the entire country. While English is the go-to language for a lot of events, NODWIN is diversifying its content to include regional languages.

Virk said, “Hindi broadcasts are more successful than the English broadcasts. It’s a trend that we have been seeing for the past three years across multiple esports titles. When we plan our esports broadcasts, it is catered to the regional audience. This year, we are planning to explore languages like Tamil, Nepali and Bengali in the future.”

Localized content helps cater to the wider audience and brings esports to the masses. It can potentially help remove the stigma around esports from older generations in the country and promote esports to a non-English speaking audience.

Expectations from India at Valorant Champions Tour

Virk talked about how Indian teams have already competed among the best. Global Esports represented India at the APAC Last Chance Qualifier last year and teams know what to expect from the competition in the APAC region.

Virk believes that “Indian teams have a clear-cut goal in front of them. Indian teams have had ample opportunities to compete with the best teams in the APAC region. The teams know where they stand right now and they know where they need to improve. With two slots available this year, they have a chance to make it to a Masters event.”

With Southeast Asia, South Asia, Japan, Korea and Oceania all competing under the APAC region for 2022, the stakes are higher than ever before. Virk believes that this is as good as it gets and Indian teams should take the VCT 2022 season up as a challenge to reach the same level as international teams that headline events.

Disclosure: Nodwin Gaming is an investor in and a client of AFK Gaming.

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Decoding Galaxy Racer's Expansion Into Indiahttps://afkgaming.com/premium/esports/decoding-galaxy-racers-expansion-into-indiahttps://afkgaming.com/premium/esports/decoding-galaxy-racers-expansion-into-india#commentsd25b32c0-bc2f-49f9-b452-4d2e95e02971Sat, 26 Feb 2022 17:00:00 +05302022-02-26T17:00:00.000+05:30Sadakshi Kalyan Ramun/api/author/1633627Galaxy Racer,GXR EsportsEsportsThe influence of video games and gaming content has been pivotal in integrating esports into Indian culture and routine life. The response that is evoked from such content put out by influencers is indicative of the fact that the gaming industry is shaping itself into a bigger phenomenon in India. The love for gaming has created a demand for content on streaming platforms like YouTube and Twitch and also on other social media sites. With mediums like Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts taking off, the consumption of gaming content is on the rise. The enthusiasm the Indian community has shown while engaging with streamers and content creators in real-time has led to esports organizations understanding the potential of this industry.

Among the esports organizations that understand this new-age market is Galaxy Racer (GXR). Galaxy Racer is a Dubai-based esports organization that was founded in 2019 by Paul Roy. The organization delves into verticals including esports, gaming, and lifestyle content creation. According to a press release, GXR has a worldwide presence and has over 100 content creators amassing over 500 million followers and generating over 2.5 billion monthly views. As one of the biggest end-to-end talent incubators, the company has roped in top streamers from India, Bangladesh, and Nepal recently, and has managed to grow a follower count of ~30 million across multiple streaming and social platforms.

AFK Gaming had the opportunity to talk to Romeo Misao, Galaxy Racer’s Head of Marketing for India & South Asia, about GXR’s venture into India and the organization’s future plans.

Galaxy Racer’s journey so far

A brief timeline of Galaxy Racer's entry into India

Galaxy Racer has a strong market presence across the Middle East, North Africa, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and Europe. Over the years, GXR has ventured into other successful verticals, broadening its focus and offering a lot more to its stakeholders. Misao stated that GXR’s first area of success was building some of the world’s most successful esports teams, which are now represented as part of the organization’s own division in Nigma Galaxy, the esports division born after a merger with Team Nigma in late 2021. “Nigma Galaxy is the competitive esports arm of Galaxy Racer, while Galaxy Racer itself has a much larger area of operation. It’s how Nike differentiates itself from a Nike Air Jordan. The Air Jordan here is Nigma Galaxy and Nike is Galaxy Racer,” he said.

Galaxy Racer’s five key verticals at the moment include esports, Content Creators (GXR Creators), Content & Events Production (GXR Studios), Consumer Goods (GXR Limited), and GXR Records, a newly established record label. GXR made it evident that it was looking to diversify and move into the lifestyle segment in South Asia and India soon.

Misao stated that the organization was excited to create headway in the lifestyle space in India and said, “India’s appetite for lifestyle content is one of the highest in the world, accelerated further by affordable devices and economic data plans and a plethora of content options to choose from. We wish to capitalize on this demand and align our expertise to grow further.

Galaxy Racer views gaming to be a type of lifestyle and it believes in roping in content creators from the branches of travel, fashion, education, and music. It believes that audiences would appreciate and relate to the confluence of these categories and hopes to produce unique content that appeals to a wider viewership.

Though GXR Records does not have a presence in India as of now, Misao said it is an initiative that aims to work with musical artists who understand what the digital audience of today is vibing with. “We encourage musical innovation across genres and let our artists lead the way while supporting them to truly experiment and create music that is fulfilling, both creatively and monetarily.

Tapping into the potential of the Indian market

According to Romeo Misao, Galaxy Racer has been very patient with its expansion into India and South Asia. It started the journey by making a mark in the Indian esports scene by signing BGMI (Battlegrounds Mobile India) and PUBG (Player Unknowns Battlegrounds) mobile rosters.

GXR opted to expand into the Indian subcontinent by weighing and understanding the diverse culture of the country and that makes “the market unique and challenging at the same time.”

GXR catered to different demographics and consumption patterns when it expanded into India. “For our India strategy, we had to take into consideration the various languages spoken here, and the varying consumption patterns and trends across demographic and psychographic segments to truly understand the audience we hope to cater to,” said Misao.“The region has a young and vibrant gaming community, and we aim to build a larger, and more sustainable and formidable gaming ecosystem in India to engage the tremendous amount of talent in the country.”

As a result, GXR partnered with multiple talented and upcoming local creators and influencers who have a strong connection with the Indian audience, in terms of both native language and culture, hoping to create localized and relatable content for the Indian market.

Earlier in February 2022, GXR announced that it had signed multiple content creators from India, Nepal, and Bangladesh and that it would be hiring more talent in the upcoming months. In a release, CEO Paul Roy stated that India has been one of the biggest digital ecosystems of the world and it had grown during the COVID-19 pandemic. “It ranks among the top globally with respect to the number of users, engagement, and revenue potential. After successful forays across multiple markets worldwide, India and South Asia was the natural progression in our vision to grow our market presence, with the lion’s share of our next 500 million coming from here,” he added.

GXR's content creators

Some of the talent Galaxy Racer has signed from India include Ravichandra “Gaming Tamizhan” Vigneshwar, Monika “Gaming Girl” Dubey, Sarath “InstaGamer”, Hemant “X-Mania” Vyas, Arun “Run Gaming”, and Shomita “Hayley Sphere” who have a combined subscriber count of approximately 8 million.

Choosing the right talent and nurturing them

As an end-to-end talent incubator, Galaxy Racer works with an array of streamers and content creators to put out quality content. It provides creators with brand endorsement deals, streaming contracts, creator collaborations, digital rights management, monetization, online and offline event opportunities, social media management, and content programming.

Misao said Galaxy Racer believes in treating its content creators as business owners to help streamers grow their presence. He said, “Our approach to their content is methodical. We provide our creator's weekly content audits to discuss how to always improve on the content they produce. We identify new trends and other genres that may be of interest to them, and we help them curate this content for their audiences.

Galaxy Racer has built up a history of roping in fresh talent and growing their brands alongside its own. Misao spoke about what GXR looks for in a creator or streamer. He elucidated that GXR fields talents whose ideologies are aligned with the organization's. “We always look for creators who have a strong roadmap of milestones for their future. With our hyper-growth model, we aim to align with our creators' goals and support them in making it a reality,” he added.

It is not just the streaming audience that Galaxy Racer is planning to capture. The company revealed that it has planned a series of upcoming esports events for the competitive audience. Misao said, “Tournaments are an integral part of developing the active Indian esports scene. At present, we have plans for both amateur and professional level esports events for titles like Valorant and BGMI, with more to follow.

GXR also said that it has a lot of announcements and exclusive collaborations lined up when it comes to selling India-specific merchandise and Indian talents’ merchandise. All in all, the organization has promised esports and gaming fans in India that it would present them with a series of exciting shows and tournaments put together by creative minds.

Galaxy Racer’s interest and expansion into India are reflective of India’s position in the esports industry. Like any traditional sport, esports too has its own creators, owners, brand endorsement deals, franchises, and merchandise. All this put together contributes to the growth of the industry and the community.

Amidst the pandemic, India learned to engage online and esports saw a boom in the country. With the pandemic seeing a lull, the industry only hopes to grow multifold and strengthen its viewer base. Galaxy Racer is a trailblazer for understanding the potential of the Indian content creation and esports market. Having organizations like GXR establish its presence and plan these exclusive events for the country is a beacon of hope. More international organizations might understand the untapped opportunities in India and follow suit, allowing the country to grow and expand the industry.

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Saumraj’s BGMI Journey Through 2021: Winning BGIS, Competing in PMGC, Goals for 2022https://afkgaming.com/premium/pubgm/saumrajs-bgmi-journey-through-2021-winning-bgis-competing-in-pmgc-goals-for-2022https://afkgaming.com/premium/pubgm/saumrajs-bgmi-journey-through-2021-winning-bgis-competing-in-pmgc-goals-for-2022#commentsfd114d30-85af-44f9-97ae-04e27ca98171Tue, 22 Feb 2022 15:07:42 +05302022-02-22T15:07:42.339+05:30Aditya Singh Rawat/api/author/1568067South Asia,India,Original Interview,Battlegrounds Mobile India,BGMI,Skylightz Gaming,BGIS 2021,PMGC 2021,SaumrajPUBGMSkylightz Gaming proved themselves to be the best Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) team in the country following their victory at the inaugural Battlegrounds Mobile India Series (BGIS) tournament. Their captain Saumya "Saumraj" Raj did not just guide and lead his team in the server but went above and beyond to frag at par with his teammates, ensuring that they stayed in the competition till the very last match of the tournament.

Saumraj’s efforts resulted in his team becoming the 2021 champions while he also won individual accolades like ‘The Lone Ranger’ and ‘The Rampage Freaks’ at BGIS. A stellar performance was put forth, highlighting the importance of a world-class IGL (In-Game Leader), one of the most necessary ingredients for a BGMI team to ensure its success in the long run.

AFK Gaming recently caught up with the star IGL, Saumraj, to discuss his experience playing with GodLike Esports at the PUBG Mobile Global Championship (PMGC) 2021, the journey through BGIS 2021 as they won the flagship tournament by a difference of just three points, goals for the 2022 competitive season, along with a few other things.

Journey with Skylightz Gaming through BGIS 2021

Skylightz Gaming was one of the earliest teams to step into competitive BGMI. The roster was announced in July 2021 with Saumraj as a part of the initial lineup. He had joined the team along with his teammates from FutureStation Esports - Pukar "Pukar" Singla and Tushar "GamlaBoy" Das, which made for a comfortable transition for the trio.

Saumraj did a good job of integrating Harpreet Singh "RonaK" Janjuha into the lineup, but it still took some time for the squad to achieve their first podium finish, as they placed third at both The Esports Club - BGMI Invitational Season 1 and the iQOO All Stars Cup.

From here on, Skylightz Gaming went on to become one of the top competitors within the country but despite multiple podium appearances they never won any tournaments, up until the premier BGMI event - BGIS 2021.

Talking about the team’s journey through this tournament, Saumraj as the captain for the side highlighted their final day's effort, when Skylightz scored 72 crucial points in six matches to win by a margin of just 3 points.

“We were prepared for the final day of the tournament because we knew all the other teams choke a lot on the last day and that they are not capable of handling the pressure that comes along,” explained Saumraj, further pointing out they were able to manage this pressure very well, which turned out to be an advantage for them.

Saumraj showcased what an excellent captain he is during this tournament, maneuvering and managing his squad to perfection which helped the team secure a total of three Winner Winner Chicken Dinners (WWCD).

He believes that this type of decision-making during the match was crucial for them, especially on the last day, when the level of competition between the top four BGMI teams - Skylightz, TSM, Team XO, and GodLike Esports was going neck-to-neck.

Saumraj on how they took the lead on the last day of BGIS 2021

Overall, Saumraj personally feels that their performance at BGIS 2021 was definitely an improvement considering that in the last few official events they had barely made it into the top five. This time as they were the ones lifting the trophy, he is certain that the team as a whole did level up.

Individual performance and responsibilities as an IGL

Saumraj while accepting that Skylightz Gaming had choked in previous tournaments, still had confidence in the team’s ability until the last day of the tournament, as everything kept falling in place and they successfully dealt with the competition.

While being the shot caller for the side was one aspect at which Saumraj excelled, his unreal fragging output during the course of the tournament was astounding, as he was truly delivering to his full potential.

Commenting on one of his best plays from the tournament where he took a total of nine finishes despite being the last player alive from his team, Saumraj said that “At that point in time I was all fired up and went berserk just taking frags one after another. But I didn’t do anything randomly, I had given thought to all my moves before executing them.”

Skylightz Gaming - BGIS 2021 Champions

Saumraj understands the difference between committing to an objective and over-commitment by the team, which gives him that slight edge and puts him in the category of the finest BGMI captains in India.

When asked if he was a good or a great IGL, Saumraj settled for a modest “I myself don’t know, if I am good or great,”. With regards to his role and responsibilities with Skylightz Gaming he says that while everything is planned along with the team, the responsibility of executing all the plans and strategies during the match falls upon his shoulders.

Experience with GodLike Esports at PMGC 2021

Despite winning BGIS 2021, Skylightz Gaming and a few other teams faced some challenges due to which they could not compete at PMGC 2021. As GodLike Esports had all the valid documents to travel abroad, they represented India at the international tournament, taking Saumraj along with them as a stand-in for the event.

Talking about his experience competing against international teams and getting an opportunity to play alongside GodLike, Saumraj said that there was no time to prepare because this was his first time winning such a big tournament and he ended up celebrating for a lot longer.

“I had been watching PMGC since before, so I had a bit of an idea of how the other teams were performing and how we could use our strategies. Team rotations, drops, and all other things had to be reviewed for which our analyst helped us out,” explained Saumraj while giving us a sneak peak into how they prepared.

But despite their best efforts, the pressure felt by the players was on a whole different level. As top teams from all across the globe were competing against each other, Saumraj revealed that he used to feel immense pressure even when watching the games from the sidelines.

He went on to note that there was a big difference between his and GodLike’s playing style, as the latter was heavily focussed on taking frags, whereas he liked to quickly adapt to the situation and come up with a plan on the go. But despite the variance, they stuck it out well together.

GodLike Esports ended up taking 13th place at PMGC 2021, but Saumraj ensured that the team walked away with at least one WWCD to its name, as they won the last match of the tournament which took place in Erangel.

With a great 2021 season now behind him, Saumraj is already focused on doing everything it takes to represent India at a global level by competing at upcoming events like the Asian Games 2022 and the Commonwealth Games 2022. He is determined to not just participate in these tournaments but hopefully also win a medal.

As for his current team Skylightz Gaming, though they won BGIS 2021 and are the current BGMI champions, Ammar “Destro“ Khan, ended up leaving the organization to join Chemin Esports. So a replacement player is currently being scouted and according to Saumraj, they are looking for someone who has established himself as a player but is still fairly new to the scene.

Saumraj's advice to upcoming players

While a new player is set to join the team sometime down the line, players in the current roster might soon start streaming as revealed by Saumraj. He said all the players are interested in streaming so that is something that everyone can look forward to.

Before the interview came to an end, Saumraj teased that apart from all this Skylightz Gaming is also planning some exciting new things for the year ahead!

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MPL PH Season 9 Power Rankingshttps://afkgaming.com/premium/mlbb/mpl-ph-season-9-power-rankingshttps://afkgaming.com/premium/mlbb/mpl-ph-season-9-power-rankings#comments167b2837-1745-4a8b-be1e-981192fc7f5dFri, 18 Feb 2022 14:52:39 +05302022-02-18T14:52:39.367+05:30John Dave Rossel/api/author/1568073Mobile Legends: Bang Bang,MPL PH,MPL PH Season 9MLBBThe ninth season of the highly anticipated Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) Professional League (MPL) Philippines will soon kick off on 18th Feb. The event will feature eight Philippines teams competing for the championship title and the lion’s share of the $150,000 USD prize pool. The stakes are high for the defending champions, Blacklist International as it aims to win for the third consecutive time with its revamped roster.

Last year’s MPL PH Season 8, fans witnessed the dominance of the defending champions, Blacklist International, as it won its second championship title against ONIC PH in the grand finals. Despite ONIC PH’s brilliant split pushing strategy, Blacklist International was clinical in executing its teamfight dominance throughout the match.

A lot has changed since the conclusion of last year’s MPL PH Season 8. A lot of teams, including Blacklist International, made changes to their rosters. ONIC PH is the only team that did not revamp its roster and will be participating in the upcoming season with its previous lineup.

To welcome the upcoming MPL PH Season 9, we’ve thrown together a power ranking list based on each team’s recent performance and achievements.

Who has the most potential to take the championship title in the MPL PH Season 9?

8 TNC Pro Team

TNC Pro Team made a lot of changes to its roster, releasing eight of its members and retaining Ben "Benthings" Maglaque and Daniel "SDzyz" Chu, formerly known as Chuu. Aside from its two veteran players, the team has acquired Jomarie “Escalera” Delos Santos, Robee Bryan “Yasuwo” Pormocille, Salman “KingSalman” Macarambon, and Mark “Kramm” Rusiana. These pro players have been quite active in the amateur MLBB esports scene.

The team has a lot to prove this upcoming season as TNC Pro Team did not do well in last year’s MPL season. While it debuted with a championship title in the Juicy Legends 2021 Q3, it finished 8th place in the MPL PH Season 8. However, the team is back with promising amateur standouts. This roster overhaul might just be what the team needs to redeem itself in the upcoming MPL PH Season 9.

TNC Pro TeamMPL PH Season 9 Roster

7. ECHO

ECHO was one of the most well-rounded teams back in the MPL PH Season 8. While the team only secured 5th place, it managed to impress the fans thanks to the impressive performance put forth by its former Aura PH veterans. However, the team made a surprising roster revamp for the upcoming MPL PH Season 9.

ECHO announced the acquisition of various star players from other franchise teams. The star-studded lineup made fans and casters alike skeptical towards how the team’s chemistry would pan out in the upcoming season. While the team has acquired formidable pro players such as Bren Esports’ Karl "KarlTzy" Gabriel Nepomuceno and Nexplay EVOS’ Tristan "Yawi" Cabrera, the team was not able to fully utilize its roster during the MLBB Sibol Qualifiers and lost against RSG PH.

The team is yet to showcase its star-studded lineup in official tournaments. Fans will have to keep their eyes peeled for the upcoming MPL PH Season 9.

ECHO MPL PH Season 9 Roster

6. Bren Esports

The M2 World Champions have fell drastically during the previous season. Bren Esports only secured 7th place in the regular season, locking them out from competing in the M3 World Championship.

After the conclusion of the MPL PH Season 8, the team made a shocking announcement, releasing its star player, KarlTzy. Following this announcement, one of its veteran players and Southeast Asia (SEA) Games 2019 MLBB gold medalist, Carlito "Ribo" Ribo Jr., announced that he would be taking a break from the MLBB esports scene. The team acquired seven amateur standouts to fill its roster alongside its three members from the previous season.

While the team has a solid lineup for the upcoming MPL PH Season 9, losing its star player KarlTzy may affect the team’s performance in the upcoming tournament.

Bren Esports MPL PH Season 9 Roster

5. RSG PH

Known as the underdogs of the MPL PH, the team is widely known for pulling off surprising upsets such as beating ONIC PH in the MLBB Sibol Qualifiers. RSG PH also finished fifth place during the MPL Invitational 2021, surpassing the likes of ONIC PH, Todak, and EVOS Legends. However, the team did not do so well during the MPL PH Season 8 as it only finished sixth place.

With one of its Gold Laners, Joshwell "Iy4knu" Christian Manaog, taking a break from competitive MLBB, the team welcomed former TNC Pro Team players - Clarense "Kousei" Camilo and Dylan "Light" Catipon. RSG PH may just have what it takes to pull off another impressive performance in the MPL PH Season 9, similar to its run during the MPL Invitational 2021.

RSG PH MPL PH Season 9 Roster

4. Omega Esports

The Mobile Legends SEA Championship (MSC) 2021 champion, Omega Esports has proven itself to be a force to be reckoned with through last year’s esports events. The team was so close to securing a spot in the M3 World Championship but was defeated by ONIC PH with a 0-3 clean sweep victory in the upper bracket final.

With two new rookies in its lineup and the return of the renowned “Double K” dynamic duo - Kiel "Kielvj" VJ Cruzem and Grant "Kelra" Duane Pillas in the main lineup, we may see Omega Esports dominate the MPL PH Season 9 in a similar manner to the way it did during the MSC 2021.

Omega Esports MPL PH Season 9 Roster

3. Nexplay EVOS

Nexplay EVOS has showcased the most improvement this year. After finishing fourth place in the MPL PH Season 8, Nexplay EVOS was able to showcase another impressive feat by reaching the grand finals of the MLBB Sibol Qualifiers where it, unfortunately, got eliminated by Blacklist International. Despite not winning, the team garnered praise from fans and even Blacklist International themselves.

This massive improvement was due to its amateur standouts who were former members of the amateur team, AP Esports. Two of Nexplay EVOS’ amateur players are yet to show off their skills in tournaments. We may be seeing more surprises from the amateur standouts in the upcoming MPL PH Season 9.

Nexplay EVOS MPL PH Season 9 Roster

2. ONIC PH

ONIC PH were the MPL PH Season 8 and M3 World Championship finalist. Despite losing against its arch-nemesis, Blacklist International, the team has proven time and again that it has the potential to win a championship title.

ONIC PH is confident about its team roster which is why it announced that it would retain its previous squad and will not be making any changes. Given that the team will not have to worry about adjusting for new members, ONIC PH’s improved team chemistry is something fans should look forward to in the upcoming MPL PH Season 9.

ONIC PH MPL PH Season 9 Roster

1. Blacklist International

The team with the biggest achievements so far this past year. The team also earned the right to represent the Philippines in the upcoming 31st SEA Games. While its two star players Johnmar "OhMyV33NUS" Villaluna and Danerie "Wise" James Del Rosario will not be playing this season, the team has acquired the amateur assassin player Kent "KEVIER" Xavier Lopez.

This may be a very challenging season for Blacklist International as its iconic UBE (Ultimate Bonding Experience) strategy may be less effective without its support specialist, OhMyV33NUS. However, the team is looking to present a whole new identity and playstyle as it defends its championship title in the MPL PH Season 9.

Blacklist International MPL PH Season 9 Roster

The upcoming MPL PH Season 9 is filled with rookies who shall be making their debuts. Fans may be seeing these amateur standouts take the spotlight as they go head to head with the veterans and show off their skills as the next generation of MLBB pro players.

Keep up with the live scores, schedule, stream links, and more with AFK Gaming's hub for the MPL PH Season 9.

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Is the TSM Dynasty in Danger of Crumbling?https://afkgaming.com/premium/esports/is-the-tsm-dynasty-in-danger-of-crumblinghttps://afkgaming.com/premium/esports/is-the-tsm-dynasty-in-danger-of-crumbling#comments954422eb-b505-4438-b42f-be64050f6267Thu, 10 Feb 2022 15:02:04 +05302022-02-10T15:02:04.289+05:30Sadakshi Kalyan Ramun/api/author/1633627League of Legends,TSM,TSM FTXEsportsTeam SoloMid (TSM) is one of the biggest esports brands in the world and its origins go all the way back to the very beginning of League of Legends esports. The organization has played a key part in transforming North American esports into the industry giant that it is today. Its monochrome colors, minimalistic yet sophisticated jersey design, chants of baylife, the ardent fans, and its infamous logo amalgamate into one thing – a larger-than-life esports organization loved and cherished by many across the world. Donning the TSM colors and repping the team is still a dream for many young, aspiring esports athletes.

At the time of writing, TSM’s League of Legends team has won seven of the sixteen splits of North America's League of Legends Championship Series (LCS). According to a 2020 report by Forbes TSM was valued at a whopping $410M USD that year, making it the most valuable competitive esports organization.

With a Twitter following of 2.23M and 2.34M subscribers on YouTube, TSM has a strong presence in regions including India, Brazil, and Japan and has set its foot in other game titles including Fortnite, Super Smash Bros, Apex Legends, and even Dota 2. In addition to its esports teams, TSM also employs a host of streamers and content creators to engage with its community.

The organization boasts the fact that it has nurtured so many young talents and given a platform for many to rise to the top. Over the years, as it was acting as a launchpad to fame for players, has it somehow slipped down? Is it struggling to stay in vogue today?

It is quite evident that the narratives woven around TSM have changed. What started out as a passion project may have soared to great heights in the past but has it managed to stay afloat?. The challenge for TSM currently is to retain its influential position in the industry and steer clear of the controversies that are looming around it.

The TSM story

SoloMid.net was founded by Andy “Reginald” Dinh and his brother Daniel “Dan Dinh” Dinh in 2009 and was serving as a League of Legends community website and play guide resource. It was only in 2011, the organization started fielding players to participate in professional League of Legends tournaments. The original roster consisted of Reginald, SaintVicious, Chaox, TheOddOne, and Locodoco. Reginald, the CEO of TSM, was a professional mid laner and one of the first big North American names to go pro.

Reginald stuck around as a player for two years till 2013 before retiring from pro play to focus on the business aspects of TSM full-time.

Most of the big stars of the organization like Dyrus have retired and this caused the organization’s stronghold to water down. The phrase ‘Baylife’ died and has been replaced by a common goal to achieve success and win trophies across all titles.

TSM S3 roster

Over the years, Team SoloMid has managed to rope in some of the most influential League of Legends pros and personalities to its roster. TSM had the opportunity of working with Bjergsen, Doublelift, Svenskeren, WildTurtle, Lustboy, SwordArt, and the Best from the West: Zven and Mithy. Pros like YellOwStaR, PowerOfEvil, and KaSing also had short stints in the TSM roster. Despite so many changes to the team, TSM always managed to look good and dominant on paper.

With a stellar lineup each time around, TSM steadily rose to the top and remained a tough contender in the North American league. With 7 LCS trophies, TSM is the team with the most number of title wins. It is also the only team that has the most top-four finishes in the league with 16 appearances. As a result, the organization started raking in sponsors allowing it to build itself into one of the most valuable companies in the industry. Today, TSM partners with Logitech, Lenovo, General Motors, Twitch, Geico, and FTX, a cryptocurrency exchange platform amongst other brands.

In 2018, Forbes reported that TSM’s parent company, Swift, received $37M USD in Series A funding. This funding was backed by a group of venture capitalists including National Basketball superstar Stephen Curry, his former teammate Andre Igoudala and National Football League Hall of Famer Steve Young.

From being the first esports team to move into an esports house to building a grand gaming facility at Playa Vista, California, TSM has steadily increased its value. In 2020, the organization gave the world a tour of its facility, which was alleged to be the largest esports complex in the western hemisphere, spanning 25K sq feet and was worth $50M USD.

TSM's gaming facility

The deal TSM signed with FTX in June 2021 sent tremors across the esports industry, making it the largest esports sponsorship deal in history. The $210M USD and 10-year naming rights arrangement signed with FTX Trading Limited and West Realm Shires Services saw the brand rename itself as TSM FTX.

The organization has also diversified its portfolio of teams by picking up teams in other esports titles.

Some of TSM's other rosters

In 2015, TSM signed Leffen as their first Super Smash Bros. player. TSM acquired a Rainbow Six Siege pro team in 2019 and a year later, it also announced its move into the Valorant pro scene in 2020. Apart from this, TSM also has rosters in Apex Legends, PUBG Mobile, Battlegrounds Mobile India, Free Fire, and Wild Rift.

Some of the other titles it has tried and backed out from include Call of Duty, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, and Vainglory.

The team’s Apex Legends squad was recently crowned the champions of Apex Legends pro league’s (ALGS) split 1 playoff winners. Sadly, this is not the case for all the titles, though. TSM’s Valorant pro team’s success was short-lived. In the NA region, the team seems to be riding in the middle of the pack, if not the bottom, most times in Valorant tournaments.

Despite venturing into other esports titles and tasting success in quite a few, TSM’s LCS team is still its biggest asset. As per the data sourced from EsportsCharts via a pro license, in 2021, TSM’s League of Legends team raked in more average views compared to the organization’s Rainbow Six Siege and Valorant rosters in North America.

The column chart seen below shows TSM’s average viewers in 2021 in League of Legends (Spring and Summer Splits), Rainbow Six (R6) Siege’s North American League (Stages 1, 2 and 3) and Valorant VCT Stage 1 Challengers 3 and Stage 3 Challengers 2.

TSM's average viewers in 2021 across titles 

Unfortunately, things have taken a turn for the worse with TSM’s infamous League of Legends lineup, too.

Exodus shakes TSM’s core

It is natural for teams to taste both success and failures in phases. It is like an ebb and flow where a period of dominance is most times followed by a period of uncertainty and experimentation. Even the giants of League of Legends Esports - T1 had its fair share of experiencing mediocrity after being an unstoppable force for so many years. One would hope to see the teams make a comeback after the rough patch. But sadly in TSM’s case, it is a bit hard due to the frequent roster changes.

The League of Legends roster of TSM has been quite experimental in the last few years since each year the team seems to field new players. The team has fallen on its face, unable to cope with the pressure of mighty expectations and the organization solving a jig-saw puzzle, seeing who fits in best.

Bjergsen

The initial shock for TSM fans was when Søren “Bjergsen” Bjerg announced that he would retire from pro play in 2020 and become the head coach, almost after seven years with the team.

He was the face of TSM and even became part-owner of the organization in 2019. He quit TSM in 2021.

Doublelift

TSM’s dynamic with star player Yiliang Peter "Doublelift" Peng has not been the best, either. After a tumultuous relationship with the organization and after playing for the team on and off over the years, Doublelift announced his retirement from the roster in late 2020. Later, he revealed that his retirement boiled down to Reginald.

Well, Bjergsen and Doublelift were not the only people to have left TSM in recent years. Assets including former TSM president Leena Xu and content creator Ali "Myth" Kabbani have since left the organization in the last two years.

On 30th Jan, TSM shared that its general manager Parth Naidu was parting ways with the organization after seven years and serving multiple roles within the League of Legends team. Parth steadily rose the hierarchical ladder within the organization after joining TSM as an analyst in 2014, becoming the head coach, and later the general manager of the team. Only recently he released a manifesto about LCS’ coaching and player-nurturing culture, which received good reception.

On a Reddit thread on Parth’s departure from TSM, one user commented, “It’s rough but the team really isn’t the same team anymore. Everyone that made TSM TSM in its middle era is now gone. That sucks.” This resonates with how the fans truly feel about the organization and the apparent “domino effect” it is undergoing.

A downward wind

TSM who was once branded the top dog of North American League of Legends has been underperforming in its home soil for many years now. The team has missed Worlds twice in a row and has also failed to top the LCS scene.

The organization's historic partnership with FTX is also controversially restricted by Riot Games in 2021. Riot banned TSM from using its cryptocurrency exchange name sponsor FTX in League of Legends and Valorant broadcasts.

In June 2021, Riot’s Interim LCS Commissioner Chris Greely told Dot Esports, "The TSM and FTX sponsorship deal does not break any LCS sponsorship rules, but crypto exchanges fall under a category of sponsorship that carries activation restrictions. As a result, TSM’s new naming convention and FTX brand placement on TSM jerseys will not apply to the LCS or other Riot Games esports in North America."

Reginald under investigation

TSM’s problems with Riot Games are not limited to its naming restrictions. In Jan 2022, Wired reported that Reginald was under investigation by both TSM and Riot Games after being accused of verbally abusing players and employees in the organization. The report shed light on the culture of fear that TSM fosters. The outcome of this investigation is expected to have a large bearing on the future of the organization. Sponsors and financial backers who have pumped money into TSM may start rethinking investments and may tighten their spending, which in-turn may cause the organization’s valuation to plummet.

The issues with TSM’s management came to light when Doublelift talked about Reginald and his alleged treatment of players of the organization. On his stream, the player claimed that Reginald has a history of verbally assaulting players to a point where they were driven to tears. There were several signs supporting Doublelift’s allegations. In 2013, the community got a glimpse of how ugly the arguments could get within the TSM gaming house as Dyrus and Reginald raged at each other during a livestream. Surprisingly, Dyrus showed his support for Reginald when Doublelift spoke against the CEO on stream.

TSM’s management style and ethics have gotten flak from the community in the past, as well.

Earlier in 2020, Leena Xu leaked sensitive information on a Twitch stream where she discussed the career of League of Legends jungler Joshua “Dardoch” Hartnett, which potentially might have had permanent effects on his career. This led to speculations regarding Dardoch’s exit. Many criticized Leena for making such an important call in front of her employee (Doublelift) and following the backlash, she was forced to make a public apology.

Numbers aren’t in TSM’s favor

Following the exit of prominent members of the organization and amidst all the controversy, TSM finds itself in a tough spot. According to a report by Digiday, TSM has seen a sharp decline in its combined social media following.

In August, TSM’s social media following stood at nearly 80 million across platforms. In the months since, the company’s combined social following dropped to 49 million, according to the gaming and esports consultancy and data platform GEEIQ — a decline of nearly 30 million followers,” read the report.

Not just the social media following of TSM has taken a hit, the League of Legends team’s viewership numbers are also seemingly falling.

The roster’s viewership has been oscillating in the last five years in both the Spring and Summer splits, according to the data sourced from Esports Charts (pro license).

The bar graphs seen below depict the average viewership of TSM’s League of Legends team and they have gone down significantly over the years.

LCS Spring Split - TSM's Average Viewers 

LCS Summer Split - TSM's Average Viewers 

A drastic drop in average viewers can be seen in LCS Summer where the numbers plummeted from a whopping 303.78K in 2020 to 150.76K in 2021. TSM managed to make the playoffs after a 12-6 regular split and eventually went on to win the LCS 2020 Summer trophy. The high numbers for TSM matches could be probably tied to Doublelift’s return to the team as ADC and the team having such a successful run after a disappointing showing in the 2019 Summer.

According to Riot, “With the increased Average Minute Audience during the regular season, and in large part because of the refreshed Playoffs format, total hours watched for Summer Split were nearly 35 million (34,667,939), an increase of almost 72% (71.85%) from 2019. This helped make the 2020 Summer Split the most watched since 2016.”

The fall in TSM’s numbers from 2020 to 2021 could also be attributed to the fact that LCS Summer 2021 only had a peak viewers of 364K.

Now, TSM is officially entering the Dota 2 scene after it acquired Team Undying’s roster. The TSM Dota 2 team is all set to debut in the 2022 Dota Pro Circuit Winter Tour Regional Finals. It is very surprising and uncanny to see TSM, originally an organization that is so storied in League of Legends esports lore, field a Dota 2 team.

With TSM testing the waters of so many game titles and with the organization now stepping into the Dota 2 pro scene, the question that begs answers is: Is TSM making new ventures fearing failure in the League of Legends pro scene?

The NA organization has a lot on its plate and a simple failure to strike balance could harm the potential of the organization. The departure of their players and losses in the home turf of League of Legends are not healthy signs for the once heavyweights.

The problems plaguing Team SoloMid are not shallow ones, they go deep and seem to be inherent to the organization itself. TSM definitely needs a fix-up elixir and it needs it ASAP!

Fans of the organization, however, it was never about TSM winning. It was the charisma, the fan interactions, and the novelty of the players living their best dream. It is high time Team SoloMid finds its soul again.

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The Story of Entity Gaming's Crystallis: The Hard Road to Division 1https://afkgaming.com/premium/dota2/the-story-of-entity-gamings-crystallis-the-hard-road-to-division-1https://afkgaming.com/premium/dota2/the-story-of-entity-gamings-crystallis-the-hard-road-to-division-1#commentsbff14293-42b3-41c2-bc5d-1c17a4e21e43Mon, 07 Feb 2022 10:00:00 +05302022-02-07T10:00:00.000+05:30Rakshak Kathuria/api/author/1568071Dota 2,Entity,Personality,Original Interview,Crystallis,PremiumDota2Dota 2 has seen an influx of young players as of late, and in all regions of competitive play, there are not only upstart players making it to the best teams, but also full-fledged squads of young players making a serious impact in the space. Each of these players has a unique story to tell about how they got there: some were recognized by top teams for their undeniable talent, while others formed their own teams to compete against the best that to Dota 2 competitive scene has to offer. And while there are a lot of interesting stories about players that clawed their way to the top of the scene, there probably aren’t many as interesting as Remco "Crystallis" Arets’ journey.

In early 2020, Crystallis started playing Dota 2 competitively with B8. Crystallis’ journey as a pro has not been without some challenges: from being part of one of the biggest losing streaks in competitive Dota 2 with B8 to becoming one of the best up-and-coming players in the Western Europe Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) region this year with Entity, Crystallis has worked as hard and struggled to get where he is today. And while Crystallis' competitive journey is still in its infancy, the foundations of it were laid a long time ago in the summer of 2013.

Crystallis’ baby steps into Dota 2

It is no secret that Dota 2 has an especially steep learning curve that many new players have experienced when first starting out. Some are lucky enough to have someone in our lives who have helped us learn the game, and for Crystallis that would be his cousins and his brother, who introduced him to the game when he was just 12 years old.

“I have always kind of enjoyed playing games,” Crystallis told AFK Gaming “I started off with Minecraft, Nintendo [games], and things like that. But when I was 12 and during summer vacation, my brother and my cousins introduced me to Dota, and then we played that for a year or two with my entire family. Eventually, they stopped playing, but I kept playing and by the time I reached 16, I was starting to get a bit serious. I was 1k Immortal and then now that I am 20, I am here. That’s pretty much how it went."

Even at a young age Crystallis had begun to find his stride in the game and knew what he wanted to do (play professionally), but his parents weren't really on board with his plans: “At first, they really didn’t like that and they actually had a lot of problems with it, especially with my dad,” he said. However, as time progressed and he reached the level he is at today, his parents began to support his dream.

Crystallis takes his first leap in competitive Dota 2

Being good at Dota 2, having the support of family, and after seven years of playing the game, Crystallis finally gets the opportunity to join a professional team–B8–which also features Dota 2 legend Danil "Dendi" Ishutin. Crystallis, along with Aleh "LastHero" Dzemidovich, Enis "5up" Elfki, and Dzmitry "Fishman" Palishchuk, came on board with Dendi just as B8 had set the record for the longest losing streak in competitive Dota 2 history–the team had lost an unprecedented 24 games in a row.

Crystallis' debut for B8 did not immediately turn the team's fortunes around, but he did show some promise, and then in his second series for B8, the team finally snapped a 26-game losing streak by defeating FlyToMoon 2-0. That success was short-lived as B8 ended the losing streak record but continued to lose games and events by wide margins. By all accounts, Crystallis' competitive career was not off to the best start and he decided to leave the squad after just six months.

“Dendi is a really nice guy by himself, but of course, when you lose every single game and you are almost setting the record for the biggest losing streak in esports, you don’t have the best atmosphere in the team, so it’s hard to say if I necessarily have fond memories of [playing] there,” Crystallis said.

With his first run as a professional Dota 2 player on a squad going a bit awry and delivering mixed results, Crystallis decided it was time to move on and try something new.

His fondness towards Creepwave

In the eyes of the outside world, Crystallis' only achievement at B8 was being part of the squad that broke the losing streak, but to him it was much more than that: he was laying the foundation of a whole new squad, Creepwave.

“I actually did meet Fishman there (at B8) and we went on to make Creepwave so that was not like a fond memory but a good thing from the entire experience,” he noted.

At the start of DPC 2021, Crystallis created Creepwave alongside Fishman, and at the start of the season, the squad placed third in the first regional league and in Snow Sweet Snow #1.

As the season progressed, Crystallis hopped between playing with Creepwave, to Ghost Frogs, and back again, but he was unable to obtain the success he desired. Finally, 10 months after Creepwave’s formation, Crystallis won his first major tournament in the Dota 2 Champions League S4. In addition to Fishman, the rest of the team during this win consisted of 16-year-olds Ammar "ATF" Al-Assaf, Bozhidar "bzm" Bogdanov, and Evgenii "Chuvash" Makarov, the only player with a reasonable amount of competitive experience.

Amidst the various versions of Creepwave and Ghost Frogs he played with during the year, Crystallis expressed his fondness for this particular team. Although he had clearly won his first significant tournament, there was more to it than just performances and results. Crystallis felt a wider sense of belonging that was unique to playing with these players.

“It was just an extremely fun team. You don’t usually come across teams where people just get along very well and it’s very friendly and funny. Usually, you have some conflicts, some other random shit that will make the atmosphere not amazing. But then Creepwave felt like you are playing with a bunch of friends and it was just an insane amount of fun. So, probably, that’s what made it special, I think.”

After this event, which was held around the same time as TI10, ATF and bzm were poached by OG and Chu joined as the organization’s new coach. During a DPC 2021-22 post-match interview, ATF had also expressed the sentiment of his former teammate, proposing that OG bring his entire Creepwave squad to the team.

On the other hand, Crystallis and Fishman were in the same place they were a year ago when they founded Creepwave, with the departures of ATF, bzm, and Chu. They had to find three more players in order to rebuild the squad, and while it proved challenging at first, they eventually found Tobias "Tobi" Buchner, Daniel "Stormstormer" Schoetzau, and Suzuya as replacements.

“Later on, of course, Ammar, and bzm got poached and we were like - ‘Okay, what the fu** do we do now?’ There are almost no players to be found in the Leaderboards anymore. It was kind of hard. Eventually, we ended up selecting Tobi and Stormstormer and we also found Suzuya from when he played with us before. He was actually a very good player. He is usually a five player but he transitioned into being a four player and then it kinda just worked out.”

Crystallis' Dota 2 career overview

Finding his stride with Entity

It was clear that Creepwave had a fairly fresh squad entering Division 2 of the DPC 2021-22; the team had placed second and third in the fifth and sixth seasons of the Dota 2 Champions League, but the DPC was an altogether different challenge due to the high stakes and difficulty of achieving them. DPC brings together the top teams from each region, and because it is the only path to Dota 2's greatest event - The International (TI), all of the teams prepare for it as diligently as they can.

Moreover, Creepwave was no longer just a team that had been put together to play in the DPC. It had been sponsored by the Indian organization Entity not long after the squad got together.

“Me and Fishman, and I guess the Creepwave squad, already had some decent kind of reputation and we eventually just got in contact with Entity and they were willing to sign us and that’s kind of how it happened.”

The DPC arrived, and Entity performed well enough to finish on top alongside Brame and Chicken Fighters. Ties were enforced, and Crystallis was now just one step from his short term goal with Entity - securing the Division 1 spot. In his eyes, he had no plans on finishing third this time, and Entity ultimately managed to vanquish both Brame and Chicken Fighters to take first place.

After churning out wins for the past couple of months, Entity finally had the Division 1 slot under its belt. Crystallis described this moment with sheer happiness.

“People were pretty happy as you would expect but I think everyone was also very tired from the entire season beforehand because it’s a pretty long season. We played a lot of games, we played several tournaments throughout DPC as well like D2CL. So most people were also kind of happy that we won but we were also like, ‘Thank god! We can go and take a break right now for a little bit and relax so we can come back to Div 1 well rested.’”

Two of the tiebreaker games saw some interesting strategies used featuring a carry Huskar and zoo heroes such as Lycan and Beastmaster which led the squad to victories over Chicken Fighters and Brame in quick 24 and 26 minute battles, respectively. Although it looked like a great deal of practice must have gone into creating this draft and executing it so well, Crystallis claims that the victory came from the normal working schedule.

“We just prepared in a very usual way, just played a couple of scrims and pubs,” he said. “There was nothing special, we didn’t plan insanely special drafts or whatever. We just played as we usually would and that was more than enough for the tiebreakers.”

The team had played for a majority of the regular group stage play from the bootcamp. While there were a few small issues outside of Entity's control that made the bootcamp (which Crystallis believes should be free of distractions) a bit annoying, the entire experience was enriching, nonetheless.

Crystallis looks ahead to a dialOGue

Having the honor of being named the best Division 1 team in one of the top regions in Dota 2 is certainly an honor, and earning DPC points, a spot at the next major, some decent prize money, and some fame certainly comes with winning, but Crystallis believes that the biggest difference between playing Division I and Division 2 is the sheer joy of poking fun at people.

“You can now flame the Division 2 people in pubs and the Division 1 people can no longer flame you for being from Division 2. That’s the biggest difference for me. So, it feels very good.”

On the competitive side of things, there is just one aspect of being a Division 1 player that Crystallis is extremely excited about: in this region, there are many strong squads, but where Crystallis is eager for success is where his former teammates (ATF, bzm, and Chu) currently reside - OG. Crystallis is excited about the prospect of playing only OG and winning against it in Division 1.

“No, I haven’t set any expectations yet. I am kind of just going in blind. The only thing I care about is beating OG…Literally only OG. I care about winning against only OG and I don’t care about winning against any other team. I don’t give a shit. We can be 1-6 as long as we have won against OG, I’ll be happy.”

While Crystallis wants to defeat OG, there isn't any animus or bad feelings between him and his former teammates: “Yeah yeah, because of Ammar, bzm, and Chu. They are still like half of our fucking team and Ammar is also my friend. It would be very fun to beat them. It will be a very epic match, the best match I am sure. So, I am excited about it but I really wanna win as well.”

The player will get his chance to do so when the DPC Western Europe 2021/2022 Tour 2: Division I resumes in March.

Note: Entity Gaming is a client of AFK Gaming

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CS:GO vs Valorant: Breaking Down the 2021 Esports Circuithttps://afkgaming.com/premium/esports/csgo-vs-valorant-breaking-down-the-2021-esports-circuithttps://afkgaming.com/premium/esports/csgo-vs-valorant-breaking-down-the-2021-esports-circuit#commentsa2fa6780-f58f-4136-81e6-dba0168c10ceSun, 30 Jan 2022 15:46:53 +05302022-01-30T15:46:53.001+05:30Aditya Singh Rawat/api/author/1568067CS:GO,Stats,Valve,Riot Games,VALORANT,Gameplay,Viewership,PremiumEsports2021 was a great year for competitive tactical First Person Shooter (FPS) titles like CS:GO and Valorant as they transitioned from an online phase to organizing more in-person LAN tournaments. We finally witnessed the first CS:GO Major after more than two years with the PGL Major Stockholm 2021, breaking all viewership records in the history of the game. We also observed the completion of the Valorant Champions Tour 2021 (VCT) - the first official tournament circuit by Riot Games which was won by the European esports organization Acend.

The esports circuits for both the titles were executed really well, but there were certain things that Riot Games implemented better with Valorant that gave it the slight edge over the Valve shooter. From rolling out its inaugural esports circuit, engaging with the community, and releasing content for the game to celebrating its anniversary and setting milestones, Valorant in its debut year, as a PC FPS esports title, has found substantial success.

AFK Gaming has crunched the numbers and analyzed why Riot has succeeded with Valorant esports, surpassing CS:GO’s viewership in such a short duration, and what the future of FPS esports is going to look like.

Riot Games proves that consistency is key with Valorant Champions Tour 2021

Riot mostly likes to keep things simple and under its control, an approach that is in contrast to how Valve operates (using mostly third-party organizers) with its esports titles. Both these methods have worked effectively for the respective companies, but when it comes to esports Riot Games does have a slight edge over its competitor.

Riot’s entry into the competitive PC FPS scene was questioned by the community at first, but Valorant has proven to be a strong and viable esport following the completion of its first-ever competitive circuit, Valorant Champions Tour (VCT) 2021. This accomplishment was built upon the success of the ‘Ignition Series’ (IS) that was organized in 2020, a set of regional tournaments organized by multiple third-party organizers in partnership with Riot.

Valorant was quick to expand its esports viewership, sharing its broadcasts with the help of popular content creators from every region where its tournaments were taking place. The title managed to hit 14 million average monthly players and dominated the world of streaming by averaging 111,700 viewers on Twitch in early 2021. This move was specifically effective in Asia where Valorant ended up giving CS:GO a run for its money in terms of tournament viewership.

Building on this momentum, VCT 2021 was announced and Riot has done a commendable job running its debut circuit by,

  • Creating hype for its tournaments through various promotional activities.

  • Engaging with the community.

  • Organizing multiple LAN tournaments despite several real-world challenges including COVID-19 and travel restrictions.

  • Providing world-class production quality through partners like Esports Engine.

  • Maintaining a presence across multiple livestreaming platforms and utilizing co-streaming to grow viewership.

  • Ensuring a high level of esports integrity.

  • Hosting a truly global world championship where every region was given an opportunity to make it to the top.

Riot Games' execution and planning resulted in the viewership of all the three main VCT 2021 tournaments being consistently healthy with increasing runtime and total hours watched.

VCT Masters 2021 - Average and Peak Viewership

Let’s take a look at how some of the bigger CS:GO tournaments that took place on LAN fared through 2021.

Valve hit the jackpot with the PGL Major Stockholm 2021, which broke all-time CS:GO viewership records to set new highs. The world championship was taking place after a gap of more than two years and the response it received from the community was mindblowing.

CS:GO LAN Events 2021: Average and Peak Viewership

However, while the Stockholm Major did really well, viewer metrics across multiple other CS:GO LAN tournaments were highly inconsistent and volatile.

Here are a few interesting differences between CS:GO and Valorant LAN events in 2021 that are worth noting:

  • IEM Cologne 2021 was probably the worst performing LAN tournament for CS:GO last season with an average of just 235,277 viewers. This is really poor when compared to its peak of 842,972 concurrent viewers, which is the second-highest peak for an offline CS:GO event in 2021.

  • IEM Winter 2021 despite having more participants and tournament air time than BLAST Premier: World Final 2021 had a far lesser total watch time. This could be a cause of concern for competitive CS:GO going forward, as it means that inviting only a certain number of handpicked teams could determine the success of a tournament. This is something that could destabilize the competitive ecosystem and could be a hindrance for other upcoming or smaller teams, who may not have a dedicated fan following.

  • The Valorant tournament with the least total watch time - VCT 2021: Stage 2 Masters Reykjavík at roughly 25 million hours watched is more than all the CS:GO offline tournaments except the Stockholm Major.

    Additionally, the increase in total watch time between BLAST Premier: World Final 2021 which streamed for 51 hours, and IEM Cologne which streamed for 94 hours is just 6,446,432 hours. While the air time increased by about 184% between the two tournaments, the total watch time only increased by about 141%.

    This is concerning as a similar comparison between VCT 2021: Stage 2 Masters Reykjavík and VALORANT Champions 2021 results in an air time increase of about 188.5%, while the total watch time increases by almost 183%.

  • PGL Major Stockholm 2021 is the singular CS:GO LAN tournament to cross a peak of more than a million concurrent viewers last year, whereas two Valorant events were able to reach this mark. The Stockholm Major was also the only event to rival Valorant’s consistently high average viewership.

    Basically, it was the only CS:GO event to beat Valorant tournaments in 2021 by a significant margin. If the Major is sidelined or excluded, the CS:GO competitive circuit crumbles in front of what Valorant was able to generate in its debut season.

    The image below shows that Valorant had an upper hand through 2021, registering almost twice the average viewership than CS:GO while having more air time, up by a margin of 12 hours and a higher average peak viewership.

CS:GO vs Valorant - Overall 2021 Comparison

The bottom line is that CS:GO might have won a few battles but Valorant edged out the year on the back of a robust competitive circuit which delivered spectacularly on all fronts. Let’s take a closer look at some of the factors that gave Valorant this upper hand.

Giving equal opportunity to every region for a global representation

An important aspect of Valorant esports that was implemented well by Riot was the inclusion of all regions for its inaugural Valorant esports circuit. This is something that CS:GO has lacked despite being in the business for a long time now. The Valve shooter has not provided regions like Asia, Oceania, and the Middle East proper opportunities to compete at a global level.

It wasn’t until the third CS:GO Major - ESL One: Cologne 2014 that teams from Australia and India were given one slot each at the world championship. The next few Majors went on to feature one or two Asian slots which were mostly won by Australian teams. Soon after, operations went back the way they were with all the three regions being ignored by the Major organizers.

Finally, rules were revamped starting with ELEAGUE Major: Boston 2018, giving Asian and Oceania teams at least two slots every CS:GO Major, but it was a little too late for CS:GO to initiate building opportunities for these regions. Valorant did not make the same mistakes as Riot established a strong presence in all regions within its first year, while also providing them with a chance to compete in the world championship.

VCT Masters 2021: Team distribution as per region

CS:GO LAN Events 2021: Team distribution as per region

Valorant has tapped into multiple regions from across the world right from the beginning by utilizing the local partnerships to manage their regional qualifier events. Riot propagated proper management of every event at the smallest level, while also effectively engaging with the audience.

Engaging micro-communities of various influencers and streamers across regions

One of the biggest factors that contributed to Valorant esports accelerated viewership growth has been Riot's effective utilization of influencers and streamers to broadcast their tournament livestreams through co-streaming. Riot engaged their communities effectively to gain a huge number of viewers from various regions in a short period of time.

Riot has been open to co-streaming since the very first VCT tournament, locking in partnerships with popular streamers from different corners of the world like Shroud, Kyedae, fps_shaka, stylishnoob4, and many others. The viewership brought in by these influencers and streamers is substantial, as the aforementioned creators resulted in a total watch time of more than four million hours in just the first three days of VCT 2021: Stage 3 Masters - Berlin.

Co-streaming has also helped Valorant gain more regional audiences from countries like Brazil, Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia as they prefer to watch the broadcast in their local native languages rather than English.

A perfect example to showcase this is the viewership breakdown for VCT 2021 Stage 3 Masters Berlin qualifiers which observed a total watch time of 35.17 million hours, collectively for all regions.

The top five regions from where maximum viewership was generated included Europe (32.9%), North America (29.3%), Japan (15.4%), Brazil (6.6%), and Southeast Asia (5.9%). Below is a breakdown of hours watched based on language.

VCT 2021 Stage 3 - Total Watch Time Distribution Across Languages

Native language streams in Asian countries collectively contributed a quarter of the total watch time at 23.5%. Other regional streams also contributed significantly. This goes to show that the approach taken by Valorant to cater to its expanded audience from the various regions is quite successful and effective.

Learnings from the lost battle: How PGL Major Stockholm 2021 managed to be the best

While Riot did a lot of things right, it could only do so much in its Valorant esports circuit debut. Despite having a successful year overall, they could not overwhelm an almost decade-old title when it came to the world championship.

The PGL Major Stockholm 2021 was the fourth most-watched esports tournament of 2021 with a total watch time of 71.26 million hours, following an air time of 120 hours. Additionally, with a peak of 2.74 million concurrent viewers, it also became the most viewed Counter-Strike tournament of all time, registering an average viewership of more than half a million viewers.

The tournament outperformed every Valorant event that took place last year. Here are few key points Riot can learn from the success of the PGL Major Stockholm 2021:

  • Competitive Valorant is still in its nascent stages and does not have any substantial rivalries, significant competitive storylines, or a deep history to build upon. This was a key factor that drove viewers towards watching the highly anticipated Stockholm Major 2021, which was in fact the first such event to take place in more than two years. So the entire community was excited for it, which in turn led to record-breaking viewership.

  • The Valorant Champions 2021 was not too different from the two other master tournaments that were previously held. Though it followed a different format, the setting and the way it was conducted in a closed studio environment without a live audience made it feel underwhelming. In comparison, the PGL Major Stockholm 2021 was a grand affair as the final stage of the tournament was conducted in front of a live audience at the Avicii Arena in Stockholm, Sweden.

  • Due to Valorant tournament livestreams being shared across multiple platforms, influencers, and content creators, it was not able to register a high peak viewership. The broad diversification of the livestream is certainly beneficial to reach more viewers and engage them in multiple languages, aiding in achieving a consistently healthy average viewership. But, as the audience gets divided it becomes difficult to hit a higher peak concurrent viewership. This is an aspect that tournament organizers in CS:GO capitalize on very well by limiting their livestream options to attain a healthy mix of both.

It is fair to say that Riot has done a good job with Valorant esports and deserve a pat on their back for bringing it all together fairly quickly. CS:GO far from being done and dusted but at the same time Valorant has managed to edge past them and prove that they are here to stay. Hopefully, Riot will learn from its few shortcomings and continue to improve by delivering an even better esports circuit for Valorant this year in 2022.

Work has already commenced on certain aspects related to the circuit, such as the readjustment of slot distribution based on the performance of teams that represented their particular regions last year. Such adjustments and other iterations can ensure an improved esports circuit that is fair, competitive, and robust in nature.

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Tracing The Success Of The East In League of Legends Esportshttps://afkgaming.com/premium/esports/tracing-the-success-of-the-east-in-league-of-legends-esportshttps://afkgaming.com/premium/esports/tracing-the-success-of-the-east-in-league-of-legends-esports#commentsd392dbee-4fd5-4023-9e70-a5abc137c61bSat, 29 Jan 2022 17:01:48 +05302022-01-29T17:01:48.915+05:30Sadakshi Kalyan Ramun/api/author/1633627League of Legends,LPL,LCK,Esports,LoL esports,PremiumEsportsLeague of Legends may have found its origins in North America but it has surely had a deeper cultural impact in South Korea and China, becoming a part and parcel of life. Esports players and personalities have become household names here. There have been instances of schools adopting esports into their curriculums in Korea to fans turning esports tournaments into festivals.

When the League of Legends Pro League’s (LPL) EDward Gaming (EDG) won the 2021 League of Legends World Championship, the fans of the team erupted in wild celebrations across China. They paraded and flooded the streets as the rest of the world watched their escapades in awe.

Celebrations in China as EDG lifted the 2021 Worlds trophy

Well, this craze for League of Legends goes beyond just the esports scene of the game. There was even a sushi bar in China that specifically offered amazing meal deals to League of Legends players in 2014. As peculiar it might sound, the restaurant advertised that discounts would be offered to customers based on their League rank tiers.

People from all walks of life seem to love watching League of Legends esports and are able to truly understand the game and appreciate its nuances. Chinese pro player Chen "Bin" Ze-Bin’s dad narrated how he loved playing the game and how he would seek the help of his son sometimes to “1v4” his enemies. Likewise, when Korean bot- laner Gwon "Sangyoon" Sang-yun achieved a milestone of 1,000 kills in the Korean league in 2019, the world caught a surprising scene on the broadcast: a proud father holding a fan sign which congratulated his son along with a cheque for 10M Won ($8.3K USD).

Sangyoon's dad holding a fan sign with the cheque

The League of Champions Korea (LCK) is historically recognized as arguably the best league in League of Legends Esports and is known for its textbook plays. Clean teleports, coordinated team fights around objectives, and impeccable communication are the name of the game in LCK. On the other hand, we have the Chinese League of Legends Pro League (LPL), the other forerunner of the game, known for its aggression. Fuelled by the insane game mechanics and timed aggression, the Chinese league has also carved a name for itself.

The LPL and the LCK are now the heavyweights of the League of Legends esports scene. They have basically formed a duopoly in the esports scene of League of Legends, winning every single World Championship since 2013. South Korea has managed to etch its region’s name on the trophy six times while the Chinese teams have swept the board three times. The teams from other leagues have been left in the dust for quite some time now and need to go the extra mile to prep and dissect the way the game is played just to stand a chance when they go head-to-head against these mammoths.

League of Legends Worlds Winners

The question that looms over our heads is how the LCK and the LPL constantly find success in international events. Sure, we’ve had EU and NA teams emerging victorious over these regions now and then. But how have the Eastern leagues almost perfected the way League of Legends is played?

Is culture the key difference?

Despite Korea having a rich history with strategy games and esports, when Riot Games launched League of Legends, the game was not available in the country. Only when Riot was looking for regions to expand into, Korea was explored as an option. Korea already had an esports culture ingrained, thanks to Starcraft, which even made its way into South Korean television way back in 2000. Also, who would want to pass on the rich “PC Bang” culture? Both Korea and China are known for their internet cafes where people swarm in to play the games of their choice.

PC bangs in the 90s vs PC bangs now

Following the launch of a dedicated server for Korea in December 2011, cable broadcaster OnGameNet introduced the first major tournament in March 2012 - League of Legends Champions. The league underwent a major restructuring and rebranding in late 2014 and was called the LCK. It was franchised in 2021 and the promotion tournament system was discontinued. Today, the LCK sees the participation of ten teams and is held in cooperation between Riot and the Korea e-Sports Association (KeSPA).

Just like Korea, China also had a prebuilt setup for fostering esports thanks to the popularity of the Warcraft III version of DotA. League of Legends esports was quick to become mainstream, with a significant number of unique Chinese viewers tuning into the League of Legends Season 2 World Championships. It was only in 2013 that the LPL was created and since then the league has charted its own course with how the game should be played on and off the rift.

The LPL and the LCK can be called the creative minds of League of Legends Esports. They have pioneered strategies including creep wave management and synchronized team fighting, and introduced meta gameplay, while still having distinctive playstyles.

Playing League of Legends the Eastern way

One of the major regions why the LCK and the LPL find success is that the teams are willing to learn and adapt according to the meta despite having distinct playstyles in the game. Today, other leagues including North America’s League of Legends Championship Series (LCS) and League of Legends European Championship (LEC) closely follow the Korean and Chinese teams like hawks to draw inspiration for playstyles and champion picks.

Both Korea and China have found their own ways of attaining success on the rift. While the LCK teams believe in taking up a defensive playstyle, the LPL teams are known for their aggression. In the LCK, it is all about taking one’s own sweet time to scale stronger in the game and fight around the neutral objectives and monsters on the map. They follow textbook gameplay techniques and strategies like they are recipes to a successful dish.

In contrast, the LPL teams have a history of proactively using their aggression to force fights for achieving objectives within the game. They always go for high-risk high rewards plays and try to gain an upper hand in the laning phase over their opponents.

Other factors, such as the format of the regular splits, may also play a role in the growing strength of the Eastern region. Just like the LCS and the LEC, the LCK and the LPL also play the Spring and Summer split every year. But instead of best-of-one (BO1) matches, they play best-of-three matches during the regular splits. On the other hand, the other regions play the BO3/BO5 series only during the playoffs.

This BO3 format brings an entirely different dynamic to the leagues. While the BO1 format lets more teams play against each other in a shorter period of time, BO3s give teams time to adjust and adapt. This incentivizes teams to come up with different tactics and rely on outdrafting, outplaying and outstrategizing their opponents rather than just utilizing cheese picks.

Here’s where the coaching and the drafting styles of the LCK and the LPL truly shine. Playing an opponent in a series during the regular split helps the teams come up with better strategies and champion picks. This allows for coaches and analysts to make appropriate adjustments and redirect their priorities in the draft as the regular split evolves. With the BO3s in place, teams have the opportunity to play more games in the group stage and hence have to encounter more diverse strategies which in-turn helps the team evolve through the season Beyond all this, the BO3s help the players mentally prepare for when they are facing stiff competition in international events like the Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) and Worlds.

Right before these international tournaments, teams travel to other countries to get a taste of the Solo Queue environment in the respective regions and play alongside some of the greatest players. This sets up players to practice and play scrims in an even playground with lower ping.

Standard of play in the East is just miles better

It is no secret that quick reaction times and timely decision-making can be the keys to victory in a game like League of Legends and they are undoubtedly driven by the ping in which one plays in. Pro games usually provide players with the lowest ping possible for competitive integrity, but this is not the case for Solo Queue games, where the ping can differ from server to server.

The difference between the average ping for pros in different regions is quite outrageous: North America shuttles between 67 to 70 average ping while the pros in Korea, Europe, and China play on 8, 20, 6 ping, respectively.

You must have heard the term “boot camp” so many times while reading about international tournaments. Why do teams choose to go to another country to play the same game? Well, it is pretty straightforward. The regions that host these boot camps are known for their standard of Solo Queue and it is incentive enough for the teams to gravitate towards it. For ages now, it has been a tradition for pro teams to boot camp either in Korea or China right before international tournaments. They get to understand the meta better by climbing the ranked tiers against unfamiliar playstyles and better opponents.

Did you know that the Chinese League community is the only community to have 29 servers? This is in comparison to the two servers that Europe has and the one server present in North America. Two of the Chinese servers are specifically dedicated to those players holding the top ranks. During Worlds 2020, the pros boot camped in China and played on this server, dubbed the “Chinese Super Server”. It is reserved only for highly-skilled players and one can create an account for it if they have another account ranked Diamond 1 or above.

Given the extremely high standard of play in this competitive environment, it is only natural to see so many talented wonderkids emerge in the LPL and the LCK and this translates to a highly competitive environment. So it is only natural to see players from these leagues leave for other regions where the competition is less cutthroat. But whether they always find success in a different country setup is debatable.

It is also pretty evident that these Eastern leagues prefer nurturing rookie talent at home instead of importing them from the EU or NA. Korean and Chinese teams have multiple players in their rosters who are subbed in during the regular splits now and then to help them grow into esports personalities. This is rarely the case with the Western League of Legends pro scene.

Apart from all this, successful Eastern League of Legends pros rake in tons of money. Generally, Korean and Chinese players at the highest level get paid more than the pros in other leagues. According to a report by The Korean Herald, “An ESPN Esports writer tweeted Son “Lehends” Si-woo signed a contract last December (2019) with Hanwha Life Esports for over $700,000 a year.”

The report said that when Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok signed a multiyear contract in 2018 with T1, the CEO of the team said Faker had the highest salary of any professional player in Korea. “While Faker could not confirm the rumors that his salary could be as much as 5 Billion Won ($4.1M) a year during his many appearances on entertainment shows this year, he did confirm that he was offered a blank check at one point by a different team,” added The Korean Herald.

T1's mid-laner Faker

The esports culture is different in this region of the world. Society has not stigmatized esports culture and this allows for players to scale new heights and become the best. The fact teams and organizations are ready to support the players by providing them stable income helps the players have a telescopic vision of what they want to do next. Good infrastructure for Solo Queue practice, better incentives for winning, and a stable future after retiring as a pro could all be reasons for the success of the Eastern teams.

Esports has already achieved a new milestone in the East as it is all set to feature as a medal sport for the first time at the Asian Games in Hangzhou this year. Well, as far as League of Legends is concerned, the 2022 season has just begun and as a big fan of the esports scene, I can’t wait to see what the LCK and LPL teams have to bring to the table this year.

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Is FIFA Esports Pay-to-Win?https://afkgaming.com/premium/esports/is-fifa-esports-pay-to-winhttps://afkgaming.com/premium/esports/is-fifa-esports-pay-to-win#comments7dc9b90f-3272-4d34-a7b1-4beb9aa25e12Fri, 28 Jan 2022 12:00:00 +05302022-01-28T12:00:00.000+05:30Abhimannu Das/api/author/1568072FIFA,FIFA esports,JauntyTank FIFA,Is FIFA Pay to Win,PremiumEsportsFIFA is one of the top grossing games in the world with its Ultimate Team mode generating $1.62 Billion USD in 2021. Electronic Arts (EA) has made improvements towards monetization in the wake of governments trying to shut down predatory microtransactions. The UK called for legislative action against the sale of loot boxes in July 2020 and any form of microtransactions akin to lootboxes are akin to gambling. Japan, China and the Netherlands also have regulations in place to control such microtransactions. But it continues to be a problem with pay-to-win mechanics being an integral part of FIFA.

Microtransactions in a game priced at $60 for the base edition and $100 for the Ultimate edition is questionable to begin with, but Ultimate Team being used as the flagship mode for competitive esports is nothing short of unfair and a bridge too far for many players.

At the highest level of competition, the skill difference between players is minimal. If luck or money play the smallest of roles in determining the winner of a competitive match, FIFA might not fall under the label of a “competitive” esport. AFK Gaming reached out to Indian FIFA esports professional Ankur "JauntyTank" Diwakar to discuss the current state of FIFA esports in the country, its monetization practices and the economic barrier of entry for players who want to play the game competitively.

What is the FIFA Ultimate Team mode?

FIFA Ultimate Team (FUT) is a game mode that allows players to build and manage their own clubs using players who can be acquired via FUT cards. Players, managers, and any consumable items can be acquired via what is essentially lootboxes or FUT packs.

FUT cards can be acquired from packs or can be received as rewards by winning in-game matches or playing during events. They can also be bought from the in-game Transfer Market. Purchasing packs and/or trading items on the Transfer Market requires the use of virtual currencies known as FIFA Coins and FIFA Points.

Microtransactions in FIFA range from $0.99 for 100 FIFA Points to $99.99 for 12,000 FIFA points. FIFA offers a host of packs which cost anything between 50 and 2,500 FIFA Points. And there is no real way of guaranteeing all the players you want in your team. You could potentially spend thousands of dollars and not have the players you want in your team.

The FUT mode has been around since FIFA 09 and has become increasingly predatory with its microtransactions over the years. With billions of dollars generated in revenue over the years, FIFA has become a mass-market “gacha” game, a model where some players pay endless amounts of money to get the player they want.

JauntyTank feels that FUT Is a fun mode and a good addition to FIFA. “Somewhere around 2007, players would get a fixed budget and had the ability to buy any player they wanted,” he said. “The addition of FUT was well-received by the community and competitive events started replacing the normal kick-off modes with FUT instead.”

Still, JauntyTank feels that after years of FUT being in the game, “the developers realized the people are still enjoying the game but it has become a rich man’s sport for non-competitive players."

Why FIFA Esports Does Not Feel Competitive

FIFA esports does not put players on an even playing field. In a MOBA, you could have millions of combinations of teams from the pool of available characters. But everyone has access to said characters if they choose to play them. In FIFA, getting every card in the game is going to cost you a fat inheritance, and even that might not be enough.

Even if we set aside the arcade-like nature of FIFA’s gameplay, the randomness in stats and the reliance on lootbox mechanics for the game’s flagship esports events makes it difficult for many to look at it as a “competitive" game.

The FIFA Interactive World Cup events in the past allowed only national teams. While the format had its fair share of problems, there were no “pay-to-win” elements involved. But FIFA has steered away from the model for its more recent events and most of its esports ecosystem relies on FUT. With prize money on the line, players want to win at all costs and they do not shy away from spending a few hundred dollars here and there to get ahead of the average player. It is a trend that makes it difficult to compete for many players who lack the money for investment into the esport.

JauntyTank's estimates of onbuilding a competitive FIFA team

On being asked about the divide between the casual and competitive FIFA audience, JauntyTank said, “there's a separation between casual players and competitive players as FUT takes some investment. You can definitely do it without investing through a lot of trading and sniping methods, but it’s very time-consuming and pack luck plays an important role, so the easiest method for a competitive player is to invest in FIFA points and get the best players.”

Pro players end up having some of the best players within week one of an annual FIFA title’s release, which is not possible naturally for players who do not spend money on the game. While players will eventually get their hands on a solid team over time, the grind can feel troublesome.

Money does not exactly make you better at the game even though it does give you an edge. JauntyTank revealed that he has seen players who have spent over $10K and still could not keep up with pro players. But, there is a caveat. “If two players of similar skill played, a basic gold card would miss a few shots if you time it right but an icon card would still net the goal if you time it wrong, so this is the major reason people invest as they want that edge in their gameplay.”

What EA can do to improve FIFA Esports

The best solution according to JauntyTank is to bring back the old competitive format. All players used in the competition would be at 85 overall stats and they would have similar attributes. “I was placed 3rd in Asia in the FIFA Interactive World Cup (July Rankings) playing with INDIA in 2012 as it was purely on skill, not even on players, as everyone had the same attributes and that inspired a lot of gamers to keep their competitive dream alive.”

One of the biggest problems is that FIFA is an annual title where players lose all progression as soon as they switch to the newest release. Given that players lose all progress, if there would be a way to carry forward some of the progression, it could help players stay competitive in FIFA esports. But it also has a positive side to it, as players who are new to the game will have an even footing against players who have built up a collection of players for years. EA needs to find the right balance with regards to progression and it may have a winning formula on its side.

Is it a bad idea to pursue FIFA esports?

According to “EA Live Content Product Manager,” Jamey "FUTEconomist" Cane, , the average team used at the FUT Champions Cup 2019 cost 32M FIFA Coins, or about $27K. The worst part is that the players used in a team composition that competed in the 2019 event can no longer be accessed in newer FIFA titles. The game goes through an annual cycle and after spending a fortune in the current installment of the game, you simply move on to the next one.

A Bleacher Report survey revealed that one of its respondents spent $280k on FIFA over a 10-year period. And if you want to grind out packs through gameplay, they come at a steady pace but you will not be able to keep up with big spenders. The Ultimate packs can take dozens of hours of gameplay to obtain and there’s no guarantee you will get the card you want.

The FIFA World Cup 2021 was canceled but if we look at the Europe playoffs, the event featured a prize pool of $400K. Even if you made it to 4th place, you would take home $25K which is less than what the average player spends to compete at that level. The amount of money spent does not define the skill it takes to win such an event. But the fact that players spent tens of thousands of dollars to stay competitive for an esports title whose prize pool is a joke compared to the revenue it makes, it can be difficult to recommend anyone to pursue FIFA esports if they are not willing to break the bank.

While monetization continues to be a concern, JauntyTank feels that EA has taken huge strides in improving the game. The average prize pool has gone up and there are strict rules in place against cheaters. But it still has a long way to go with regards to monetization and its accessibility will dictate if it can be taken seriously as a competitive esport.

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Mortal and Sid Reflect on the Past-Present-Future of Team SouL in BGMIhttps://afkgaming.com/premium/pubgm/mortal-and-sid-reflect-on-the-past-present-future-of-team-soul-in-bgmihttps://afkgaming.com/premium/pubgm/mortal-and-sid-reflect-on-the-past-present-future-of-team-soul-in-bgmi#commentsd8e188cc-d703-4894-a349-358dfb4ae99cTue, 25 Jan 2022 12:10:06 +05302022-01-25T12:10:06.943+05:30Aditya Singh Rawat/api/author/1568067MortaL,South Asia,India,Team SouL,Original Interview,Battlegrounds Mobile India,BGMI,Sid,PremiumPUBGMKrafton’s release of Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) was probably one of Indian esports’ biggest developments in 2021. The mobile battle royale took the Indian gaming community by storm. Its success was evident by the fact that BGMI ended up winning the ‘Best Game’ award on Google Play’s Best of 2021 awards. On the competitive side of things, the biggest BGMI tournament to date - iQOO Battlegrounds Mobile India Series 2021 (BGIS), secured a peak of over 460,000 concurrent viewers and a total watch time of 15.29M hours, making it clear that the title is here to stay.

One of the earliest adopters of the game as a competitive title was Team SouL, owned by S8UL Esports, who announced its BGMI lineup on 7th July 2021, just six days after the official launch.

Team SouL with over 141,000 followers on Instagram and almost 860,000 subscribers on YouTube is already a huge brand in Indian mobile esports. Their initial star-studded lineup featured some of the biggest names in BGMI, an attempt to restore the old legacy under a new title, and though the project failed to produce results it did create a lot of buzz.

Roughly three months after the announcement, cracks started to appear in the lineup. The team was not performing up to the lofty expectations that it had set for itself and was forced to undergo a lot of roster changes. From October onwards, Team SouL started trying out different lineups, changing its team every tournament, leading up to BGIS 2021. Unfortunately, due to the absence of a stable roster, they failed to qualify for the main event despite receiving a direct invite.

Stepping into 2022 with a new BGMI competitive season on the horizon, Team SouL is starting with a clean slate. To discuss what lies ahead while also reflecting on their actions of the past, AFK Gaming caught up with the team’s manager Siddhant “Sid” Joshi along with owner Naman “Mortal“ Mathur, one of the most popular gaming personalities from India.

New Year, New Me: Upcoming BGMI Roster and Goals for 2022

Team SouL might have not caught a lot of attention in the recently concluded BGIS 2021, but it still managed to make waves outside of it. A mystery lineup under the banner of SouL was recently spotted playing in scrims hosted by Upthrust Esports which made many in the mobile community very curious. This lineup was aggressive which is completely opposite to how the team operated last year, and the team dominated their opponents on the server.

Talking about this unknown team which has already impressed a lot of fans, MortaL explained that he had a discussion with Sid and Aman "AMAN" Jain, while also having a personal chat with Animesh “Thug” Agarwal to decide Team SouL’s goals and aspirations heading into the next season.

“We came to a conclusion that SouL needs a new lineup which is very aggressive and whose approach is solely taking kills, that’s all, without bothering about placement,” states Mortal. Once this decision was made, AMAN started scouting players for the new lineup and came up with a list of six or seven candidates that fit their profile. Immediately, Mortal and Sid began discussing the right combination of four or five players to try out for their team.

Though the names of two new players have been revealed since MortaL spoke to AFK Gaming, the remainder of the roster is still shrouded in a veil of secrecy. The first members of Team SouL’s BGMI roster for 2022 are Sahil “Omega” Jakhar and Akshat “AkshaT” Goel, making their way over from Chemin Esports.

While the complete lineup is yet to be revealed, what this team needs to achieve in 2022 is already set in stone. With a new roster scrimming under their banner and turning heads, SouL’s future looks promising and on that note, Mortal aims for them to lift at least one trophy this year. While agreeing with his vision, Sid has set out a lot more ambitious goals for himself and the team.

“My personal goal for 2022 is complete dominance in everything that we do, be it content, esports, or anything else. I will not be happy with a minimum of one trophy this year. There are 12 months in a year, many events are going to take place and we are going to win a lot of trophies, winning just one will not work,” says Sid while adding that he has been with SouL for about six months now and his hunger for victory is on a whole different level this year.

Sid's expectations from 2022 for Team SouL in BGMI

Reflecting on the past: Making amends for the new season

SouL Esports definitely did not have expect to crash and burn the way they did last year, as their initial star-studded lineup went for a toss in its three months together.

  • Naman “Mortal“ Mathur - IGL

  • Tanmay “Sc0utOP” Singh - Scout, Support

  • Harmandeep “Mavi” Singh - IGL, Assaulter

  • Yash “Viper” Soni - Support

  • Parv “ReGaLToS” Singh - Assaulter

The squad did not win a single tournament together, out of the 17 events in which they competed together. They only managed a single-digit finish at one of the events; fifth place at iNSANE Summer Split. This was a clear indication that some changes were required in order for the team to succeed.

Shortly after, both Sc0utOP and Mavi parted ways with the team to revive TeamXSpark. At that time Mortal had acknowledged that things were not working out for Team SouL by stating,

However, there was no permanent lineup after this point that SouL played with for the remainder of 2021. They kept rotating their lineup every other tournament, utilizing a lot of temporary players, maybe in a bid to scout and try out different players and roster iterations. This further affected their overall team performance and the organization never really recovered, continuing its slump till the end of the season. This included its failure to make it to the grand final stage of BGIS 2021 despite receiving a direct invite for the event.

“BGIS obviously did not go as planned because it was the worst possible 3 to 4 months that we could go through. Nothing was going our way, whatever we wanted to do was just not happening, we were facing some problem every couple of days. But we somehow managed to compile a team of four players and practiced. So to be honest, overall I am not too disappointed with the way they played,” explained Sid, while owning up to the fact that 2021 was a failure on their part as they could not achieve what they were supposed to.

But things are already starting to look bright for Team SouL for the year ahead, as the mysterious lineup playing under their banner was spotted dominating all the other teams at the scrims hosted by Upthrust Esports. Multiple clips from the scrim session have since gone viral across the Indian mobile gaming community, impressing many while spurring a lot of interest in this lineup.

The management has already laid out their plans and goals for the upcoming season, acknowledging that they have learned from their failures and their mistakes by analyzing the team’s gameplay and player selection process, amongst other things. SouL plans to ignore the short-term benefits and completely focus on the long-term gains by creating new stars for the community.

Sid admitted that things were a bit ‘casual’ with the team last year, but he is feeling motivated for the new season. To achieve their goals he has changed his schedule accordingly. Now he wakes up anywhere between 10 AM to 12 PM, joining the team directly at around 1:00-1:30 PM when the scims start, watching all the matches while streaming simultaneously, followed by necessary discussions with the team.

“I usually don’t interfere a lot in team matters. I only go when it is needed because I feel like a hierarchy or exclusivity is necessary to be maintained in a team. People like me or Thug should not always be accessible to the players otherwise seriousness takes a hit,” says Sid while adding that “I am not here to make a relationship with any player, so I interfere a lot less than I am supposed to.”

Sid is positive about Team SouL's future in BGMI

He accepts that there is still a lot of work that needs to be done, for which necessary practice sessions will be taking place along with its detailed analysis. This core process will be repeated to refine the team’s capabilities by working on their weaknesses. SouL will also be changing the way they approach scrims and is currently committed to bringing in more clarity by implementing a set plan and structure which will help them in executing an objective-driven scrimmage session.

The inaugural year of competitive BGMI has clearly not been kind to Team SouL, who despite a super early start failed to make an impact. On the other hand, they might have made a good decision by realizing early that the roster they had set out with was not the right fit. They utilized the remainder of the year to work on plans for the next season while trying out different players as substitutes across multiple tournaments. Eventually they came to the realization that the passive gameplay being adopted by them was probably not the right way to proceed.

SouL’s management has already set out a certain practice schedule, training structure, and goals for the 2022 season. It will be interesting to see how this new approach works out for the organization.

Team SouL’s BGMI lineup for 2022 is as follows,

  • Sahil “Omega“ Jakhar - IGL

  • Akshat “AkshaT” Goel - Assaulter

Aditya Kumar on behalf of AFK Gaming had an extended chat with both Sid and Mortal touching on more interesting topics where they talk about the stone-pelting incident that recently occurred at the S8UL content house, Mortal revealing his interest to compete professionally in a new title, Sid sharing his experience with the organization so far, and much more!

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Why is the LCS a Special Phenomenon?https://afkgaming.com/premium/esports/why-is-the-lcs-a-special-phenomenonhttps://afkgaming.com/premium/esports/why-is-the-lcs-a-special-phenomenon#commentsd12fa3e0-c6ea-40fe-90cf-8431414d3fd6Mon, 17 Jan 2022 11:53:56 +05302022-01-17T11:53:56.920+05:30Sadakshi Kalyan Ramun/api/author/1633627League of Legends,North America,LCSEsportsThe North American League Championship Series (LCS) has been the gateway into the realm of esports for many Western fans. Team chants blasting through the roof, Mexican waves electrifying the stands, venues reverberating from an artist’s performance - the LCS has given it all to esports fans, making it one of the most celebrated professional esports leagues in the world.

The start of the 2022 League of Legends competitive scene also marks the 10-year anniversary of the LCS. Although the LCS might not hold a powerful position internationally yet, it has been putting up a valiant fight against the international giants of the League of Legends esports scene.

Personally, the LCS truly introduced me to the enormous world of esports. As a teenager who was new to League of Legends, the LCS helped me fall in love with the game and the endless possibilities it presented. From finding simple joy in watching stellar gameplay and learning the current meta, it taught me the fundamentals of esports.

Just watching a couple of games live on Twitch got me totally hooked on the game. After numerous Google searches and a mini YouTube binge session later, I was convinced that the game’s esports scene was truly wild and entertaining. What started as a fascination for League of Legends transcended into a love for the LCS, its teams, and its players.

Built brick by brick

The LCS has stood the test of time. Time and again it has showcased its potential to stay in vogue by engaging with its fans through its slick and straightforward broadcasts. What started as a humble beginning for the LCS in Riot’s West Los Angeles studio has now transcended into a global esports celebration with games being organized in historic arenas like the Madison Square Garden, TD Garden, and Scotiabank Arena.

2015 NA LCS hosted matches in the historic Madison Square Garden

In an attempt to kick League of Legends esports into high gear, Riot announced the formation of the separate leagues in both North America and Europe, setting up teams to wrestle for the millions of dollars in prize money on the line.

The LCS, formerly called the North American League of Legends Championship Series (NA LCS) between 2013-2018, found its inception in 2012, but was launched in the third season of pro play in 2013 with eight teams in the league. Ten years later, the LCS allowed for franchises (starting in 2018), rebooted its relegation system into a supportive model through the LCS Academy, and launched an association to protect its players.

Initially criticized for the lack of big-name sponsors during the early days of franchising, the LCS has evolved significantly since, signing sponsorships and partnerships with several major non-endemic brands including Honda, Mastercard, Samsung, and recently a seven-year-long deal with FTX, a cryptocurrency exchange platform.

A rocky ride but fans persevere

Rightly so, a large factor behind the success and perseverance of the LCS can be attributed to the fans and community who have remained loyal to the league for so many years. Be it a tweet about NA supremacy, battling Europe on Twitch by spamming copypastas, or screaming NA>EU during international tournaments, LCS fans have relentlessly rallied to show their love for the league, despite criticism about the league’s performance when pitted against the likes of the League of Legends European Championship (LEC) and China’s League of Legends Pro League (LPL).

The community’s role as a pillar of support has significantly helped the LCS realize that it needs to spice things up to prevent itself from failing in terms of viewership numbers and content creation. It has been constantly brought up how the LCS underperforms in international tournaments and how all it does is provide a “retiring home” for many global stars. LCS’ import policies have been heavily criticized by experts and pros alike as well.

"LCS teams have been heavily criticized by the global community for consistently failing to perform at international tournaments while importing talent from other major regional leagues instead of developing regional talent," said Parth "Parth" Naidu, Team SoloMid (TSM) general manager, in his Esports Player Development report’s summary.

Over the years, the LCS has also taken a hit in the form of failing viewership. The 2021 LCS Summer Split had the lowest peak viewership count in the last five years. According to EportsCharts, the LCS reached a peak of 364K viewers. On the other hand, during the 2021 Summer Split the LEC had a staggering peak viewership of 843K.

The rebranding of the LCS in 2021 shows that the league is trying to keep up with the constant evolution of its community, shifting its focus from commercial growth to a cultural one. It also shows that it is trying to keep up with the pace of the other leagues in terms of broadcast and viewership retention.

The LCS is a world in itself. It is built upon countless stories, lore, cultures, and inside jokes fuelled by its ocean of fans. LCS’ motto “Made by Many” encompasses the memories collectively shared by fans, the teams, the many players, and the personalities associated with it.

Fans revisit the glory days of the LCS

Most of the community has been on this rollercoaster of a ride right from the very beginning. From the birth of some of NA’s biggest League of Legends masterminds and watching them turn into legends to cheering them on even after their retirement, the fans have been through it all. So, why do the fans love the LCS? What brings them back despite criticism about the LCS’ conservative broadcast approach? Seeking answers, AFK Gaming reached out to fans ahead of the LCS’ ten-year anniversary.

Some of the fans I spoke to expressed their adoration for the league by sharing memories of their favorite pro games, plays, unique champion drafts, and healthy banter between teams and players in the LCS.

“The reason why I started loving the LCS is very simple,” League of Legends player Nandakumar “Tailonfist” Rathinavel told AFK. “It is not about the skill or the insane gameplay for me. Some of the goofy plays in the competition like failed tower dives or bad communication remind me of my Solo Queue experience. Sometimes it's the spirit of a pro wanting to carry the game single-handedly. I see a part of myself in the games.”

Towers are our enemies

It is a running gag in the League of Legends esports scene that some of the plays that NA teams make in international tournaments are questionable. The LCS is infamous for its many fun-fail moments – whether it is diving enemy structures, or making bad calls like starting neutral objectives while the team’s spells are on cooldown.

North America's playstyle is often memed in the community

Talking about fun-fail moments, Reddit user Animesiac reminded the community of the clown-fiesta that transpired in a 2016 Spring Split game between Renegades and Dignitas . With players dying to neutral monsters and towers, this match would go on to become a classic example of how not to play the game.

Unconventional picks are an LCS specialty

Fans also love the LCS for the daring picks that sometimes go through the champion select phase. Whether it is a classic, unconventional Darius pick or running a team composition with an annoyance that is Teemo - LCS has served its fans pure entertainment. For those of you who don’t play Teemo, think of him as the equivalent of Techies from Dota 2 or Raze from Valorant (when you are stuck in a corner with nowhere to run).

One Reddit user recalled the match between NRG Esports and Team SoloMid where TSM locked in the infamous Teemo for its top-laner Kevin “Hauntzer” Yarnell. The story behind the Teemo pick traces back to TSM owner Andy “Reginald” Dinh’s tweet where he had promised fans a Teemo pick in the next game if his tweet crossed 20K RTs.

We will rock you! - the numerous personalities of LCS

Some of LCS' broadcast talent

Anyone who enjoys watching esports will understand and appreciate the effort and hard work put in by the play-by-play shout casters, color casters, and desk analysts who make a game enjoyable. Getting the audience hyped up just by using the right words is no easy feat. It is the casters and analysts who are the voice of the game during broadcasts. They add value, nuance, and insight whilst actively commenting on what is happening on the screen.

With some of the iconic casters and commentators under its belt, the LCS has always managed to build hype and retain audience interest in its league despite lowering competitive quality. LCS’ personalities have built unique connections with their fans, which have increased the sentimental value that the community holds for the league.

For instance, Sam "Kobe" Hartman-Kenzler has been a part of the LCS broadcast as a caster since Season 3. He is fondly remembered for his “Professor Kobe” videos where he would break down game clips and highlights while pointing out the misplays with good humor.

David “Phreak” Turley, also a treasured member of the LCS broadcast team, known for his unapologetic and ruthless comments during casting has also managed to garner a rabid fanbase. His phrase ‘tons of damage’ even became a popular meme within the community.

Even newer talents who joined the league recently like Clayton "CaptainFlowers" Raines have captured the heart of the community. The “Rap God” of the LCS was dearly missed by the community during the 2021 Worlds, when he gave the event a pass. On Twitter, User AngyyFuloth said they loved watching the LCS because of CaptainFlowers and tweeted a famous clip of his from Worlds 2018.

It’s not just the casters that make LCS so enjoyable. Let’s talk about the “life of the party” - the players who bring the LCS to life. Over the years some of these player names have become synonymous with the league.

Some of LCS' famous pro players

While conversing with a League of Legends follower, you will probably come across names like Bjergsen, Doublelift, Aphromoo, Scarra, Imaqtpie, and Dyrus. They are undoubtedly some of the greatest players to have graced the game and the community takes pride in the fact that they were all fostered by the LCS. From child prodigies to veteran players, you can find them all in the LCS.

Søren "Bjergsen" Bjerg was only a kid when he entered the LCS in 2014. He was pivotal in earning six LCS titles for TSM as the mid-laner. The fans have cheered him on for all his major career decisions - retiring from pro play, becoming a coach, and later announcing his comeback. Bjergsen’s Zilean picks in the regional games would go on to dictate a new meta across the globe.

The league also boasts a superstar that can probably go head-to-head with any other professional player in the world. A particular statement made by him has been visited and revisited by many. “Everyone is trash,” proclaimed Yiliang "Doublelift" Peng, an ADC player known for his trash talk. With a huge appetite for victory, he has often admitted that his words have gotten him into trouble in the past. This attitude has earned the star player admiration and admonition.

Pick a fight. Wait, not literally!

What makes a competitive esports scene interesting to watch? For some, it is being able to witness the highest tiers of plays from the best of the best. For others, it is the storylines that are attached to the pro scene. And honestly, what better storylines do we need other than esports rivalries? They truly elevate the game and turn regular matches into must watch affairs. For fans, there cannot be a more exhilarating feeling than watching their favorites crush their archrivals.

There is no other region in League of Legends with rivalries as passionate, legendary, and entertaining as those in the LCS. Over the years, the LCS has gained popularity for its intense nail-biters intertwined with the best storylines, ardent fans, and terrific atmosphere, making it a must-watch affair for fans of the game.

If you have been around since the beginning of the LCS, you cannot avoid being intrigued by the classic TSM vs CLG rivalry. Being two of the oldest organizations in NA, these teams had the longest-running rivalry, maybe the first-ever in the League of Legends esports scene. The interactions between them have always been heated, fuelled by passion with an overwhelming desire to win.

It all started after TSM’s CEO Andy “Reginald” Dinh and CLG’s president George “HotshotGG” Georgallidis decided to go their separate ways after having played for CLG. The lack of compatibility and open disdain between the two became evident and translated into heated games whenever the two sides faced off.

This rivalry not only shaped the careers of the respective players of TSM and CLG, but also set a standard for the LCS on the international stage. And of course, as fans we loved it.

TSM vs CLG

(The statistics have been sourced from The Game Haus, Games of Legends, and Wikipedia)

One of my earliest memories of the LCS was when HotshotGG got his hair dyed hot pink in the 2015 Spring Split after losing a bet with Reginald. The two owners had decided that the loser of the TSM vs CLG matchup would dye their hair and the producers of LCS even had a session dedicated to PinkshotGG’s transformation on the livestream showcasing how integral this rivalry was and still is to the league.

The TSM vs CLG rivalry in League of Legends esports is just as important as Los Angeles Lakers vs Boston Celtics to the National Basketball Association (NBA) or as compelling as the rivalry between India and Pakistan in cricket.

The passions of these teams and many other new rivalries that seem to be sprouting in the grounds of the LCS have ebbed and flowed through the fans for ages. What and how these rivalries translate into the new season is something we can only wait and watch for.

With the possibility of live LAN events resuming and with Worlds touring North America in 2022, it is only natural to expect the LCS to impress its fans and find a solution to bring back its viewers and make them stay.

Whether this will finally be the year where LCS and NA make a comeback and regain its lost viewership is yet to be seen. But one thing is for certain, LCS fans are in for a heck of a ride in 2022 with the league resuming from 14th Jan.

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TenZ vs nAts: Valorant Esports' First Great Rivalry?https://afkgaming.com/premium/valorant/tenz-vs-nats-valorant-esports-first-great-rivalryhttps://afkgaming.com/premium/valorant/tenz-vs-nats-valorant-esports-first-great-rivalry#comments0fc38e0b-ee39-4168-a1b5-cd223a41ea76Sat, 15 Jan 2022 11:40:53 +05302022-01-15T11:40:53.931+05:30Abhimannu Das/api/author/1568072VALORANT,Valorant Champions Tour,Tyson “TenZ” Ngo,Ayaz "nAts" AkhmetshinValorantThe dust has settled after the conclusion of Valorant’s first year of esports, and several players have established claim to being the best in the world. At the start of 2021, Tyson “TenZ” Ngo had the most remarkable start to his run with Sentinels. The former Cloud9 player had stepped down from competitive play to focus on content creation and within a matter of weeks he became the talk of the town. Sentinels was unstoppable during Stage One and Two and the team secured back-to-back Masters wins. TenZ’s dueling capabilities are among the best in the world; he is no stranger to high-pressure situations.

While everyone had nothing but praise for TenZ with North America dominating most of 2021, Ayaz "nAts" Akhmetshin quickly climbed the ranks and caught the attention of analysts and fans alike. While TenZ is aggressive and methodical, nAts relies on knowledge and craftiness. After all, he is known for Viper and Cypher, two agents that demand game sense and map awareness. When it comes to mechanical skill, TenZ and nAts may be evenly matched but their playstyles are completely different. TenZ is a swift executioner while nAts loves to control the playing field before striking.

But which of these two players has more claim to the title of “best player in the world” and what would it take for either of these two players to cement their spot as Valorant’s number one?

Year in Review: TenZ

TenZ started competing in CS:GO and was part of multiple tier-two teams before transitioning to Cloud9. He stepped down from Cloud9’s competitive CS:GO roster back in December 2019. Once Riot Games’ First Person Shooter came out, it caught his attention and he was picked up by his former team Cloud9. During his time at C9, the team didn’t quite grab any headlines and the only notable event that it won was the EsportsDoug x eUnited Charity Clash.

Tyson “TenZ” Ngo

Eventually, he decided to step down from Cloud9’s active roster and focus on content creation. He made it clear that he would return to competitive play in the future but no one expected TenZ to make a comeback in just a matter of weeks. Sentinels was going through a crisis with Jay “Sinatraa” Won being banned for alleged sexual misconduct related to an ex-girlfriend and TenZ was loaned out to the team from Cloud9 to fill his shoes.

After an exciting start to his journey with Sentinels, it became evident that TenZ had found his new home. Sentinels was already a solid squad and Sinatraa was one of the best players in North America (NA) at the time, but he did not get a chance to prove himself due to the controversy he found himself in. Riot was unable to find enough evidence to prove Sinatraa guilty but Sentinels decided to retain TenZ as part of the active roster, and Sinatraa ultimately turned to content creation under the organization’s banner.

After helping Sentinels secure first-place at North America’s Stage One Masters event, everyone wanted him to continue with the winning team. After Sentinels struck a deal with Cloud9 to retain TenZ as a permanent member of the roster, the team became unstoppable. It won NA’s Stage 2 Challengers and made its way through to Masters Stage 2 Reykjavik. It was the first major international Valorant event and TenZ was quick to prove his skill at that level.

The Canadian esports star helped Sentinels secure a decisive 3-0 victory against Fnatic at Reykjavik and he also won the MVP award for his solid performance. With a spot at the world championships secured, everyone was wondering if Sentinels could win three Masters events in a row, but that’s where nAts stepped in and ushered in the era of European dominance in Valorant.

Year in Review: nAts

NAts is not your typical player who makes headlines at every event. He is a powerhouse who delivers consistent performances and is one of the most cerebral players in Valorant. NAts does not rely on Jett’s flashy movement or Raze’s explosive playstyle. Instead, he lives and breathes in Viper’s toxin screens and gathers intel as Cypher. He takes his time understanding every situation and strikes only when he needs to.

Ayaz "nAts" Akhmetshin - Gambit Esports

CS:GO and Valorant share similarities but nAts embraces the things that make Riot’s shooter unique. He leverages abilities and knows how to make the most out of Viper’s kit. He is one of the most inventive players in the game with an innate ability to tactically use smokes and abilities to get behind enemies and pick them off when they least expect it.

While TenZ was making headlines in Stage One and Two, nAts was perfecting his craft to become one of the most impactful players at Masters Berlin. NAts did not even break a sweat during the semi finals and the grand finals. Gambit would go on to win the event and earn a slot at Champions, setting the stage for a showdown between nAts and TenZ.

He might not top the leaderboards and be among the top five players at events (in terms of raw statistics alone), but if you check out his gameplay you will know why he is so crucial to the Gambit roster. NAts is capable of shutting down enemy duelists and taking out the biggest threats: At Masters Berlin, he had no trouble keeping G2’s Cista "Keloqz" Wassim and Envy’s Jaccob "yay" Whiteaker on their toes. Both Keloqz and yay are known for their technical prowess and yet nAts managed to be the kryptonite Gambit needed him to be.

Everyone would have loved to have had a Sentinels vs Gambit Esports matchup but it was not meant to be. Sentinels’ impressive run came to an abrupt end with European teams completely dominating the world championships. Had it not been for KRU Esports’ heroics, we would witness an all-European semi-final round. Gambit managed to shut down KRU Esports’ dream run and made its way to the grand final.

Acend may have beaten Gambit Esports, but the grand final was nothing short of a one-man show by nAts. He outperformed and outclassed everyone else on the biggest night of the year. He had more damage, more kills, and less deaths than anyone else on stage, and yet his efforts were not enough. Had he managed to win the world championship, it would be irrefutable that nAts holds the highest claim towards being called the “best Valorant player” in the world.

TenZ vs nAts: How do they match up?

If we look at accomplishments alone, both players have two Masters wins each. TenZ won NA Masters One and Masters 2 Reykjavik, while nAts won CIS Stage One Masters and Masters 3 Berlin.

If we look at their performances throughout 2021 from a statistical perspective, here’s how they match up currently:

TenZ and nAts'performance in the last three months

It is too close to definitively say which player takes the title of “best Valorant player” and with both players falling short at Champions, the rivalry must go on. 2022 might help the community put an end to the long-running debate. But not having someone who is significantly better than everyone else might be a good thing.

Oleksandr "s1mple" Kostyliev (CS:GO) and Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok (League of Legends) in their prime are a cut above the rest and honestly, the difference between TenZ, nAts, and some of the other powerhouse players in the VCT isn’t noticeable yet. We have the likes of Nikita "Derke" Sirmitev from Fnatic and Acend’s Mehmet Yağız "cNed" İpek, who could very well lay claim to the throne on statistics alone.

It is a debate that is best settled with trophies and medals, and as it stands both TenZ and nAts have a long way to go. Unlike a lot of other pros in the Valorant scene who made their way to the game from CS:GO, TenZ and nAts are young and may have a lot of untapped potential. With both players evenly matched, it will be interesting to see how they match up against each other this year in 2022.

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What Is Wrong With Evil Geniuses This Season?https://afkgaming.com/premium/dota2/what-is-wrong-with-evil-geniuses-this-seasonhttps://afkgaming.com/premium/dota2/what-is-wrong-with-evil-geniuses-this-season#comments9afe9527-9078-4f96-be13-6d60bceaa4ecSat, 08 Jan 2022 18:38:12 +05302022-01-08T18:38:12.696+05:30Rakshak Kathuria/api/author/1568071Evil Geniuses,North America,Dota 2,Jerax,DPC 2021-22Dota2“JerAx is a fu**ing clown,” said Samuel "Sammyboy" Anderson, the captain of Wildcard Gaming, after securing an unprecedented but clearly significant win over Evil Geniuses in the Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) North America (NA) 2021-22 Tour 1: Division 1.

Evil Geniuses’ players have been called many names in the past: Chokers, Cliffteezy and LuLba. "Clowns" is a first. Strikingly enough, this comment was directed at two-time The International (TI) champion JerAx, historically the most successful player on the lineup, who is widely regarded as one of Dota 2’s legends. This coming from an opponent who has never been to a TI himself, reeks of disrespect, but it also indicates that something is clearly not working for Evil Geniuses' Dota 2 roster this season. The same team that has consistently held NA Dota’s top spot over the last few years has now lost two out of its four series’ in the DPC 2021-22, and is uncharacteristically at a slight risk of being relegated to the Lower Division and far away from securing a Major slot.

Is EG's roster change the culprit?

Let’s rewind to Evil Geniuses’ position in June 2021. Its roster was well established and had been playing together for some time. It was consistently the most competitive team in the regional leagues and majors. At the cusp of TI10 Evil Geniuses lost its momentum at precisely the moment it needed to preserve it and the team finished at a disappointing 9th-12th.

Anything less than a first place finish at TI10 often leads to roster changes, and Evil Geniuses was no exception. The team parted ways with its captain Tal "Fly" Aizik along with its reliable offlaner Daryl Koh "iceiceice" Pei Xiang in November 2021. A few days later, EG announced the additions of Egor "Nightfall" Grigorenko, a young carry player who turned into an offlaner exclusively for the organization, and the return of two-time TI champion, Jesse "JerAx" Vainikka. Both Nightfall and JerAx joined Evil Geniuses by stepping into unfamiliar roles with the latter now playing position five instead of position four. This newly formed squad would have hoped to find its footing quickly however, they’ve been seemingly unsuccessful thus far.

Evil Geniuses' current Dota 2 roster - Nightfall, Abed, Cr1t-, Arteezy, and JerAx (left to right)

Let’s start with JerAx, a beloved player to Dota 2 fans, whose return from a nearly two year long retirement has hyped them up. With the team suffering two losses in three series in a DPC format that is notoriously unforgiving, questions about his post retirement performance are becoming unavoidable. His last official match prior to this stint was at TI9.

After retiring in Jan 2020, he looked (understandably) rusty on his livestream in June 2021. But even now, following his return to active competition, he continues to maintain a rather low profile in Evil Geniuses’ games. The team’s laning phase is usually textbook Dota and often goes alright if JerAx or Arteezy do not make a blunder. But the mid game is where JerAx's presence on the map isn’t nearly felt as much as it should be. This is a phenomenon that is particularly visible when he has played heroes such as Enchantress.

Granted, he’s playing position five instead of his trademark position four. But JerAx has always been known for making plays across the map and supporting his team in a high risk high reward style. Yet now he now takes on a sacrificial role and one can’t help but wonder if this is the best way to realize his potential. It appears that this break from competitive Dota along with the switch in his role is hindering JerAx's ability to perform to the fullest.

In fact, JerAx had acknowledged after the win over Black N Yellow in the DPC that he is far from being at his best. As he is still relatively new to aspects such as neutral items, changing outposts, and Aghanim's Shard. JerAx has admitted that he is sometimes not sure of what to do when certain situations arise. But he did say that he was always able to seek assistance from his teammates, who he mentioned were very understanding of his situation and believed that success would come in the long run.

Unfamiliar roles for EG’s stars aren’t helping matters

It becomes difficult for a team to succeed when not one, but two players are playing roles outside their comfort zones. Before joining EG, Nightfall was regarded as one of the world's best carry players during Virtus.pro's very successful tenure in the DPC 2021. His performance against Evil Geniuses at TI10 was even praised by Artour "Arteezy" Babaev.

Yet his in-game prowess has seemingly not translated into success in his new role at Evil Geniuses. Nightfall and Cr1t- perform similarly to the JerAx and Arteezy duo during the laning phase. They usually do alright in lane battles and, in many cases, even turn the tables on their opponents. But Nightfall has failed to maintain a level of consistency in his games - a problem that’s compounded by JerAx’s underperformance in position five.

Popular Dota 2 players playing for Evil Geniuses in their non traditional roles

Is the team’s playstyle compounding its problems?

But rather than pointing fingers at the new additions, let’s zoom out and look at the bigger picture. As a team, Evil Geniuses now has five players who all have a greedy play style. Abed “Abed” Azel L. Yusop is impulsive and oftentimes successful, Arteezy is efficient at farming and an artist at playing heroes who can farm quickly, Andreas Franck "Cr1t-" Nielsen is amazing at making jaw-dropping moves, and, as previously discussed, JerAx and Nightfall also share similar attributes.

But if Team Secret of TI6 has taught us something, it’s that five of the best players on a team do not automatically guarantee success. In many of the games that Evil Geniuses has played thus far, their play feels rather disconnected particularly in teamfights. We can also see Arteezy having some rough games, something that only occurred rarely, with EG’s previous lineups. Even when he has been hunted down deep in his own jungle, Evil Geniuses have not been very effective at responding and protecting their carry.

EG is missing a veteran captain

Fly's departure could have hurt EG in more ways than one

There is no doubt that these five players possess a strong understanding of the game, based on their past performances and results. Two-time TI champion JerAx has been through all the trials and tribulations required to win in various situations. But, once again, in a team game such as Dota 2, it is vital to have a natural captain to succeed at the highest levels of the game. The person filling these shoes must be able to focus on his own gameplay while also acting as the driving force for the rest of the team. Evil Geniuses, however, seem to be missing a player with that unique skill. Five high quality players can have very different opinions about a game's situation, a symptom that portrays a lack of unity and leadership.

Team Secret’s captain Clement “Puppey” Ivanov made an interesting comment about his team, which was also another highly reputed roster in the DPC 2021-22. His team was underwhelming in its first series against OG, but after securing a win in its second series, Puppey explained in the post-match interview that the players on Team Secret had a high reputation and were possibly anxious not to fail in front of one another. This fear of failure could be what’s holding EG from realizing its full potential. NA Dota has been synonymous with EG for years, but with new players taking on this mantle, it might be too large a burden for their shoulders without strong leadership.

Evil Geniuses still has to play three more series which include some of the favorites for the second Major slot in North America namely, Quincy Crew, 4 Zoomers, and Team Undying. With EG’s current underwhelming form, things don’t really look promising heading into the second half of the season.

However, EG’s predicament can change. Since that fateful interview, Puppey’s Team Secret has started to grab some series wins, demonstrating a great deal of improvement.

The mid-season break to accommodate the holidays may have also been a blessing in disguise for Evil Geniuses, allowing them to mentally reset and begin the process of building momentum and racking up the wins. Additionally, in the post-match winner's interview after the win over Black N Yellow in the DPC, JerAx had explained that his teammates understood the building blocks of a team and he was optimistic about results becoming better over time.

In order to qualify for the Major from here on, Evil Geniuses must finish in the top two of the standings. Anything less than that will be extremely disappointing for the players and the organization, who have become accustomed to success and consistency. Evil Geniuses are under tremendous pressure at the moment, and the next few weeks in NA Dota 2 will either see a comeback that will be remembered or the fall of an NA dynasty.

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The Year of BGMI? 2021, Indian Esports' Biggest Year Yethttps://afkgaming.com/premium/esports/the-year-of-bgmi-2021-indian-esports-biggest-year-yethttps://afkgaming.com/premium/esports/the-year-of-bgmi-2021-indian-esports-biggest-year-yet#comments9b74430a-b12a-4561-a9c0-20c8a8ad936aThu, 30 Dec 2021 15:18:55 +05302021-12-30T15:18:55.495+05:30Aditya Singh Rawat/api/author/1568067South Asia,India,VALORANT,Gameplay,PC Esports,Mobile Esports,BGMIEsportsIt has been a great year for esports globally as the world slowly returned to normalcy and tournament organizers shifted to LAN events with or without live audiences. We witnessed the crowning of the first-ever Valorant world champions, the record-breaking return of the CS:GO Major after more than two years, The International 2021 raising the stakes with a total prize pool of $40,018,195 USD, Riot Games hosting the Horizon Cup 2021 which was the biggest Wild Rift esports event so far, Free Fire World Series 2021 Singapore setting a new esports viewership peak at 5.4M concurrent viewers, and a lot more across various titles.

For the Indian esports and gaming industry, it has been quite an eventful year for both PC and Mobile titles within the country as well. Starting with the highly anticipated release of Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) which took the entire mobile gaming community by storm, followed by Riot Games introducing the Valorant Conquerors Championship through which an Indian team qualified to compete in an international competition for the first time ever, the Indian gaming industry witnessed quite a boom this year.

In fact, the growth has been so stupendous that India has been named as the fastest growing video games market across both PC and Mobile in Asia by Niko Partners. This is just one of many such developments that Indian esports witnessed in 2021.

Krafton Releases Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI)

The release of BGMI within the country was the biggest esports/gaming development that India witnessed in 2021. The India exclusive mobile battle royale by Krafton, after months of build-up and speculation, was released for Android on 2nd July 2021, followed by a delayed release for iOS on 18th August 2021.

As expected, BGMI took the Indian mobile gaming community by storm. Even before its release, the game had successfully managed to acquire 20M pre-registrations in a span of just 17 days on the Google Play Store.

Since its release, BGMI has successfully achieved more than 50 million downloads, unlocking the milestone on 5th August, just a month after the game’s official launch. The user statistics released by Krafton on 12th July revealed that the game was achieving a maximum of 16 million daily active users along with a peak of 2.4 million concurrent users.

BGMI user statistics released by Krafton

Krafton has rolled out regular updates and regional events for BGMI, while also putting up an active fight against hackers and cheaters that had started plaguing the game a few months after the game’s release. This was brought to light after content creators and professional players spoke out about the issue publicly.

BGMI ended up winning the ‘Best Game’ award on Google Play’s Best of 2021 awards. Along with improving the game, the developers were quick to step into the competitive side of things as well. Within a week of the game’s official release, Krafton announced the first official competitive BGMI tournament - The Launch Party. It featured a total prize pool of INR 6,00,000 ($8,042 USD) where 18 popular Indian content creators were set to participate in it.

The event received a solid response from the community. Following this, Krafton announced the Battlegrounds Mobile India Series (BGIS) 2021 featuring a massive INR 1 Crore ($134.2K) prize pool. The open tournament was a combination of both a grassroots level event and a podium for well-established teams. This was a huge step forward by Krafton that bolstered the Indian mobile esports ecosystem signalling a bigger esports ecosystem.

Many other tournament organizers like Skyesports, The Esports Club, Red Bull, Villager Esports, and more started hosting BGMI tournaments with about 50 top-tier competitions already having been conducted in 2021 so far.

A few notable BGMI tournaments that took place this year include,

Note: Only BGMI tournaments with total prize pool equal to or more than INR 5 Lakhs have been included. Data via Liquipedia.

The release of BGMI may have also had a larger impact on the Indian esports industry. The game has also paved a pathway for esports titles to tie into tournament circuits for banned games. Currently, the winner of BGIS 2021 is set to receive a slot in PMGC 2021: Grand Finals.

Singapore-based developer ACTOZ SG has released ‘Clash of Titans’ (CoT) in India. The game is currently being marketed as India's first-ever MOBA game for mobile devices. The game has an opportunity to capture the uncontested Indian mobile MOBA market as both League of Legends: Wild Rift (WR) and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) are not currently available in the country.

Interestingly, the game seems to be quite similar to the popular MOBA title, Arena of Valor (AoV). The ‘Titans’ in the promotional poster of the game are similar to heroes found in AoV, in addition to the skins and in-game map. Perhaps CoT could also tie into the esports circuit of AoV in 2022.

CoT app icon (left) compared to AoV hero Thane (right)

India Reportedly Becomes Fastest-Growing Games Market in Asia

India has experienced rapid growth across both Mobile and PC gaming markets in 2021, presumably thanks to the release of BGMI. Free Fire continues to do exceptionally well, there is Valorant’s steady growth along with other valuable contributions being made by various titles, all collectively contributing significantly to the growth of the industry.

According to the Asian video games and esports market research firm - Niko Partners and Daniel Ahmad (Senior Analyst at the firm), the revenue generated by Indian gaming markets in 2021 is projected to reach $534.1 Million, witnessing a Year over Year (YoY) growth of 31.79%. At a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 29.8%, this is expected to reach the $1.5 Billion mark by the year 2025.

Additionally, India’s PC and Mobile gaming audience is expected to reach about 340M by the end of the year, a 21.97% YoY growth. This audience is further forecasted to grow at a CAGR of 13.7% to reach 529 Million by 2025.

India Mobile Gaming Market

India has already established itself as the second-largest games market in the world in terms of players, right behind China, becoming the fastest growing market in Asia-10* in terms of both revenue and games. In fact, India’s ARPU (Average Revenue per User) is expected to grow at the fastest rate through to 2025, despite it having the lowest ARPU in Asia-10 at the moment.

India’s fast growth has been contributed to the following reasons,

  • Low cost of 4G data.

  • The proliferation of affordable smartphones.

  • An abundance of high-quality free-to-play titles.

*Asia-10 countries include Chinese Taipei, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Indian PC esports goes international

The rise of Valorant in the country has empowered a thriving esports and streaming community outside the realm of mobile esports. Riot Games’ tactical first-person shooter (FPS) has turned things around drastically for PC esports and content creation within India, despite the game only being around for a little more than a year.

Valorant has seemingly single-handedly revived PC gaming in India bolstering competitive gaming, streaming, and content creation. There have been a lot of local Valorant tournaments that Indian and South Asian teams have participated in, and they have accrued some amazing concurrent viewership numbers.

Over the last year, teams developed a significant fan base which has consequently led to a boost in the level of competition and quality of tournaments. Viewership also skyrocketed over the course of the year. The high stakes grand finals of Valorant Conquerors Championship (VCC) drew a peak viewership of 55,719 concurrent viewers, which is significantly higher than the numbers for past Indian PC esports tournaments for titles like CS:GO and Dota 2.

Riot Games is paving the way for South Asian teams through its official Valorant Champions Tour circuit through the introduction of the Valorant Conquerors Championship (VCC). These progressive steps definitely bode well for PC esports enthusiasts within the country.

Indian esports teams and players have contributed significantly to boost interest and viewership in Valorant. With its win at the VCC, Global Esports qualified for the Valorant Champions Tour: Asia Pacific Last Chance Qualifier and became the first Indian team to compete in Riot’s official circuit. The team and its star player Ganesh "SkRossi" Gangadhar pushed Indian Valorant to new heights winning a series and going toe-to-toe against some of the best in Asia, ensuring a promising future for Indian Valorant.

SkRossi Overall Performance at VCT 2021 - APAC LCQ

It wasn’t just the male roster that elevated Indian Valorant. Velocity Asteria, a female Valorant esports team featuring several Indian players successfully qualified for the Valorant Champions Tour (VCT) Game Changers SEA Elite tournament.

Similar to Global Esports' run, Velocity Asteria also put up a strong performance before being eliminated from the tournament. With the expansion of the Valorant Game Changers series of events, the teams are expected to have more opportunities to fly the Indian banner at official Valorant events.

Indian esports organizations sign international rosters and players

Indian organizations have not only grown in strength within the country but are also expanding their horizons as a few organizations have also picked international teams or signed foreign players to bolster their Indian rosters. This denotes a healthy environment for esports businesses to establish their headquarters within the country.

Stalwart Esports after a controversial exit from the Pakistani region in August 2021, went on to successfully enter the Mongolian region a few months later in September 2021. It had signed the Mongolian PUBG Mobile team Astra Academy. At the time of signing the lineup, this acquisition had made these players the highest-paid in PUBG Mobile across the entire South Asian region (excluding Indian BGMI players), according to the organization.

Indian esports organization Entity Gaming, almost two years after last competing in Dota 2, announced its expansion into Europe with the signing of the EU DPC Division 2 team ‘Creepwave’ in November.

Foreign nationals are also being recruited by Indian esports organizations. Enigma Gaming’s captain Shakir “hikkA“ Razak is a Sri Lankan national who is one of the founding members of its Valorant team and the only player to still remain a part of it since the beginning. Even its latest recruit, Lukas “yb” Gröning, is a German national who is now part of its Valorant team as the team's head coach.

Even Global Esports, before heading into its first-ever international Valorant tournament - Valorant Champions Tour 2021: Asia Pacific Last Chance Qualifier, had temporarily signed North American Valorant player Josh "shinobi" Abastado as its coach to give them a helping hand in its preparations.

Velocity Gaming’s female Valorant division - VLT Asteria is also a mixed roster featuring international players. The team currently comprises three Indian players - Saloni "Meow16k" Pawar, Neha "CaspeR" Sottany, Akanksha aka "Muffinloop"; one Pakistani player - Iqra “BriTSy” khan; and an Australian player - Shreya "shreyuwu" Prasad.

Indian esports viewership and overall interest in the industry have shown consistent growth in 2021. While the return of Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) will certainly dominate the highlights of the year, the importance of Valorant’s emergence as the go-to PC esports title for Indian esports viewers cannot be understated. India was previously only viewed as a destination for mobile esports tournaments, but that perception might change, with tournament organizers like Nodwin Gaming, Skyesports, and The Esports Club hosting Valorant events that draw in thousands of viewers on average.

2022 will be a year where BGMI may face fierce competition from the likes of Free Fire, COD Mobile, Apex Legends mobile, and Krafton’s own PUBG: New State. It will be interesting to see if it can maintain its position in the Indian market despite the abundance of mobile Battle Royale games within the country.

It will also be interesting to see how the average Indian mobile esports player reacts to Clash of Titans. In the past, India has only had negligible viewership when it comes to MOBA esports. So far, the initial reception to the game seems rather lukewarm with only 50K+ installs at the end of December 2021. Can Actoz Singapore turn things around?

With the winners of BGIS 2021 getting a direct invite to the grand finals of PUBG Mobile Global Championships 2021, two South Asian Valorant teams getting a chance to compete in VCT 2022: APAC LCQ, Indian teams preparing for Free Fire World Series 2022, and other such exciting news, 2022 is already shaping up to be another great year for Indian esports.

Note:

  • Nodwin Gaming is a client of and an investor at AFK Gaming

  • The Esports Club is a client of AFK Gaming

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An Inside Look at Velocity Gaming's Entry Into BGMI https://afkgaming.com/premium/pubgm/an-inside-look-at-velocity-gamings-entry-into-bgmihttps://afkgaming.com/premium/pubgm/an-inside-look-at-velocity-gamings-entry-into-bgmi#commentsaab83a0c-bf74-4058-9e9c-4bb67ed4c875Tue, 28 Dec 2021 17:00:00 +05302021-12-28T17:00:00.000+05:30Abhimannu Das/api/author/1568072Velocity Gaming,VLT Sentinel,Battlegrounds Mobile India,BGMIPUBGMIndian esports organization Velocity Gaming (VLT) was already established as one of India’s premier esports organizations thanks to its success in Valorant with multiple LAN victories against its name. However, the organization did not initially make its way into India’s lucrative mobile esports market despite being interested in it for quite some time. Krafton’s launch of Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) and the introduction of the Battlegrounds Mobile India Series (BGIS) have seemingly instigated the organization's interests once again. It finally entered mobile esports by picking up the former Team IND BGMI roster in November 2021.

In an interview with AFK Gaming, Velocity Gaming owner Manoj “Sentinel” Kashyap revealed the work that goes behind signing and enabling a BGMI roster in India. He explained Velocity Gaming’s esports-first mantra and why they signed a BGMI lineup. He also opened up about the financial aspects of operating an Indian esports team and the challenges that a Tier 1 organization faces.

Building a BGMI Roster in India

Velocity Gaming planned to dive into mobile esports a year ago, with the organization keen on acquiring a PUBG Mobile roster. However, the game’s ban in India and consequent suspension of its esports scene in 2020 halted its plans.

VLT bided its time choosing to not invest in other popular titles like Free Fire in the meanwhile. Its gamble paid off when Krafton showed its commitment towards India to create a brand new game for the region (BGMI) and made serious investments in Indian esports including a $21.8M investment in NODWIN Gaming earlier this year. The organization believed that this was a sign indicating that the publisher treats the country as one of its primary markets and hence was worth investing in.

Once the organization decided to enter the scene, the organization already had its eyes on a potential roster. Kashyap turned towards the Team IND lineup featuring Raj “Snax” Varma, Randeep “Attanki” Singh Bhullar, Daljit “Daljitsk” Singh, and Samir “Kratos” Choubey.

Velocity Gaming's BGMI Roster

“I’ve known Snax for a while, and considering how consistent Team IND has been, it was an easy choice. Positioning and getting frags is important and our players are capable of that,” he said.

After they signed the roster VLT immediately started setting up a new boot camp in Hyderabad for the new roster in preparation for Battlegrounds Mobile India Series (BGIS). The players had not played together in a LAN environment in quite a while and the bootcamp is aimed to help the players get back to competing at the optimum levels. According to the org, the players will be provided the optimal devices with VLT is also actively looking for professionals who can help coach and strengthen the roster.

VLT is definitely going all out with their large investment which seems to be absolutely necessary to thrive in India’s increasingly competitive BGMI esports market.

The Indian Esports Business is Challenging

In Indian esports, no matter how big PC titles like Valorant get, mobile esports continues to be a step ahead. The sheer accessibility and popularity of mobile gaming in a developing economy like India unsurprisingly leads to a much larger audience compared to viewers who consume PC esports content. And this larger audience means that on average, a popular mobile esports streamer or pro player usually has a bigger fan following and influence. This has led to skyrocketing brand values which has in turn led to increasing costs of operating a Tier 1 team.

BGMI's viewership dwarfs Indian PC esports'

Tier 1 players command a large compensation thanks to their brand value and social media influence. Kashyap said, “It is definitely unsustainable for a lot of teams to invest in a new roster as social media following plays a big role in driving up the value. These days, salaries for a tier-one team would set you back by around INR 10,00,000 ($13.33K) per month.

And that does not include the operational costs of running a bootcamp, salaries of the support staff, and more. For VLT, there was no buyout figure for the players it acquired for the BGMI roster. All four players were free agents at the time of signing.

Velocity Gaming has a very small group of individuals who form its core operational team. Kashyap revealed that aside from the players, there were just seven or eight people who looked after everything from social media to player management. The lean team behind the scenes likely helps the organization minimize its monthly operating costs.

Velocity Gaming is an "esports-first" organization

Despite content creation being one of the more lucrative sources of revenue in India, the organization wants to primarily focus on esports. Kashyap considers VLT an “esports-first” organization where players are expected to meet certain benchmarks and work towards common goals. In comparison, an organization like S8UL Esports focuses heavily on content creation and has some of the biggest names in the Indian gaming and esports scene under its banner.

Sentinel's stance on esports vs content creation

“We want to deliver results and focus on winning more than content creation. We have benchmarks in place to measure our players’ performance and hold ourselves accountable for reaching our goals. I may be wrong and it may hurt me down the line but it’s something I believe in and so do my players,” explained Kashyap.

If content creation is not high on VLT’s priority list, how does the team generate its revenue?

Prize pools barely make up for any of the team’s revenue. Kashyap stated that players get the majority of the prize pool and he wants to keep it that way. According to him, it keeps the players motivated and he does not see the model changing in the future. Most of the revenue for Velocity Gaming and other esports organizations comes from sponsorships and streaming deals.

Kashyap said, “a sponsorship is the most consistent revenue source but streaming deals can be quite lucrative too. Streaming platforms often set up deals with players and it leads to both the players and their organizations earning revenue from the platforms.”

Merchandising is also something the organization is exploring. Currently, it sells t-shirts and jerseys to its fans for additional revenue. The financial model is relatively the same for other Indian esports organizations too with the only difference here being Velocity’s focus on esports over content creation.

Learning Experiences and Plans for 2022

Looking back at 2021, Velocity Gaming had its ups and downs. While the Valorant roster performed really well at local events, it fell short against Global Esports at the Valorant Conqueror’s Championship and lost its chance at making it to the APAC Last Chance Qualifier.

From a non-competitive standpoint, Velocity Gaming had also found itself in hot water after Kashyap himself had made some unsavory remarks with references to an infamous rape victim during a livestream. It led to severe backlash on social media. “It caused irreparable damage to me at a personal level and to my players and their families. The incident caught the attention of tournament organizers and Riot Games and it led to some pushback for six or seven months,” said Kashyap.

Following this, Kashyap apologized through a YouTube video but took it down eventually which raised some eyebrows. He responded by stating, “I removed the apology video because I do not want to be reminded of it. It was a tough time for me and the organization. My players were supportive during the situation and helped me through it.”

Heading into 2022, VLT is looking to expand its professional staff and is scouting for a Valorant coach experienced in working with tier one teams. With the esports scenes of both Valorant and BGMI being in their early stages of development, there are no long-term goals in place just yet. However, the team is actively working behind the scene to ensure a successful journey ahead.

The BGMI roster’s bootcamp is being set up in Hyderabad while an international bootcamp for VLT Asteria is also being brainstormed. Since the all-female Valorant roster features players from different countries, establishing an international bootcamp in Southeast Asia may be in the pipeline for Velocity Gaming.

The male Valorant roster may also go abroad to an international bootcamp to expand their repertoire to prepare for Valorant Conqueror’s Championship and other upcoming tournaments in the new season.

Velocity Gaming was created as a passion project and Kashyap feels that even if he earns just a rupee from the organization, he wants to give it back to the players. The organization has already established itself as one of the best in Valorant and it will be looking to conquer the BGMI esports scene in the region as well.

Note: An earlier version of the article incorrectly stated that the BGMI bootcamp is being set up in Mumbai. It is being set up in Hyderabad and the article has been updated to reflect the same.

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Does Age Truly Matter in Esports?https://afkgaming.com/premium/dota2/does-age-truly-matter-in-esportshttps://afkgaming.com/premium/dota2/does-age-truly-matter-in-esports#comments9b4a3970-0b88-4a26-928f-70f4ad621f58Tue, 28 Dec 2021 13:00:00 +05302021-12-28T13:00:00.000+05:30Sarah Zulkiflee/api/author/1591371Dota2Considering the relative nascency of the esports industry, the sight of old professional gamers is bizarre for a lot of us. We are so used to seeing young adults, teenagers, and sometimes even kids appear on the competitive stage and it is perhaps due to video games being perceived as the realm of youths. The younger generation dominates video gaming with a high average of 21-30 year olds. Likely due to this, players in their late-20's are already expected to start considering retirement from competitive play. With younger and younger players, like the 15-year-old Brit Jaden Ashman, who won the Fortnite World Cup, bringing down the average age of players, it has left us questioning whether older players belong in competitive esports.

The average age in esports hover around the early-20s.

Perhaps this trend is not too surprising considering that not too long ago, video games were mostly meant for kids and teenagers. However, in 2021, video games and consequently esports have become the primary choice of entertainment for many people across all ages. Surprisingly, in esports, we truly only see the younger generation of pro players dominate the scene across various titles like League of Legends, Dota 2, Valorant, CS:GO and more. As the year goes by and the young adult pro players grow into their late 20's, we witness many of them retiring or just fade away, losing their touch. A lot of us would be quick to jump on blaming their age as to the reason they can’t compete professionally like they did before, but how true is this assumption?

In this article we discuss the influence of age in esports, the benefits for younger and older players and we have also acquired a couple of first-hand insights from veteran Dota 2 player, Chai "Mushi" Yee Fung.

From a physical perspective, does age matter in esports?

It is an undeniable fact that young players conquer competitive video gaming. At The International 10 (TI10), a team with an average age of 21, Team Spirit, won the championship convincingly. Valorant sees a wave of young players entering the scene and the 2019 Fortnite World Cup Solo Finals saw a 16-year-old, Kyle “Bugha” Giersdorf, triumph single-handedly. These juveniles and many more have created history by already being the world’s best at such a young age. But as esports moves along and grows, so do the players.

For the young players who grow old, a general assumption is they would slowly dim out as they lose their touch. The veterans would retire and take another path whether it be as a caster, coach, content creator, or even leave the esports scene entirely. But this isn’t always true.

We spoke with veteran Dota 2 player, Mushi who is currently the Dota 2 coach for BOOM Esports. The 31-year old believes that age shouldn’t fully define a person’s potential in esports. “Age doesn’t really affect one’s gameplay that much. Maybe it does a little but not too much .We are playing a game, our heart and mind is young,” said Mushi.

Clement “Puppey” Ivanov is one of the most consistent players in Dota 2 and he has attended every iteration of its world championship. He is now 31 years old and although many would have assumed that his skills and abilities would start declining, he continues to hold his own as one of the best in the world. In fact, he just achieved a third placing at TI10. Naoto "Sako" Sako is another rare gem in esports as he is still competing in professional Street Fighter V at the age of 42.

If age really matters, a major reason would be physical health deterioration. Studies show that reaction time declines as we grow old and that humans peak at 24 years old. This makes a lot of sense considering that a lot of esports pros also began retiring in their mid-20s. However, the loss of reaction time declining is barely significant. Every year, we lose between 4 and 10 milliseconds of reaction time, depending on the type of activities we do.

Now it also boils down to one’s health which can completely rule out the factor of age. If an esports athlete sustains a healthy lifestyle to take care of their physical and mental health, they can technically defy the process of aging or maybe, slow it down. Esports is a new industry and only now esports athletes have started paying attention to their bodies. This could mean that we might see much older pro players in the future.

Health is one aspect of age that can widely influence an esports athlete’s potential and it is subjective to individuals as to how they carry out their lifestyle. But there are clear advantages for both age groups.

Are the newbloods simply better than the old-timers?

A young against old players' in esports comparison.

Youngbloods come into the competitive scene fully ready for an adventure and they are ready to explore the highs and lows of the journey. Aside from their energy and sharp reflexes, young players likely dedicate more to their games.

They are also much more likely to be fearless and attempt high-risk, high-reward plays. At TI5, Syed Sumail "SumaiL" Hassan was a 16-year-old prodigy who won The International with Evil Geniuses. He was notorious for his ‘arrogance’ and confidence which may have been a part of the winning recipe. Team Spirit at TI10 also played a fearless brand of Dota showing no hesitation against several veterans they faced, which may have granted them the edge they needed to win the tournament.

The young esports players clearly have a few areas in which they hold an edge. But that doesn’t mean that the older players are at a disadvantage when competing against these younglings. They too bring their own strengths to the table.

The veterans of competitive esports have years and years of experience and can draw on that to gain a significant edge over the younger players. Whether from handling in-game situations, answering interviews, playing in front of a wild crowd, and so on. Just by virtue of having been there and having done these things before, they handle these situations better.

This experience is usually enough to shave off any edge that the young ones may have, in terms of reflexes. The Fighting Game Community (FGC) which hosts video games such as Tekken and Street Fighter is one of the most demanding genres in terms of having quick reflexes. But, we regularly see grizzled 35+ year old veterans duking it out with younger competitors.

There is an element of intrigue as to how the older group of gamers, widespread in the FGC community, tend to go about it even though fighting games generally require high reflexes. A simple answer would be that fighting games were mostly popular among the 1980s-1990s kids and therefore, their generation would produce more professional players in this genre. This also points to the importance of experience as these games are not updated and the meta stays stagnant for years. However, for games that are new or constantly changing, we witness a visible pool of younger players dominating the scene such as Fortnite that is producing juvenile champions.

The older generation is more mature and it is a necessary trait to move forward in the professional scene. Maturity could bring growth to a team, and could help with better communication and team bonding. For an individual esport, maturity could bring discipline and better decision making. Before tournaments, they can plan ahead with better understanding of what they need and they can make sure they’ll follow the planned procedure. During tournaments, with a mature mindset, the older players are more in control of their emotions and they are less likely to let their emotions influence the outcome of their games.

To put it all in a nutshell, both the youths and the older generation have crucial edges in competitive esports. Mushi also pitched in his opinion on the prime advantages of both age groups. “The older players’ advantage is definitely the experience in game and outside the game. The biggest advantage for young players is the idea and motivation.” said Mushi. So despite all the advantages the older players have, why don’t they always stick around in the scene and why is retiring by the mid 20's a normal approach?

So why do pro players retire early?

A lot of people associate retirement with the lack of skill and passion to play. People assume that the older you get, the slower your mind becomes. Esports athletes will no longer have that energy and power from back when they were younger. This might be the case but there are many other reasons that can influence a pro player’s decision to retire.

Burnout is one of the major drawbacks one can face in their competitive journey. Older players have spent years and years worth of constant training and mental challenges throughout their career. One day or another, they would be too tired to go on. This doesn’t mean they have lost passion or love for the game. It is simply because their bodies need to rest and need some time off the grind. A retired Overwatch player who is now a streamer, Brandon "Seagull" Larned also dismissed the ‘reaction time’ reasoning and said that “people just get burnt out and just quit. That’s 99% of the time what happens.”

Mushi pitched in his opinion regarding the factor of age in esports.

According to Mushi, older players tend to look forward to a different path in life which could influence their dedication for the game. “The older they get, the more things in life they have to care about. That's why it’s kind of hard to focus as much as when they were young,” said Mushi. Some of them would like to settle down and focus on their families. As a professional player, it is almost impossible to have a proper balance between career and personal life. For team games that require bootcamping, the players will have to stay in a team house for a long duration to train and build team chemistry. If one is not willing to sacrifice their personal life, they would likely drop the competitive path and choose a different profession that is more relaxed and allows more time for themselves.

What could be more important than age

It is going to take us a few more years to truly decipher the ideal age for esports, but it is certain that both age groups of young and older players have their strengths and weaknesses. However, age alone doesn’t define a player’s quality in the competitive scene. There are other elements that can guarantee longevity in the esports industry and one of them is dedication. A player’s potential in a game wears off once they lose their dedication. They no longer prioritize the game and as a result, their competitive touch fades off. With passion and full dedication towards the game, they could sustain a long run in the competitive scene.

Esports athletes should pay attention to their health which should include both body and mind. They should also be responsible with their time and effort. It is easy to get carried away with gaming and not be able to achieve any purpose while doing so. That’s why players need to be mature enough to understand the gaming career and be able to draw a line between gaming obsessively and training intensively.

At the end of the day, age is something that will certainly affect one’s performance in esports but we have yet to see how big of an influence it is. I personally believe it is only a small slice among humongous other factors that can impact a quality esports career. The young players may be faster but not wiser and the veterans may lack the sheer reflexes but have all the knowledge and experience. Each player has a different mentality and brings different strengths to the table, so writing off an esports player just because they’re past an arbitrary age is not really a direction that top players and teams should take. If a player wants to commit and excel at esports and has all the skills to do so, age is not going to be a factor that tells them otherwise.

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Interview with Team Vitality’s Argon: Bringing Indian COD Mobile into the Spotlighthttps://afkgaming.com/premium/esports/interview-with-team-vitalitys-argon-bringing-indian-cod-mobile-into-the-spotlighthttps://afkgaming.com/premium/esports/interview-with-team-vitalitys-argon-bringing-indian-cod-mobile-into-the-spotlight#comments40a93480-254d-4435-a974-d24d664a4f8dThu, 23 Dec 2021 15:00:00 +05302021-12-23T15:00:00.000+05:30Abhimannu Das/api/author/1568072COD Mobile,Call of Duty Mobile,Team Vitality,Argon Team vitalityEsportsTeam Vitality announced its entry into India in 2020 and signed its first esports roster in March 2021. The new Call of Duty (COD) Mobile roster comprises Armaan “Moonscope” Dharni, Akshan “Argon” Madhani, Priyank “DEATH” Birajdar”, Samartha “JOKOs” Ghadge, Samruddha “SAMs” Ghadge and substitute player Arav “MonK” Narang. In a matter of months, the team managed to position itself as one of the best COD Mobile teams in South Asia after securing a 30-0 win streak during Stage 2 of the Call of Duty Mobile Championship.

Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) and Free Fire may always be in the spotlight of Indian esports, but Call of Duty: Mobile’s competitive scene is growing. Team Vitality is just one of many teams that is pushing the Indian COD Mobile scene forward. AFK Gaming had a chance to speak to Argon, who shared his thoughts on how Team Vitality sees the future of COD Mobile esports in India.

Team Vitality’s commitment to Call of Duty Mobile

The Call of Duty Mobile esports scene in India has a few key teams that are committed to the game and they include GodLike Esports, Reckoning Esports, and Team Vitality. All three teams made it to the recently concluded Call of Duty Mobile World Championship 2021 - East Finals. None of the three Indian teams made it to the playoffs and we saw Tier One Entertainments’ Filipino COD Mobile team Blacklist International lift the Eastern Finals Championship trophy.

Team Vitality CODM

The two finalists Blacklist International and ALMIGHTY dampened Vitality’s chances of qualifying for the finals at the event. Argon had also correctly predicted SCARZ as a team to watch out for. The Japanese esports organization was in the same group as Vitality and ended up winning against the Indian roster 3-0.

Argon told AFK Gaming ahead of the world championship, “The Japanese regional champions SCARZ has impressed us a lot. Their gunfights are really strong and their playstyle is different from other teams who are competing in this championship. That's why we are really excited to face them in the tournament.”

Despite the setback, Team Vitality is ready to go at it again. It has established itself as a prominent competitor in South Asia. The challenge of beating the best in the world is something the team does not shy away from. The team has been around for almost a year and it wants to stick together and compete in future events in 2022.

Argon said, “We trust each other in-game as well as outside the game. We discuss our mistakes together and try to solve them together rather than pointing fingers at someone, which boosts the morale of the team as a whole.”

Why is COD Mobile struggling to keep up with BGMI and Free Fire

Within the first two months of release, India became the second-largest market for Call of Duty Mobile in the world with over 17.5 million downloads coming from the country. Argon feels that Call of Duty Mobile should focus more on Indian teams because of the large audience and the number of competitive teams that the country possesses.

India’s PC and mobile game revenue is expected to reach $534.1 million USD in 2021 and $1.49 billion in 2025 according to the Asia Games Market Report by Niko Partners. India’s PC and mobile gamers will grow at a 5-year CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 13.7%, reaching 529.1 million in 2025. The country is expected to account for 56% of all mobile and PC gamers in the Asia-10 region.

While all of these numbers might look promising India has the lowest ‘Average Revenue Per User’ (ARPU) in the region and requires a different approach to monetization according to the report. While India has a large audience, it might not be the most lucrative for COD Mobile.

CODM Viewership

Battlegrounds Mobile India’s launch party in 2021 drew in an average concurrent viewership of over 218,000 according to Esports Charts while Free Fire’s India Fall Championship had over 99,000 average concurrent viewers. In comparison, the recently concluded Call of Duty Mobile World Championship 2021 East Finals saw around 10,000 concurrent viewers.

The reasons behind a lack of engagement from both the publisher and the casual audience might be causes for concern, but Argon is hopeful about COD Mobile’s future. Despite the low engagement, India continues to be one of the more important regions for the game’s esports. The country had two majors in the past year which includes the COD Mobile India Cup in February 2021 and the Jio Cup in June this year.

Argon revealed that a COD Mobile Dreamhack LAN event is scheduled for 2021 and the world championships should also boost the esports scene in India. One of the hurdles COD Mobile faced this year was the cancellation of the global championships. The publisher had to host separate events for East and West regions due to the ongoing pandemic preventing a single event that would otherwise feature all regions.

Preparing for the future of Call of Duty Mobile in India

Team Vitality believes in the potential of Call of Duty Mobile in India. After its exit from the Call of Duty Mobile World Championship - East Finals, the team is back to preparing for future events. 2022’s competitive circuit might be able to move away from the dual world championship format. Activision originally intended to host one world championship and if global regulations ease up and grant permissions, fans might get to see Vitality compete against North American and European teams next year.

Argon - Team Vitality

Argon revealed that the team practices for nearly 10 hours a day with short breaks in between. The transition from S8UL Esports to Team Vitality was jarring but the roster has managed to pick up where it left off. Argon said “The biggest hurdle was shifting to new devices. It really affected our gameplay and team synergy for a few days.”

The players have been together since their time in S8UL Esports and have spent nine months together at Vitality. Argon and his teammates have produced consistent results throughout the year. The team won the IGL Invitational scrims this year and secured second place at the COD Mobile World Championship - South Asia and Middle East finals. The team has multiple top finishes in 2021 and it will look to improve its results next year, especially at the world championships.

The team hopes for more attention from the publisher to be directed towards on India. As one of the most prominent competitors in COD Mobile India esports, Vitality’s performances in 2022 could bring the region into the spotlight on the global stage and in turn help grow the region’s COD Mobile esports community.

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7Sea Esports' Journey to BGIS 2021https://afkgaming.com/premium/pubgm/7sea-esports-journey-to-bgis-2021https://afkgaming.com/premium/pubgm/7sea-esports-journey-to-bgis-2021#comments10cd369c-e7c2-4d1f-9ff3-4f4cb34e0106Wed, 22 Dec 2021 13:00:00 +05302021-12-22T13:00:00.000+05:30Aditya Singh Rawat/api/author/1568067South Asia,India,Original Interview,Battlegrounds Mobile India,BGMI,7Sea EsportsPUBGM7Sea Esports entered Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) in July 2021, but the Indian esports organization has a long history of competing in PUBG Mobile with teams from across South Asia. Headquartered in India, 7Sea started its journey by operating teams based in Nepal and Bangladesh. However, earlier this year the organization expanded within the country following the arrival of BGMI by creating a new team composed of both experienced players and promising young talent.

Within the span of just six months, the team has come together beautifully to become one of the top BGMI contenders within the country, already managing to win multiple top-tier tournaments, going head-to-head against some of the biggest teams and making a name for itself.

AFK Gaming recently caught up with members of 7Sea's BGMI team learning more about the players, how the team came together, its journey so far, and what lies ahead as it prepares for the biggest BGMI tournament to take place so far - Battlegrounds Mobile India Series (BGIS) 2021.

7Sea Esports BGMI Team - A New Journey Begins

The BGMI roster of 7Sea came together in July with a mix of experienced players and upcoming talent, which has proven to be a successful combination. This lineup consists of the following members:

  • Meet "Prince" Brahmbhatt - IGL

  • Taha "Aladin" Khamkar - Filter

  • Sarang "Sarang" Deka - Assaulter

  • Harsh "Spraygod" Malik - Assaulter

  • Rahul “Osmium” Sharma - Coach

Meet "Prince" Brahmbhatt has described the team as very “balanced”. This is because while he and Taha "Aladin" Khamkar have a lot of experience playing on LAN and understand the competition well, Sarang "Sarang" Deka and Harsh "Spraygod" Malik are emerging personalities that have the potential to be the best within the country.

How the 7Sea BGMI quartet came together

Despite being from diverse backgrounds and hailing from all over the country, the four players have come together really well, forming a tight bond which is reflected well in their gameplay. The journey of how they came together to play under 7Sea Esports is quite interesting, spanning almost an entire year while also being divided between pre- and post-BGMI timelines.

Prince and Spraygod have spent the most amount of time playing together, meeting each other for the first time in September 2020. Sarang was the next player to join the duo in May 2021 while they were playing for Indian Tigers (IT). The final member, Aladin, joined the trio directly in 7Sea following a successful run with GodLike Esports.

“I started my journey from IT, from there I went to 8Bit and then ELMT Esports. It was in September 2020 that Spraygod joined me in Team iNSANE. Together we performed really well, even managing to qualify for PMPL (PUBG Mobile Pro League),” said Prince “But the game got banned in India shortly after. During this time a lot of teams disbanded, but I got hints about the game coming back. So accordingly, I started preparing a team that would perform well after the game returned.”

Prince and Spraygod later approached Sarang and began competing with him under the banner of IT, without support from any organization. Following the release of BGMI in India, the trio began looking for a fourth player and found Aladin, who was freed up after GodLike disbanded. The rest, as they say, is history.

7Sea Esports BGMI roster was announced on July 2021

Hike towards BGIS 2021: Creating an identity

It did not take 7Sea BGMI too long to find their place within the roster, adjusting seamlessly, and working closely in tandem with each other to achieve success rather quickly.

“7Sea Esports has fulfilled all our needs so far like physical training, a cook to provide good food, stable internet, proper devices, and everything else. This is one reason why the team has performed consistently well, by having their basic needs fulfilled,” says Sarang, giving credit to the team’s management for the way this lineup has come together.

7Sea's first big achievement came in September 2021 with a runner-up finish at the Skyesports Championship 3.0 that featured a total prize pool of INR 26 Lakh. This was the first time that the team had created some serious buzz following a win.

“Before this event, we had assembled for the first time in a bootcamp. So that was a really big factor for us as it helped develop the team synergy even further. With team meetings now taking place face to face, the overall team development also improved. This is how we practiced for Skyesports Championship and our performance reflected our improvement,” said Aladin.

Building on this momentum, 7Sea Esports went on to secure a first-place finish at the Villager Esports Pro Invitational 2021, followed by a second-place showing at the OneShot Showdown. With this series of successes, the team started giving other top BGMI organizations a real challenge while also being counted amongst the top emerging teams within the country.

Prince shared an interesting anecdote about how 7Sea Esports ended up winning the Villager Esports Pro Invitational 2021.

But just when everything was looking great for the team, it experienced a sudden slump and all the momentum that had been built up in the past month seemed to disappear. According to Prince, 7Sea not finishing strong sometimes in certain tournaments was due to the team trying out new tactics from time to time.

He added that all attributes of a particular BGMI tournament are taken into consideration. If it is an ‘A-Tier’ event then 7Sea sticks to its best possible game plan and tries to win the tournament, otherwise, the team is open to taking a few chances and learning something new.

Sticking to this play style, the team took India Today’s Dangal very seriously to secure a first-place finish. This was considered a major comeback for the team as it won one of the most prestigious BGMI tournaments to take place this year. The victory helped it attain a huge boost in morale and confidence, and it went on to register consistently impressive performances across the next few tournaments, focussed on giving its best at the upcoming BGIS 2021.

7Sea Esports BGMI Team - Notable Achievements

7Sea BGMI training regime: Putting in the hardwork

All that the team has achieved so far has not come easily, players have practiced hard individually and as a team to reach their current standing. Sarang explained what a typical day of training looks like for the team.

“Our day starts around nine in the morning. The first thing we do is go jogging and do a bit of workout with the trainer, followed by breakfast, and then everyone disperses for a while to freshen up before meeting again to practice,” he says, while adding “We practice individually for a bit before official BGMI matches start from 12 p.m. onwards in the afternoon, going on till about nine in the night. We take small breaks in between for lunch and dinner, but this is how a regular day usually goes at the 7Sea bootcamp.”

With BGIS 2021 close at hand, the team has ramped up its practice schedule as it aims to secure the title. “After breakfast, we straight away start training these days which lasts for about 1 to 1.5 hours. This is followed by the team taking part in both 1v1 and 2v2 TDM [Team Deathmatch] matches,” says Spraygod, adding that “If the games go bad, then we make sure to practice more, but if they go well, then we go out for a walk and freshen up.”

While the players are busy doing their part to stay prepared at all times, Osmium, their coach, is also committed to improving the team even further. “Within the game, I make sure my team remains confident, motivated, and are aware of what their goal is at all times. To ensure this, I follow all their matches to see what went right and areas where they can still improve,” adds Osmium, noting that outside of the server he is like a friend to all the players to keep the atmosphere light and fun.

Thoughts about BGIS 2021

Overall the team is feeling really confident about the upcoming BGIS 2021. Despite taking a rough hit during the recently concluded BGIS 2021: The Grind, which was the official scrimmage session held for all the invited teams before the main event, 7Sea Esports is in high spirits and aiming for the championship title.

“The atmosphere of the team is really good. We just want to be the champions of BGIS 2021 for which we are practicing day and night. It is our one and only goal at this point in time,” expressed Spraygod when asked about the team’s current state of mind.

The players and coach collectively feel that they are comfortably in the top three BGMI teams of India, with the closest competitors being Team XO and GodLike Esports. While all of the players rated the team highly, Prince was astute in his judgment as he said that the team was good but not nearly there.

“Everything about my team is good right now, so I will rate them seven out of 10. We are a really good team that is performing well, but when I take a look at the level of competition on the international stage that is when I realize how much we still need to improve,” said Prince.

Prince lists BGMI teams he considers to be strong

7Sea’s BGMI coach Osmium expressed complete confidence in the team’s ability to raise the BGIS 2021 trophy because he thinks that this balanced lineup gives it an edge against the competitors.

“Our team is very aggressive, so we play aggressively across all tournaments, keeping our kill points usually high. I don’t think any of the passive teams can end a game in the top two. Only those teams that are aggressive, who also balance their kill and placement points can achieve success. This is exactly what we are capable of achieving consistently and it automatically gives us an edge over our opponents,” he said.

What does the future hold?

7Sea’s BGMI team has already started planning and practicing for international tournaments. With one Indian team set to receive a special direct invite to PUBG Mobile Global Championship (PMGC) 2021: Grand Finals in January, the team has already started its preparations accordingly.

Special invite for one Indian team - PMGC 2021

7Sea is also eagerly eyeing the 2022 Asian Games which will feature PUBG Mobile as a medal event. Though the tournament is set to take place in China around September of next year, the aim has already been set to represent India at this international fixture.

The fairly new 7Sea BGMI team with its mix of experienced players and untested talent has proven themselves to be amongst the best BGMI teams within the country in just six months. The team has already achieved a lot and shown great consistency, aiming for not only the BGIS 2021 trophy but also upcoming international competitions.

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Paper Rex’s Valorant Roster is Ready for VCT 2022https://afkgaming.com/premium/esports/paper-rexs-valorant-roster-is-ready-for-vct-2022https://afkgaming.com/premium/esports/paper-rexs-valorant-roster-is-ready-for-vct-2022#commentscb480b96-68c6-4ce7-b1eb-f8d739968ef1Thu, 16 Dec 2021 17:32:54 +05302021-12-16T18:48:46.139+05:30Abhimannu Das/api/author/1568072Riot Games,Paper Rex,Valorant Champions Tour,Paper Rex ValorantEsportsRiot Games had a tough time breaking into Southeast Asia (SEA) with League of Legends over the past decade. League of Legends’ Pacific Championship Series in August 2021 saw an average of 17K concurrent viewers. But Valorant was a completely different story with the recent APAC Last Chance Qualifiers gaining over 61,000 concurrent viewers in the English stream alone, according to Esports Charts. After the launch of Valorant in 2020, some of the biggest esports organizations in the region made their way into the title and haven’t looked back since.

Paper Rex Valorant

Singapore-based organization Paper Rex is one of the SEA organizations that has immensely benefited from the rise of Valorant in the region. It has quickly climbed the ranks and become one of the most popular teams in SEA, having made it all the way to Valorant Masters Berlin. The team’s journey has not been easy and it had various challenges to overcome since its entry into Valorant.

The team was hit with a match-fixing scandal in 2020 where multiple players were allegedly involved in manipulating the results of a competitive game. Paper Rex had to suspend its First Strike-qualified roster and start all over again. However, Paper Rex managed to overcome all of these hurdles and persevered to help showcase the strength and potential of the SEA region on one of the biggest stages that Valorant esports has to offer.

AFK Gaming had a chance to engage in a conversation with the Paper Rex Valorant team where we learned about their journey through the different VCT tournaments in 2021, their drastic lineup change at the start of the year, how the team managed to grow exponentially in the last six months, and their expectations heading to Berlin.

Moving from CS:GO to Valorant

Paper Rex was founded in 2020 and after a brief stint competing in CS:GO, it transitioned to Valorant shortly after the game’s launch. The team had to move from a game that was familiar to one that had just launched, consisting of its own share of new mechanics. While mechanical skill translates across most FPS titles, Valorant threw in agents with their own unique abilities into the mix, which heightened the learning curve for the team. Considering that Paper Rex transitioned over to Valorant long after a lot of teams had jumped onto the scene and familiarized themselves with it, the team had a tall mountain to climb to compete against the best that the SEA region had to offer.

Jett specialist F0rsakeN said that the team certainly underwent a lot of changes in terms of agents and how it played after Jinggg was added to the lineup. “For example, on some maps, we use two duelists, which causes our playing style to rely more on aiming and getting kills. However, in [other] maps, we are currently trying to use just one duelist, and Jinggg who will play a non-duelist role,” he explained.

Earlier this year, Zhan “Shiba” Teng took a step back from the active roster, which ultimately affected the team’s dynamic. With Jinggg replacing Shiba, the team is still trying to adapt to the change and is trying to strike the right balance.

Despite Jinggg and f0rsakeN becoming two of the top players in Southeast Asia, coach alecks did not want to shower any praise just yet as the team is just getting started. When asked about the team’s performance at recent events like The Esports Club Showdown, alecks said that the team hasn’t reached its full potential yet.

Jinggg joined the Paper Rex roster a few weeks before the start of the APAC Last Chance Qualifier and it is possible that he didn’t get to showcase what he brings to the table. At the TEC Showdown Jinggg and f0rsakeN ended the event as the two top-ranking players with average combat scores above 300.

“Jinggg has gotten a lot more comfortable with the way we play, and also that has allowed us to put our little boy f0rsaken back on Jett, much to the delight of the entire country of Indonesia,” said Alecks “Honestly, the whole team played extremely well, and that in my opinion allows Jinggg and f0rsaken to do what they do. I'm pretty happy with everyone's performance so far!”

Learning experiences in 2021

In-game leader Benkai said that the team worked really hard to catch up to the rest of the scene. ”We had to lose a couple of times in the beginning before it got better but we got there eventually,” he said.

Paper Rex competed in Valorant Masters Berlin, but exited early after a loss against SuperMassive Blaze in the elimination round. The team had one final shot at making it to Valorant Champions via the APAC Last Chance Qualifier. It started off strong with a 2-0 win against Global Esports but it could not make it to the later stages after being eliminated by DAMWON Gaming.

“Losing the Masters event in Berlin was a pretty big blow to us because at that point we’ve practiced really hard and do not see it pay off was rough for us", he said. Benkai added that if the team had defeated Bren Esports (now Team Secret) during the Masters Berlin qualifier, Paper Rex would have made it to Champions.

Benkai also remarked that there were many such situations that came up throughout the season where a win would have seen the team through to the world championships. Paper Rex will need to iron out the problems for the next VCT circuit which will commence in early 2022.

Paper Rex is already setting expectations for 2022

Paper Rex almost made it to Valorant Champions’ top 16 but it missed out by a few circuit points. Despite the setback, the team is prepared to have a go at it again and make it to the world championships next year.

Astra and Viper specialist Mindfreak said that Champions 2022 is going to be an even grander affair with a better stage and production, adding that he does not want to be a spectator during the 2022 season.“Coming into 2022, our major goal is to attend every Masters and Champions tour event, basically every LAN overseas. I don't think we are going to make any major changes, to be honest. We are just going to start to prepare in December/January for the next season.”

Paper Rex will be back in the Valorant Champions Tour when the 2022 season kicks off. The team has been a solid contender in the Southeast Asian circuit and that is unlikely to change in the future, especially with the kind of experience the team has had in the VCT 2021 season. However, Southeast Asia has proven itself to be a very competitive region, and teams such as X10 Esports, FULL Sense, and Team Secret will put Paper Rex to the test.

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Can Mobile Legends Dominate Mobile Esports Outside SEA?https://afkgaming.com/premium/mlbb/can-mobile-legends-dominate-mobile-esports-outside-seahttps://afkgaming.com/premium/mlbb/can-mobile-legends-dominate-mobile-esports-outside-sea#commentsd1a7c4be-4b0c-421a-88c7-8f1aa4b6a42cSun, 12 Dec 2021 13:00:00 +05302021-12-12T13:00:00.000+05:30John Dave Rossel/api/author/1568073Mobile Legends: Bang Bang,Southeast Asia,Mobile Esports,Original Interview,Mobile Legends EsportsMLBBAfter five years of success in the South East Asian (SEA) region, Moonton has started expanding its domain with the recent launch of the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Professional League (MPL) Brazil, and the upcoming MPL Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Considering Moonton’s resources coupled with the overall development of the mobile esports landscape in these regions, fans of the game title are understandably very excited about what’s in store for the future of the game’s esports scene.

However, growing Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) beyond the SEA region may prove to be more challenging than many expect. Despite the mobile MOBA titles’ success in SEA, Mobile Legends is struggling to achieve the same hype in (North America) NA. According to Esports Charts, the M3 North America (NA) Qualifier, one of Mobile Legends’ first attempts to venture into the North American region, peaked at 19,819 viewers. While still a sizable number, this is relatively small compared to other MLBB esports events in the SEA region such as the MPL Indonesia Season 8 or the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Southeast Asia Cup 2021.

MPL ID had the most viewers out of all the official MLBB esports events.

In a conversation with AFK Gaming, Esports Manager at Moonton North America, Nicholas Chang, revealed that they are aware of the challenges ahead, but are confident that they can overcome them.

“We have many initiatives planned and we hope to make more waves there,” said Chang.

Given how much effort has been put into promoting Mobile Legends outside the SEA region, the concept of having an official MLBB League for the western audience may soon be a reality. However, one question remains unanswered. Will MLBB be able to replicate its success internationally while competing with Riot Games’ League of Legends: Wild Rift?

Moonton is waiting for the right time to expand its esports scene outside the SEA region

The publisher’s esports manager for North America, Nicholas Chang, tells us that Moonton has long been contemplating its esports scene’s expansion, specifically in the west. However, it was waiting for the right moment as it wanted to ensure that its players were at the forefront of any new opportunities that would be launched.

The demand for mobile esports is steadily growing in North America. Moonton has started tapping into the western mobile MOBA audience with the M3 World Championship NA Qualifier 2021. The tournament not only served as a regional qualifier for Mobile Legends’ major event but was also the first attempt from Moonton to grab the attention of gamers from the NA region.

The regional qualifier even featured two iconic Dota 2 personalities, Jake “SirActionSlacks” Kanner and caster Austin “Capitalist” Walsh. These two esports celebrities already have their own well-established fan bases and their presence in these qualifiers could have served as an introduction of MLBB to Dota 2 fans.

However, just hosting a tournament featuring key MOBA influencers will likely not cut it. Especially since Mobile Legends will be competing for a share of the western audience with Riot Games’ mobile MOBA title, Wild Rift. With League of Legends being one of the more prominent PC esports titles in NA, Wild Rift has a slight advantage as people who are already familiar with its PC counterpart, are likely to relate to the mobile version of the LoL PC.

But Moonton’s experience with successfully implementing a mobile esports scene in the SEA region could give it an edge. It is already one of the most viewed esports circuits in the world with a peak viewership of its biggest tournaments crossing 2 Million concurrent viewers, multiple times in 2021.

“Our main focus is on promoting and emphasizing the strength of Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. There is no doubt we have seen strong success in Southeast Asia and we want to create similar opportunities and experiences for our players in NA,” said Chang.

Comparison Between most viewed esports events.

One of its competitors, Wild Rift has begun expanding its esports coverage outside SEA. While Riot Games is marketing more towards SEA fans, the publisher has hosted various esports circuits from other regions such as Japan, Brazil, Europe, NA, and many more.

List of Wild Rift Esports outside SEA.

While the China Wild Rift League is the smallest in terms of viewership, that’s mainly because China has its own streaming platform such as DouYu, Huya and Bilibili

While Wild Rift certainly has the advantage in terms of how fast it can penetrate other regions outside SEA. Moonton considers this as a challenge and plans to use their expertise in delivering high-quality esports events in SEA to showcase to western mobile gamers.

“There are always going to be challenges when expanding internationally. However our expertise in the SEA esports scene has led us to confidently launch in the West,” stated Chang.

Mobile Legends esports is not directly competing against PC esports

PC esports is the front runner both in terms of viewership and revenue generation in the western esports industry. Esports titles such as Dota 2, League of Legends (PC), Valorant, and CS:GO continue to draw in the biggest sponsors and perhaps more importantly the lion’s share of viewership in these regions.

Comparison between major western exclusive esports events and MLBB.

Nicholas Chang believes that PC esports will always have its own place in the esports scene and has its own distinct qualities. However, he expects that “mobile esports will rise in the near future as mobile games are becoming much more accessible and don't necessitate next-gen GPU graphics.”

The key factors that contributed to MLBB’s success in SEA include the undying support from its fans, its non-strenuous learning curve which allows new players to easily dive into the game with little to no effort, and exciting campaigns such as the Transformers and Star Wars collaboration events which attracted a lot of attention from fans around the world.

Similar factors could prove to be crucial levers for Mobile Legends’ expansion into the NA region, giving it an edge over PC MOBA titles.

The current expansion of Mobile Legends esports outside the SEA region

While Moonton is still trying to wait for the right opportunity to penetrate the western audience, it already started making its move in Brazil with its first esports league outside SEA. According to Esports Charts, the league garnered a total of 19,104 concurrent viewers over the duration of the esports event. While MPL Brazil’s performance falls a bit in comparison to Wild Rift’s Brazil Esports event, the Wild Tour, which accumulated 38,877 concurrent views, it’s definitely a good start in attracting mobile gamers outside its territory. For comparison, the earliest recorded seasons of MPL Indonesia and MPL MY&SG drew in 98,927 and 35,905 peak viewers respectively according to Esports Charts.

The Brazilian team, Vivo Keyd which won the championship title in the first season of MPL Brazil will be representing the region in the upcoming M3 World Championship. Unlike last year’s M2 World Championship, Brazil finally has its own official league where it can find its representative for future international Mobile Legends esports events. For now, Brazil is the only official league outside the SEA region. However, fans can expect Moonton to expand further to more regions with NA and the Middle East being their primary targets if the qualifiers for the M3 World Championships are anything to go by.

The expansion outside the SEA region is inevitable for the esports scene of MLBB. It is bound to happen, given how much success it already has in the SEA region. Whether it will be able to establish its own fan base outside its territory will depend on how Moonton will be able to promote and get players hooked on its mobile MOBA title.

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Opinion: The Dota Pro Circuit Needs to be Fixedhttps://afkgaming.com/premium/dota2/opinion-the-dota-pro-circuit-needs-to-be-fixedhttps://afkgaming.com/premium/dota2/opinion-the-dota-pro-circuit-needs-to-be-fixed#comments95214673-94ff-429f-b147-603dc4e024a5Thu, 09 Dec 2021 11:28:37 +05302021-12-09T11:28:37.480+05:30Rakshak Kathuria/api/author/1568071TI10,Valve,DPC,Dota 2,TI,Prize Pool,DPC 2021-22Dota2Fans of Dota 2 have a special fondness for The International (TI) each year courtesy top quality matches and incredible runs that they get to witness. All complaints and woes surrounding the game and its competitive scene vanish into oblivion for two weeks because of the magic of TI.

As it turned out in this preceding season, Team Spirit, a team that nobody thought would lift the Aegis of Champions, went on to do the unthinkable - winning TI10. With players as young as 18 years old, the team went from complete unknowns to the new standard bearers of competitive Dota 2.

Yet, as with every year, there is one looming issue that persists behind the celebration and grandeur of The International. While it has been discussed throughout the years after TIs, few meaningful changes have ever been implemented. Team Spirit, the champions, won $18.2 million USD at TI10. To put this in context, all five of their members, four of which played at TI for the first time ever, earned more prize money than Clement "Puppey" Ivanov did in his entire esports career and Puppey is the only remaining Dota 2 pro to attend all ten TIs.

This highlights that Dota 2's ecosystem is so heavily invested in TIs that consistency and stability during the remainder of the season are not rewarded as much as they should be. If this is the case with one of Dota 2's most storied players, it is difficult to imagine what this comparison would look like with the rest of the Dota 2 pros.

The ever-growing TI prize pools have created an ostentatious display, which hides the unfortunate reality of Dota 2's pro scene. Even though it appears fascinating from a distance, a closer look reveals problems.

There is more to be said about the distribution of prize money in other Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) - the term used for Dota 2’s competitive system - events that require attention. Several of the other components of the DPC, including the format and structure of some of them, are far from ideal, with both the community and players openly calling for change. It is important to understand that all of these issues seem to be closely tied together when viewed holistically. Unfortunately, Valve has failed to address the majority of them.

The International’s massive prize pool conceals an unbalanced DPC system

TI10 had a total prize pool of more than $40 Million USD. The two other DPC components - the Regional Leagues and the Majors had a combined prize pool of $4.3 Million, or put differently, a little over a tenth of TI’s prize pool.

Many have argued that if a portion of the TI prize pool, which is mostly crowdfunded by the Dota 2 community, was split fairly across the seasons, it would make for a more rewarding experience for all teams except the winner of TI. The incentive for seasonal consistency is evident in such a case. When more money is at stake throughout the year, teams will work harder to remain competitive since they know that excellence is a long-term goal rather than peaking at just one time of the year.

The problem with this TI-worshipping ecosystem is that it doesn’t reward teams that consistently perform well throughout the year. When the viewership, prize money, and sponsorship are so skewed towards one tournament, the consequences of missing out on a TI are devastating for any esports organization that commits resources to its Dota 2 team throughout the season.

As a result, organizations are going to become increasingly reluctant to invest in non-Tier 1 rosters (who are not guaranteed a spot at TI) which in turn will reduce the competitiveness of the esports ecosystem in the long run. Getting tier 2 organizations and up-and-coming teams to consistently commit to Dota 2 is a challenging task, leading to issues of stability.

The International SHOULD be a grand celebration of the game. However, within an ecosystem that relies very much on prize pools as opposed to other revenue streams, it is imperative that Valve rewards consistency in order to infuse stability.

DPC 2021-22 promises changes, but are they enough?

Valve will run three leagues and three Major events for DPC 2021-22. This is one additional league and a Major when compared to the previous season (which was delayed due to the pandemic).

Schedule of the DPC 2021-22

For those unfamiliar with the structure of the DPC, here’s a quick primer.

Regional Leagues

  • Leagues are divided into six regions - China, Southeast Asia, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, and South America.

  • Each region is further divided into two divisions of eight teams each - Upper Division (Division 1) and Lower Division (Division 2).

  • The Upper Division provides teams with the opportunity to earn prize money, qualify for the Majors, and earn points that could lead to a direct invitation to TI10. Teams in the Lower Division can win prize money and qualify for the Upper Division. Upon qualifying for the Upper Division, they will have the chance to earn DPC points and qualify for the Majors in the following Tour.

Majors

  • In all, 18 teams come from the six regions to Majors. Some regions send four teams, some send three, and some send two.

  • Prize money and DPC points are on the line for these 18 teams.

Regional Qualifiers

Direct invitations to The International are only extended to the top 12 Dota 2 teams with the most DPC points. Other teams can make it to TI10 via the regional qualifiers. The regional qualifiers are for teams in the third league (second last season), which includes eight teams in the Upper Division and eight in the Lower Division, excluding those that get a direct invitation.

Each region has a qualifier and will send one team to TI10.

TI10

The DPC's ultimate event, TI10, features the top 18 teams (12 from the DPC points and six from the qualifiers) dueling for the largest prize pool and glory.

The unbalanced DPC is not just about the prize pool and no change from Valve is distressing

As compared to the early days of Dota 2, there have been more calls for change in the past couple of years since the game’s competitive scene struggled without TI. A number of players retired, organizations left the game, and there was an eerie uncertainty about the future of the competition.

Eventually, Valve released its promised new DPC structure with the start of the season in January 2021. The system looked to be inclusive and valued tier 2 and tier 3 circuits more than it had in previous years. Having two divisions gave lower tier teams more opportunities to showcase their skills.

Over the next few months, however, some problems arose concerning both the prize pool and the structure. However, the leagues and majors went on as planned without any changes, and TI10 was finally held in September 2021 after a lot of external issues that delayed the event.

As part of DPC 2021-22, many expected Valve to plug the gaps that came to light with the structure and format of the Dota 2 competitive season. However, those expectations seem to have fallen on deaf ears as Valve went forward with almost the same system in the new season.

The following are a few of the most noticeable problems from the past season and what Valve did to address them in DPC 2021-22.

There is no reward for the bottom two teams of the Lower Division

Out of the 16 competing teams, the bottom two teams of the Lower Division of the regional leagues did not receive any prize money. Inclusiveness is one thing, and the Lower Division certainly offers it. But distributing the $75,000 prize pool of the Lower Division without any recompense to the bottom two teams questioned the viability of players to commit to a pro Dota 2 career. Additionally, the regional league was spread out over a period of six weeks. Each team played one BO3 series a week for a total of seven series played in six weeks. Even though the bottom two teams out of the lot were the weakest, they were still part of the top 16 of that region, and not rewarding them for six weeks of Dota 2 seems outrageous.

Any changes in the DPC 2021-22 - None

The length of regional leagues is an issue

Playing seven games in six weeks is a problem on its own. It is the players from the regional leagues who have been most vocal about this issue. According to them, the leagues are too long, which hinders motivation and form. Puppey, TI's very own all-timer, shared an important nuance regarding this issue in TI10’s pre-match press conference. A team may have to play two matches in the same league on two different patches because of the long schedule, which he found problematic.

Any changes in the DPC 2021-22 - None

Questioning the competitiveness of the relegation system in regional leagues

The bottom two teams of the Upper Division surrender their spots to the top two teams of the Lower Division without even facing them. Because the second lot could still be weaker than the first, it raises questions about the tournament's inherent competitiveness.

Any changes in the DPC 2021-22 - None

The Majors suffer from a greater reward disparity

Regional leagues are not the only areas where problems exist. The other major component of this DPC structure - the Majors - is even more confusing in regard to prize money distribution and DPC points. At the Majors, the top eight teams receive a piece of the pie, while the other 10 teams go home empty-handed. It was the case for Team Liquid, which entered the Singapore Major as the third best European team, played nearly 30 matches over the course of four days, and then left empty handed - both in terms of DPC points and prize money.

Any changes in the DPC 2021-22 - None

Majors are better suited to less internationally competitive teams

The structure of Majors requires some teams to pass through an eternity, from wildcards to group stages to playoffs, just to reach the top eight. Others need to win just one series in order to reach the top eight, and that is concerning. Once again, Team Liquid at the Singapore Major serves as a good example here. As a result of this structure, it is possible for some teams who hail from less competitive regions to earn DPC points at the Major despite the obvious lack of prowess at the international level.

Any changes in the DPC 2021-22 - None

So, what has Valve notably changed in the DPC 2021-22?

All said and done, most things have remained the same with the exception that there will now be three leagues and three majors (hereinafter referred to as 3L3M because this is a mouthful)

One noticeable change is that the DPC points have been allocated differently among 3L3M. A weighted distribution system has been implemented with the first and third leagues awarding the least and most points respectively. While this has likely been implemented to ensure that the most in-form teams play at TI11, this may serve as just another perverse incentive for Dota 2 esports.

With this structure, Valve seems to rely more on timing and teams peaking at the right time than on outright consistency to get the best teams to TI11. It is important to note that TI11 will not begin immediately after the third Major, as there must be time for regional qualifiers, followed by some preparation time for TI11. It is during this period that patches and metas can change, teams can lose momentum, and a range of external and internal factors can affect the teams who qualified for TI11 via their top finishes in the third league and the Major.

The only positive change has been the way DPC points are to be awarded in the upcoming season, as this will likely eliminate some of the problems with regard to the signficance of leagues versus Majors. The three Leagues will award 690/920/1,150 points, while the three Majors will award 1,900/2,700/3,500 points. This is an improvement over the previous year's distribution of 1,150 to 2,700 points between regional leagues and Majors. Now when the leagues award 1,150 points, the Majors will give 3,500. Those who do well internationally will be rewarded more than those who perform well only in their regional circuits. However, it remains to be seen to what extent this change will improve the overall situation of the system.

What are the potential ways to balance the DPC 2021-22 format?

The first and foremost step is to take a percent out of the total prize pool funded for TI10 and to evenly allocate it among the regional leagues and the Majors. An increased prize pool for leagues and Majors could mean that the bottom two teams of the Lower Division and the 9th to 16th placed teams at the Major might be partially compensated for their efforts throughout the season.

To ensure the best and healthiest competition possible, an extra series must be played between the bottom two teams in the Upper Division and the top two teams in the Lower Division. This could take the form of a round robin group stage with the BO1 or BO3 series. These teams are already not competing at the following Major at the time of this draft, so timing should not be an issue.

There have been many requests for a revamp of the Majors where the top teams from the regional leagues automatically progress to the playoffs while the lower placed teams have a much harder path to the playoffs. Dota 2 analyst and commentator, Troels Lyngholt "syndereN" Nielsen, had an interesting take on this issue. In his opinion, the first place teams in the regional leagues should be satisfied with earning more DPC points, and all teams should enter the Majors on a level playing field. This, he felt, would eliminate the possibility of teams making it to TI without having demonstrated their potential at an international event like the Major.

It is possible to shorten the schedule so that the regional leagues are more engaging and competitive. This could cause some matches in different regions to be played at the same time. This would eventually overlap with the North American and South American leagues. Viewers having to choose which games to watch has always existed in The International’s Group Stage which implies that this may not be a significant price to pay for a shorter season. The buffer that fans and teams get before the next Major due to the change in schedule could be used to accommodate third-party tournaments. It was seen in the DPC 2021 that there were very few third party events held during the regional leagues, but once they were all over there was time for more events since there was a window between then and TI10.

How did professional players feel about the DPC 2021?

Among those concerned with the DPC, particularly its length, were Damien "kpii" Chok, Kuro "KuroKy" Salehi Takhasomi, Lee "Heen" Seung Gon, Puppey, and more. In their opinions, the schedule and timing of the DPC had to be altered, and that it was far from ideal for the players.

A number of honest assessments of the DPC were presented at the TI10 pre-playoff press conference by pros. Despite the fact that they were arguably one of the teams that got the most out of this system, Alliance provided sincere responses to questions about it. Artiom "fng" Barshak, who no longer plays for the team, had admitted that the points distribution from DPC was not ideal, although they qualified for TI10 solely because of the regional leagues. Captain Gustav "s4" Magnusson, who also recently parted ways with Alliance, noted the DPC schedule was very long, requiring players to adjust more than usual.

Team Undying’s David "MoonMeander" Tan Boon Yang, one of the more vocal figures in the competitive scene, argued that more finances had to be invested in the DPC to truly help the tier 2 scene, and $3 million USD Majors should be brought back. He also pointed out that every region deserved a wild card spot, and it was unfair that only some regions had them. MoonMeander posited that if other esports titles such as CS:GO and League of Legends can have tournaments up to 24 teams, why couldn’t Dota 2 do the same.

Avery "SVG" Silverman of Quincy Crew also explained his perspective on the upcoming schedule, mentioning that three regional leagues instead of two would alleviate some of the concerns some teams had regarding the fewer games in the DPC.

It is not surprising, but rather confusing, to see how Valve continues to ignore community feedback. Various aspects of the DPC have received a lot of attention in 2021, but only one notable change will be made this upcoming season, suggesting that Valve’s approach to the game strays from the community’s expectations. It is disappointing that Valve does not make its thoughts about the competitive scene clear to the Dota 2 community.

Perhaps the prize pools are one of Valve's only ways to market its flagship MOBA, despite the fact that such centralized prize pools are not conducive to the sustained growth of a sport. The prize pools of TI stand out among those of esports in a significant way. TI4 through TI10 make up the top 10 largest esports prize pools. There is no game that comes close. Three more events that make up the top 10 largest esports prize pools in history are the 2019 Fortnite World Cup Finals (solo and duo finals) with $30.4 million USD, the PUBG Global Invitational.S 2021 with $7.1 million USD, and the 2018 League of Legends World Championship with $6.4 million USD. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that this is a good thing.

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Mobile Legends M3 World Championship Power Rankingshttps://afkgaming.com/premium/mlbb/mobile-legends-m3-world-championship-power-rankingshttps://afkgaming.com/premium/mlbb/mobile-legends-m3-world-championship-power-rankings#comments80299333-5950-4d12-be66-b9310178fba7Mon, 06 Dec 2021 16:45:55 +05302021-12-06T16:45:55.755+05:30John Dave Rossel/api/author/1568073Mobile Legends: Bang Bang,Mobile Esports,Mobile Legends Esports,M3 World Championship,Mobile Legends Power RankingsMLBBOne of the most prestigious Mobile Legends: Bang Bang esports events, the M3 World Championship is set for a grand commencement on 6th Dec 2021. The event will feature 16 top-tier teams from around the world competing for the lion’s share of the $800,000 USD prize pool and the title of world champions. The stakes are high this time around since there will be more regions participating in the event. The tournament will also be accepting live audiences, albeit with a few limitations to ensure the safety of everyone at the venue.

During the previous M2 World Championship, we saw the Philippines team Bren Esports taking the championship title with a scintillating 4-3 victory in the Grand Finals against the Burmese team, Burmese Ghouls. It was one of the exhilarating moments for the Philippines region as it finally acquired its first world championship title.

However, a lot has changed since the conclusion of the M2 World Championship. New regions have emerged as contenders for the upcoming esports event. With the pool of participants being far more diverse, the M3 World Championship aims to be the start of a much larger scale esports event for the mobile MOBA title.

To welcome the upcoming M3 World Championship, we’ve thrown together a power ranking list based on each team’s recent performance and achievements.

Who possesses the most potential to take the championship title at the M3 World Championship?

16. GX Squad (Middle East)

The MENA (Middle-East and North Africa) region joins the competition with its representative team, GX Squad. Not much is known about the team other than them dominating the M3 Arabia Major, the regional qualifiers for the M3 World Championship in the region.

This may be the first major esports event for the Middle Eastern team. However, they possess quite the advantage as not much is known about how the GX Squad executes its strategy and meta. It will be interesting to see how well they fare against other teams in the tournament

15. Bedel (Turkey)

Much like GX Squad, Bedel is also one of the fresh new contenders in the international esports scene of Mobile Legends. The team booked its ticket to the M3 World Championship through the Mobile Legends Turkey Championship 2021.

The team is able to pull off popular strategies focusing on heroes such as Popol and Kupa, something that Blacklist International can pull off as well. This makes them an interesting team to look out for in the tournament but.

14. Malvinas Gaming

Malvinas Gaming took the LATAM (Latin America) Championship 2021 by storm. The team won the championship title and its ticket to the M3 World Championship. Its tactics are reminiscent of Nexplay Esports during the Mobile Legends Professional League (MPL) Philippines (PH) Season 7 through its unorthodox strategies and surprise mechanics. The question of whether they are ready to face the SEA (South East Asian) teams will be answered soon at the world championship event.

13. Red Canids

This team defeated the powerhouse of Brazil, Keys Stars during the MPL BR Season 1. Red Canids also boasts substantial experience in using team comps with a focus on having the healer hero Estes. The team is highly aggressive in its playstyle and will not hesitate to take risks for greater gain. Will this strategy work in their favor against the top-tier teams in other regions? We’ll soon find out.

12. BloodThirstyKings (BTK)

The new kings of North America (NA) booked their tickets to the M3 World Championship. BTK shocked its fans after taking down the fan-favorite Team Gosu in the M3 NA Qualifiers 2021.

The team has been playing competitively in its own region for quite some time but this will be its first time setting foot in a major Mobile Legends esports event. BTK is definitely one of the most interesting underdogs to follow in the upcoming international esports event.

11. Keyd Stars

The team was formerly called DreamMax Esports, when it participated in the M2 World Championship. However, it did not perform well in the tournament and got eliminated on the first day. Nonetheless, they do have experience competing against teams from other regions. It will be interesting to see if they can impress its fans this time around.

10. NAVI

One of the biggest esports organizations in the world has acquired the team roster of the Russian team Deus Vult, the team that participated in both the M1 and M2 World Championship. Just like DreamMax Esports, the team also made an early exit in the previous international esports event. It will be interesting to see how much the team has improved under its new organization.

9. SeeYouSoon

One of the potential underdogs in the M3 World Championship. The team earned its ticket to the international esports event by winning the MPL Cambodia (KH) Season 1. The fact that they managed to take down Todak, a veteran team from Malaysia, means that they are capable of competing against the SEA teams. SeeYouSoon is definitely one of the teams to look out for in the upcoming M3 World Championship.

8. EVOS SG

The back-to-back champions of MPL Singapore (SG). Despite being the powerhouse of its region, EVOS SG struggles to compete against teams outside its territory. However, with the addition of former ALMIGHTY member, Adam "Adammir" Chong, the team may surprise its fans in the upcoming tournament.

7. RSG SG

The team is composed of veteran players who have a considerable amount of experience in competing internationally. It may be the second-best team in Singapore but RSG SG can definitely hold its ground against the toughest teams from other regions.

6. Team SMG

The team that used to struggle in the Mobile Legends esports scene in Malaysia is now the king of its region. With the acquisition of former RRQ Hoshi head coach, James “Jamesss” Chen, the team managed to win the MPL MY Season 8, booking its ticket to the M3 World Championship. It will be interesting to see if Team SMG will be able to take their local championship title to the next level.

5. Todak

The Malaysian team has participated in all international Mobile Legends esports events. Despite being considered a fan favorite, the team is quite inconsistent in its esports journey. The team won the MPL Malaysia (MY) Season 6 with a perfect record. However, the team had a lackluster performance during the M2 World Championship. Despite this predicament, Todak is brimming with pro players who have a proven track record to solidify their veteran status.

4. RRQ Hoshi

The team continues to be one of the most popular Indonesian teams to this day. Despite the absence of Muhammad "Lemon" Ikhsan, the pro player who was praised for his mechanical skills, the team is still a force to be reckoned with. With the veteran player Albert "Alberttt" Neilsen Iskandar on its side, RRQ Hoshi will stop at nothing to clutch the title of world champion.

3. ONIC PH

The team is famous for its “Banana Split” strategy. ONIC PH is the first runner-up of the MPL PH Season 8, and with good reason. The team built its own meta with its highly aggressive split pushing tactics that pressured enemies to either surrender objectives or sacrifice lanes turrets.

With the return of Allen "Baloyskie" Baloy and the top-performing pro players Kairi "Kairi" Rayosdelsol and Mark "Markyyyy" Capacio, ONIC PH may just have the chance to take the title of world champions.

2. Blacklist International

The local champions of MPL PH Season 8 and one of the meta-defining teams of this year. Blacklist International’s Ultimate Bonding Experience (UBE) strategy is near unstoppable. So far, only a few teams were able to crack the code behind its relentless tactic. It will be interesting to see if more teams find a weak spot in Blacklist International, who rarely bows down to any opponents.

1. ONIC Esports

This team takes the top spot due to its impressive performance during the MPL Invitational (MPLI) 2021. ONIC Esports’ team chemistry is second to none and it even managed to take down the unstoppable Blacklist International. If ONIC Esports pulls it off and takes the title of world champions, it will be the first to achieve three major titles for MPL ID, MPLI 2021, and the M3 World Championship, in just one year.

This year’s international esports event for Mobile Legends, the M3 World Championship shall most definitely be a sight to behold, considering that there will be more regions participating this year as opposed to its earlier iterations. It will be interesting to see who will take home the title of world champions in the upcoming M3 World Championship.

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Opinion: Physical Training is Important For Esports Playershttps://afkgaming.com/premium/esports/esports-players-are-subjected-to-physical-training-and-here-is-whyhttps://afkgaming.com/premium/esports/esports-players-are-subjected-to-physical-training-and-here-is-why#comments5ec04144-83b1-432d-a027-c80d7cbc0a6fSun, 05 Dec 2021 11:27:54 +05302021-12-06T14:30:41.339+05:30Sarah Zulkiflee/api/author/1591371Esports,Physical Health,Physical Training,Lifestyle,Exercise,ChessEsportsThe esports industry is one where all of its players spend over 14 hours in front of a screen. Whilst they don’t really use their physicality as much as traditional athletes, there is a misconception that physical health isn't as important for esports players. However, in the current era where it grows more competitive and professional each year, esports players are subjected to a higher degree of training, pressure, discipline, and more. Hence, the importance of physical health is becoming more relevant every passing day.

Chess has often been compared to esports because of its similarities. Both don’t require physical exertion and the skill differences between players are largely based upon mental abilities.

Chess and esports are far more similar than one might normally expect

So the importance of physical training for chess players can be comparable to it for esports players. A report by ESPN showcased the extreme physical regimes that the top Chess grandmasters undergo to be on top of their game. Fabiano Caruana, one of the world’s top grandmasters revealed that his daily routines consists of a 5-mile run, an hour of tennis, half an hour of basketball, and at least an hour of swimming.

Chess world champion, Magnus Carlsen spends a lot of his time working out before tournaments and when not in the midst of competition, he would play soccer or go skiing. Aside from focused exercises, these mind game masters also carry out physical activities in the smallest form such as tapping their feet or chewing gum, all for the sake of a better mental performance. This showcases the significance of physical form and how it is paramount to prepare the brain for mental challenges.

AFK Gaming reached out to Dr. Lindsey "GamerDoc" Migliore, a medical doctor and a gamer, to talk about the importance of physical health and ways to achieve a healthier state. According to her, many players retire in their early twenties from various causes such as a high work-load, better opportunities, physical injuries, and much more. This could be prevented with an emphasis on health, and while one would weigh whether a healthy body or mind is more important, GamerDoc highlighted that “physical and mental health are one and the same, and should be focused on equally.

The body is very closely connected to the brain, so whatever happens to the body would also be implicated to the mind. There are numerous benefits of a healthy physical lifestyle, or exercising in general, but what exactly are we looking at with regards to esports players?

Exercising fosters good mental health for esports players

Benefits of exercising for esports performance

Most people wince at the thought of hardcore exercises but the level of intensity for exercises differs from person to person. Some would feel better after a hardcore workout session and some might damage their bodies if forced to push past their limits. But fret not, even something as simple as casual movement throughout the day could almost guarantee results in one’s gaming performance.

Improves memory and concentration

Most esports have long-drawn competitions comprising a multitude of gaming sessions. Games require a high level of focus, and concentration at long stretches, which can cause mental exhaustion. Some players might not have the mental stamina to keep up and the quality of their gameplay might drop over time.

With a healthy physical lifestyle, esports players can boost their memory and focus capacity. This is because when a person exercises, the brain releases natural chemicals that affect focus and attention. These chemicals help concentrate better in a longer period of time and it aids the person in paying more attention. When exercising, the person’s brain encourages cell growth and this allows for more information to be stored in their memory. “By performing a set of stereotyped physical warm ups and mental exercises for only a few minutes before game time, players can train their brains to perform better, faster,” said GamerDoc.

Balances emotions

Working out could stabilize emotions such as reducing anxiety and depression and also increasing confidence for esports players. Emotions like anxiety and depression are negative states of mind that can sabotage the everyday lives of people and it will definitely affect one’s performance in-game. Players could feel anxious when making decisions and their worries would overwhelm their ability to properly execute actions. Depression can not only affect your gameplay, but also your teammates’ due to the level of negativity it brings.

Exercising can bring you to the ultimate state of PMA, or Positive Mental Attitude, where players can experience a surge of motivation and also a sense of calmness. When you exercise your brain produces natural chemicals that could act like natural cannabis. This chemical makes the person feel good and rids one of negative emotions in the mind.

While gaming, esports players need to have a calm disposition, whether for communication, decision making, or anything else. They also need stability in their emotions to be able to overcome negative moments or losses in-game, which can be aided by a dose of exercise.

Exercising can also boost a person’s confidence and self-esteem. The person could feel better with a fit physique and when they feel more in control of their lifestyle. When they manage to accomplish certain goals in life such as being healthier, they’ll gain more confidence and self-assurance. Esports players definitely need the element of confidence and this energy is crucial in every competitive sport.

Helps promote a better sleep cycle

A regular sleep pattern is vital for everyone, especially for competitors that need to undergo a disciplined regime. A lot of people are victims of sleeping disorders such as insomnia, where they struggle to sleep, stay asleep, or get enough hours of sleep. This condition is common and the severity varies from person to person.

Esports players would go through mass training and if one forces themselves whilst feeling fatigued, it could be self-destructive. They need enough energy to not only play but perform well, and without a proper sleeping cycle, their performance and health will certainly deteriorate.

A good exercise routine during suitable hours of the day can tugger out your body by bedtime. This allows you to have a fixed sleeping schedule and plan daily routines better without the worries of being tired. Moreover, the quality of sleep can also be improved by exercising more. This means that you may feel fully energized even with a lesser amount of sleep.

We also spoke to Ankit Panth, a streamer and a former CS:GO pro player. He shared the major difference he felt after adapting to a healthier lifestyle. “I used to sleep 10-12 hours a day and play till late night when I started esports but that wasn’t helping. Slowly I started changing my lifestyle and then everything started falling into place. I sleep 7-8 hours which is enough for me as I don’t need an alarm to wake me up and neither do I feel sleepy during the day,” said the ex-CS:GO pro.

Builds physical and mental resilience

Gamers spend a lot of time sitting down to play video games. This also means many parts of their bodies are in a dormant state for a long period of time. This can cause the body to slowly shut down as your muscle weakens and you gradually lose the strength to even carry out normal daily tasks.

Esports players need to put in a proper dose of physical activity to prevent their bodies from weakening. A long period of inactivity might just cause them to struggle to even play normally, likely due to the muscle loss in vital organs including the breathing muscle. Due to this, even the smallest activity might cause you to overwork your muscles, hence causing you to feel tightness and pain.

Ankit Panth also shared with us his routine when it comes to exercising. Following a six days a week schedule, he doesn’t stick to only one set of workouts. “Sometimes it's heavy weights with 8-10 reps, sometimes it would be light weights with 25-30 reps. I keep switching between a single muscle workout in a day to double muscle the next week so that my body isn’t used to one set schedule. Mainly for gaming I focus more on my back, neck, shoulders and forearms,” he said.

The health of one’s body often also reflects the health of their mind. With proper physical health care, you can boost your immune system and prevent mental diseases such as depression and dementia. Exercising has been the key to physical and mental health and with a proper routine, esports players can avoid many conditions, from minimal body discomfort to serious health conditions.

There have been numerous cases where esports players' careers were in jeopardy due to physical injuries. Lâm “Hai” Du Hải, a retired League of Legends player had to step down from the game due to chronic wrist pain. İsmailсan "XANTARES" Dörtkardeş, a professional CS:GO player had hyperhidrosis which causes his hand to sweat excessively and required him to go through many treatments. Recently, Sébastien “Ceb” Debs, almost missed TI10 due to a sudden eye injury that was fortunately treated moments before he would lose his eyesight.

A lot of precautions can be taken to prevent such incidents or health scares and exercise is one of the simplest steps to start with.

Esports players can live healthier with a proper lifestyle

The esports industry is relatively new and it has been constantly growing over the years. What used to be a pretty laid-back ecosystem has now developed into one of the biggest entertainment industries in the world. Gamers now pursue esports as a career and world competitions now host millions of dollars worth of prize pools. The expansion of esports comes with a wave of extreme competition and players require a lot of resilience to undergo training. To maintain consistent performance and even improve in their respective games, esports players should pay attention to their lifestyle.

Yoga is a very good routine to implement into the daily lives of esports players. Yoga focuses more on meditation and breathing rather than regular exercise and it can promote calmness in a person’s mind. In a competitive industry filled with relentless routines, a dose of relaxation would definitely aid in a healthy lifestyle.

But a very integral aspect which esports players should give credence to is none other than a healthy diet. Nutrition is the key component for strong physical health and a healthy mind. An excellent workout routine will not be sustained by a terrible diet, and therefore, players should pay extra attention to their eating habits.

GamerDoc shared her thoughts on a healthy diet for gamers. “Eat breakfast! Focus on the least processed types of foods. If it can survive the zombie apocalypse, you don't want to put it in your body everyday,” she said. For special occasions like pre-tournaments, players may be subjected to more energy and brain-stimulating edibles. “Certain foods like sweet potatoes, carrots, blueberries, fish, and nuts are "pro-level" and should be prioritized as part of a healthy diet,” she added.

Ankit Panth also mentioned his gamer diet. “I prefer having full meals if we have matches in the afternoon along with a can of Red Bull before my match. If I don’t load those carbs and proteins, I feel weak. Sometimes when we don’t get time to eat full meals then I switch to my protein bars to keep me fueled,” he added.

Esports players need to surround themselves with the right environment. They should position positive elements into their everyday lives, from daily interactions with people to the smallest things such as the type of movies they watch. They should invest in services that provide deeper and more specific insights towards their personal health lifestyles such as a nutritionist or a therapist. Ankit Panth mentioned how he coped with the body pain struggles by investing in Hyperice, an at-home massager product that helps relieve muscles for better performance and recovery. “I remember a few years back when I wasn’t fit and was just playing on my computer for hours, my back and forearms used to hurt a lot. I couldn’t focus on my game. Since I started working out and have corrected my posture, the pain has never returned. I remember massaging my forearms to ease the pain earlier but now that’s taken care of by my recovery partner Hyperice. This has helped me recover faster and do what I love more, which is esports and gaming.” said Panth. He believes Hyperice made a huge difference in his performance and stated that even his teammates enjoyed the product. “It is very important for gamers to recover from physical fatigue to play better,” he added.

We have to acknowledge that as the competitive video gaming industry grows, so do the health standards of professional players. A decade ago, esports players were primarily focused on nurturing gaming potential and honing their great talent. Then the community understood that just raw stellar talent in esports isn’t enough to sustain a competitive drive. Hence we start seeing mental coaches and psychologists being brought into teams and organizations.

Now we take a few more steps ahead to promote the necessity of physical training among gamers, especially professional players. If we wish to see the industry continue to bloom, it is vital to embrace the importance of one’s health, both mental and physical.

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Interview With Alter Ego Sleepy: A Team Rebuilthttps://afkgaming.com/premium/valorant/interview-with-alter-ego-sleepy-a-team-rebuilthttps://afkgaming.com/premium/valorant/interview-with-alter-ego-sleepy-a-team-rebuilt#commentsac3e22ff-7324-47ab-b2ef-598dffc4a829Sat, 04 Dec 2021 15:00:00 +05302021-12-04T15:00:00.000+05:30Abhimannu Das/api/author/1568072Alter Ego,Riot Games,VALORANT,Sleepy Alter EgoValorantAn air of change is blowing over Alter Ego (AE). Four out of its five players just joined the organization in October 2021 and the organization is looking at new beginnings. After coming third in the Valorant Champions Tour (VCT): Stage 3 Playoffs in Southeast Asia, the team saw multiple players transfer over to other organizations with Jonathan "naTz" Adiputra being the only player left from the original roster.

With the year coming to a close and Valorant’s new 2022 competitive season set to kick off in a matter of weeks, Alter Ego found itself in a predicament. It had to build a roster that would be able to compete against the best in not just Southeast Asia, but at a global level. Alter Ego coach Andi "Sleepy" Andana Bangasawan realized that the roster needed players who are equally skilled as its former players but with more potential. He fulfilled his search and helped sign four new players who are set to prove themselves in the new and revamped Alter Ego roster. Sleepy tells AFK Gaming that the new players “checked all those boxes” at the time of signing and he is confident about the team’s future.

Rebuilding the Alter Ego roster

After falling short at the VCT Stage 3 SEA Playoffs, Sleepy took the decision to sign the former MORPH team squad of Lastiko "Moji" Reyanick, Axel "huliolio" Julio, Bryan "Kush" Setiawan and Delbert "Del.B" Tanoto. The four new Alter Ego members along with naTz and his experience are looking to conquer Southeast Asia as the new and improved Alter Ego.

Sleepy believes that the current roster has a bright atmosphere, where everyone contributes evenly to discussions and problem solving, whether inside or outside the game. “They’ve shown a huge interest in improving as individuals and as a team, and that’s what gave me the optimism that they can achieve great things together as a team.”

The new roster has been performing well with players slowly getting used to each others’ playstyles. Out of all the players in the roster, Sleepy feels that deLb is the x-factor on the current team. “Since joining AE, he’s become such a monster equal to the best of duelists here in APAC (Asia-Pacific),” he added.

Sleepy's insight stands strong as deLb is currently among the top 10 players at The Esports Club Showdown event in which Alter Ego is participating. He has been one of the most consistent players in the event.

But individual successes does not make a team and Sleepy believes that he is impressed by how fast the players have synergized with each other, which has created a conducive environment to excel as a team.

Preparing for competition

The Esports Club (TEC) is currently hosting events that pit South Asian (SA) teams against South East Asian (SEA) teams. Alter Ego has managed to take on the challenge and defeated fan-favorite South Asian team Global Esports (GE) at the upper-bracket quarter-finals. Ascent and Haven were highly competitive maps but AE stomped GE 13-3 on Breeze. Hard work and regular practice are ingrained into the Alter Ego roster. When preparing for specific events, Sleepy says that the roster had a couple of scrims with South Asian teams and drew their conclusions and mindset of playing against them from them.

Sleepy feels that there is still a noticeable gap between South Asia and Southeast Asia. With two teams (Global Esports and Velocity Gaming) dominating the scene in South Asia, he thinks that there just isn’t enough competition in the region to keep up with Southeast Asia. Southeast Asia, on the other hand, possesses much tougher competition and have several competitive teams that have finished at the top in SEA’s Valorant Champions Tour events, including the likes of Bren Esports and X10 Esports. More recently, Full Sense, a team that had stayed under the radar for the vast majority of 2021 came up top and won the Valorant Champions Tour (VCT) Asia Pacific (APAC) Last Chance Qualifiers (LCQ).

In South Asia’s defence, the region had to rely on competing in third-party tournaments with its future in Riot’s official circuit always being under doubt. It officially only got added to the Valorant Champions Tour in Stage 3 with the APAC Last Chance Qualifier. If Year 2 of the Valorant Champions Tour can be more inclusive with additional regions, we may see the competition levels in South Asia improve.

Sleepy thinks that there is a lack of involvement of South Asian teams. “It’s a shame because we know they can play well. I think it’s just about providing them with more opportunities and I can see South Asia becoming a VALORANT powerhouse in the near future,” he added.

On the future of Valorant

Valorant’s first-ever competitive season is coming to a close with the flagship Valorant Champions event. Sixteen teams will be competing in the upcoming event with just one team walking out as this year’s world champions. But beyond the hype and glory, Valorant has established itself as an esport that wants to stay for years, and its longevity can only be ascertained if it meets the expectations of the teams and the communities that make the esport what it is.

“I’m excited for 2022. We’ve set the stage with amazing teams and players as the casts, and I can’t wait to see how these teams and players are gonna incorporate even more depth in their plays. I’m also hoping for regions like South Asia to be more involved and be provided more opportunities to compete at the International stage. That will elevate their competitive level and will surely bring more interesting stuff to the VALORANT scene as a whole,” he said.

If Riot can offer its competitive platform to regions that do not receive much recognition, it can make 2022 an even more interesting competitive season and improve Valorant esports as a whole.

While all of Riot’s flagship Valorant events have been very successful and showcase the highest-tier of play, there is a relative lack of community flair that is usually showcased by third-party events. Tournament organizers like The Esports Club (TEC) are looking to change that, by taking steps in the right direction, through events like the TEC Showdown.

Sleepy feels that by uniting regions through events like Showdown “we get more inclusive, we’ll be mixing more playstyles, metas, and approaches to the game and it will no doubt be a good formula to raise the level of Asian VALORANT.”

It also important to note some of the problems that online international events face at the moment. Latency problems and infrastructural differences do not exactly offer an even playing field between two teams competing from different countries halfway across the globe. Sleepy wants more LAN events that unite players from different countries and regions. But with the world still struggling with the ongoing pandemic, it might be a while until we go back to the days of regular LAN events.

Looking back at Alter Ego's first year in Competitive Valorant

Alter Ego exploded onto the Southeast Asian Valorant scene with a second-place finish at Valorant First Strike Indonesia followed up by a win at AOC Masters 2020. After the announcement of the Valorant Champions Tour, Alter Ego qualified for all three Challengers events in Stage 1,2, and 3 but fell short of qualifying for Champions.

The toughest competition so far for the team was Global Esports according to Sleepy. “They’ve been farming experience and grinding non-stop leading to LCQ and I have no doubt that they’ll improve even further over time."

With a new squad and 2022 just around the corner, Sleepy is ready to take on new challenges next season and conquer the Asian Valorant scene with Alter Ego.

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Is SkRossi Ready to Become an International Valorant Star?https://afkgaming.com/premium/valorant/is-skrossi-ready-to-become-an-international-valorant-starhttps://afkgaming.com/premium/valorant/is-skrossi-ready-to-become-an-international-valorant-star#commentsfc396a42-d718-403a-a92a-d1097aec66c2Thu, 25 Nov 2021 18:00:00 +05302021-11-25T18:39:36.699+05:30Aditya Singh Rawat/api/author/1568067South Asia,India,Global eSports,VALORANT,VCT APAC LCQ,SkRossiValorantWhen it comes to esports, India has never really been seen as a heavyweight region that produces exceptionally skilled PC FPS (first-person shooter) players. Despite its success in mobile esports through games like PUBG Mobile and Free Fire, the region has generally failed to produce world-class athletes for games like CS:GO.

So, when international Valorant players and streamers started getting messages on their Twitch chats asking if they knew who “SkRossi” was, it started to raise a few eyebrows. The tipping point was likely when Shahzeb "ShahZaM" Khan (Sentinels, IGL) admitted, “Of course I know who SkRossi is, he seems cracked!”

This was just the trailer though, of what was to hit the global scene with the advent and rise of a talented Indian Valorant player, who had gotten the entire community talking about the untapped potential of the South Asian region.

Things finally appeared to be changing for the better, as the 23-year-old from Bengaluru stepped up and delivered beyond what others thought was possible as a Valorant player from the region. Allowing his ridiculously amazing Jett plays to do all the talking, Ganesh "SkRossi" Gangadhar broke into the international Valorant scene with the Valorant Champions Tour (VCT) 2021: Asia Pacific (APAC) Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ) in October 2021, and the buzz that he created was surreal!

Many in the global Valorant community are talking about him, be it in the form of praises, doubts, or questions. But did his debut performance at the Asia-Pacific Valorant tournament actually live up to all the hype? How far ahead did his Jett dash against others from the APAC region? Does he have what it takes to take things to the next level and perhaps move to an international lineup?

To answer these and more, we spoke with Seth "Achilios" King, Nico "BlackenBlue" Gayoso, Clinton "Paperthin" Bader, Franco "Ilustrado" Bernardino, Rushindra “Salbatic” Sinha, and even the man himself, SkRossi.

The Face of South Asian Valorant - SkRossi

North American talent Seth "Achilios" King, caster of this event, was surprised to see that SkRossi mostly held up to the expectations following the buzz that surrounded him prior to the tournament. Despite playing only three matches, the Jett main was able to leave a lasting impression due to his stellar performances, with Filipino analyst Nico "BlackenBlue" Gayoso confidently stating that, “SkRossi is what the VCC needs. Someone to be the face of their region (South Asia) on the global stage, so it's definitely worth every piece of praise he has received.”

Though SkRossi’s overall stats were not the best at the VCT 2021: APAC LCQ when compared to other players, he held his own and earned a spot within the top 20 players at the tournament. “He showed flashes of brilliance and some solid mechanical skills,” says North American commentator Clinton "Paperthin" Bader while highlighting his debut performance against DAMWON Gaming.

A lot of the other talent, players, and even Valorant community members have poured in their support, backing up SkRossi for what he has achieved and all that lies ahead. But today, we’re going to answer a few hard-hitting questions to ‘de-cypher’ the true potential of this South Asian phenom.

Did the hype around SkRossi meet Valorant fans’ expectations?

For more than a year SkRossi competed within the South Asian region slowly climbing the ladder, building the reputation of being an incredibly skilled player, especially on Jett when armed with an Operator. He finally got a platform to test his skills against some of the top Valorant teams and Jett players from across the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region in October 2021 at VCT 2021: APAC LCQ. To put it simply, he passed with flying colors.

SkRossi’s performance was integral to the overall success of his Valorant team - Global Esports (GE), at the tournament. When he was firing on all cylinders, GE looked like a completely different team while his off-games, like the ones against Paper Rex, saw the team struggling significantly.

SkRossi ACS Stats at VCT 2021 - APAC LCQ

SkRossi K\D\A Stats at VCT 2021 - APAC LCQ

SkRossi First Kills Stats at VCT 2021 - APAC LCQ

In the match against Paper Rex, where SkRossi failed to find his footing, Global Esports collapsed winning just three out of the 29 rounds played in that series, with a horrifying win rate of just 10.35%. In comparison, despite losing to F4Q in the eliminator match, GE put up a commendable fight with SkRossi leading the side from the front across all three maps.

This illustrates the impact he has as a duelist who finds the opening frags, makes those difficult contact plays, and gives his side the momentum required to snowball. So when it comes to making plays or taking fights, SkRossi can get the job done with a high rate of success against the best teams from the APAC region.

During the VCT 2021: APAC LCQ he maintained an overall Average Combat Score (ACS) of 245.75 while securing an average of 18.25 frags per match and dying 15.25 times on average. Moreover, despite having a hard time connecting headshots with an average headshot percentage of 17.8%, SkRossi made up for it with his fast reactions and good positioning which rewarded him with 4.75 first kills and an Average Damage per Round (ADR) of 134.54 on average.

SkRossi Overall Performance at VCT 2021 - APAC LCQ

While the stats indicate that SkRossi’s performances are good enough to allow him to be counted as one of the top Valorant players in the region, there are still certain aspects that he needs to improve upon.

“Individually his play is strong and he can probably go toe-to-toe with a lot of the stars from the major regions,” said NA talent Achilos, “However, I think that consistency and decision-making are things that need to be worked upon. We saw him really pop against DWG but then was widely absent when facing Paper Rex, where the burden of carrying was mainly put on the shoulders of skillZ (Jayanth Ramesh). Then against F4Q, he had an incredible performance, going +24 (K/D) with 76 frags across the series, but we saw him make errors that cost GE crucial rounds.”

Achilos elaborated on this by stating,

It is clear that SkRossi is one of the best Jett mains around in the APAC region, but how good are the GE duelist’s stats when compared against some of the best that APAC has to offer?

How does SkRossi’s Jett size up against others from the APAC region?

Jett has been the most preferred agent for all the duelists globally. We have Valorant superstars from every region including Tyson "TenZ" Ngo, Mehmet Yağız "cNed" İpek, and Wassim "keloqz" Cista frequently dominating the server single-handedly with this agent. Jett has a high mechanical skill ceiling due to her movement-based skill set and an ultimate which rewards players with a steady aim.

SkRossi who is considered to be one of the best Jett players in South Asia did impress everyone with his gameplay on the agent when going against the APAC teams. In fact, it’s the only agent he played in the entirety of the VCT 2021: APAC LCQ, with a total of 104 rounds on Jett during the event!

In total 12 players at the tournament had played Jett, but not all of them played her exclusively. As this would result in a skewed comparison, only those players who had played more than 100 rounds with the agent have been shortlisted for this comparison.

“I think SkRossi is definitely up there with the APAC duelists, but he's not top three yet IMHO. There's Patiphan (Patiphan Chaiwong), F0rsaken (Jason Susanto), JohnOlsen (Chanawin Nakchain), Dubstep (Jayvee Paguirigan), and many more,” says Filipino caster and host Franco "Ilustrado" Bernardino from an SEA (Southeast Asia) centric point of view.

Filipino analyst BlackenBlue also agreed with this sentiment, stating that he would not put SkRossi in the top five Jett players from the APAC region just yet, as there is still a thin line separating him from players like Seoldam, F0rsaken, Dubstep, and others. However, his impressive first-time performance definitely puts him in the top 10 and BlackenBlue expects him to come back stronger when the official circuit returns in 2022.

American commentator Paperthin echoed similar feelings, stating that SkRossi definitely makes an argument for being one of the top ten Jett players in the APAC region, and maybe even the top five. But if we were to only consider the performances at VCT 2021: APAC LCQ he thinks SkRossi was amongst the top three.

Paperthin on SkRossi

While comparing SkRossi to the Korean and other international players, Achilios points out that though he is a treat to watch, it is the dips in his performance that stopped him from prominently being known as ‘one of the best in the world’.

Is SkRossi ready to join an international roster? Should he consider making this move?

In the past, South Asia witnessed the transfer of veteran PC FPS player Tejas "Ace" Sawant to an Indonesian CS:GO roster called EXECUTIONERS. He played with the organization for roughly nine months from Jan-Nov 2018, gaining much-needed international exposure to grow as a player.

He returned to India and joined Team Signify which went on to become one of the most successful CS:GO teams from South Asia. It also paved the way for future international transfers from the region with Singaporean organization Paper Rex loaning Indian star rifler Debanjan “DEATHMAKER” Das for a couple of tournaments, followed by Jayanth "SkillZ" Ramesh going on to join another Singapore based organization Asking Questions.

With the region having a history where a few players have managed to join international esports organizations, this is certainly an avenue that might attract SkRossi’s attention as well. However, a few factors that play an important role when making this decision are the finances associated with the transfer, clarity of work permits, obtaining a visa, accessibility to the agreement beforehand while also choosing to stay away from home, family, and friends for an extended period of time.

From a pure gameplay perspective, NA’s Paperthin is of the opinion that SkRossi has what it takes to join an international roster, but it is a decision that should come from him more than anything else. “I definitely think he can find an international team,” adds Paperthin while pointing out that SkRossi is both a solid operator player and also has good fragging instincts.

However, such a move would also depend on how well he could integrate into other rosters in the APAC region. BlackenBlue expressed his reservations on the subject.

Ilustrado however believes that SkRossi should not be making a move to an international team. He said, “I don’t think that making a move to an international roster would be the right move for him.” This is because he believes that growing organically will be the better option for both SkRossi and the APAC region, because “the more competitive the region is, the more we'll grow and be able to take down other more popular regions.”

While sharing an opinion closer to that of Ilustrado, Achilios points out two important things about SkRossi that could make or break a move to an international roster. The first is SkRossi’s fluency in English which acts as a bonus for him, and the second is his shallow agent depth which is a matter of huge concern and could limit his opportunities.

At the VCT 2021: APAC LCQ, SkRossi played Jett in all the three matches that GE played. He has a Jett pick rate of 93.5% in all the competitive matches that he has ever competed in and has only played 13 games with other agents.

SkRossi - Agent Pick Rate (All Time)

SkRossi - Agent Pick Rate (Last 90 Days)

SkRossi - Agent Pick Rate (Last 60 Days)

SkRossi - Agent Pick Rate (Last 30 Days)

This makes him highly susceptible to meta changes as a nerfed Jett could turn out to be a huge handicap for him. His abilities on agents other than Jett still remain a mystery thanks to the limited available data but Achilios says that,

SkRossi and Global Esports on his Jett and potential for an International Transfer

To get a clearer picture we approached SkRossi, who admits that though there are a lot of other agents that he can play with, his impact is not at the same level when he plays on other agents in comparison to Jett. SkRossi explained that since the start he had only been spamming Jett. So naturally, he didn’t get a lot of time to invest in perfecting other agents.

He also states that Jett enables him to play very aggressively with an operator when compared to other agents, which aligns with Global Esports’ game strategy. The team doesn't want him to play any other agent for now, as their game plan is really strong with him on Jett.

SkRossi about his agent pool

As for his thoughts on an international transfer, SkRossi expressed that his decision would depend on the team he was getting an offer from if such an opportunity was to come his way. “I just want to reach new heights,” he stated.

He explained this by comparing the state of Indian Valorant to the international scene, “India has only four or five good teams currently and God knows how many chances we will get to compete internationally, whereas outside there are plenty of really skilled teams with a lot of opportunities to compete in international events.”

However, all said and done SkRossi at the moment seems to have absolutely no plans of moving outside the country, “For now, I don’t have any thoughts in mind to play for an international team. My current goal is to be the best team in SEA (Southeast Asia) with GE and I also want to compete against more international teams in tournaments often.”

Finally, Rushindra “Salbatic” Sinha - CEO and Founder of GE, indicated that SkRossi isn’t going anywhere else, anytime soon.

This has been a breakout year for SkRossi, who created a lot of noise walking into the VCT 2021: APAC LCQ, maintained it while he performed, and definitely delivered something worthy of all the praise that he has received ever since.

Personally, I would love to see SkRossi continue to play and practice within the South Asian region itself. He is literally the face of South Asian Valorant for now, a representation of the talent and potential that this region has in abundance but remains untapped. His international debut was enough to create ripples across the global scene, attracting eyeballs from all corners of the world, as the community started talking about him, his team, and ultimately the region. This is probably the most that the region has been discussed on such a level ever since Valorant was released, which is crucial to remaining important in the eyes of the developers.

Sure, if SKRossi was to move to an international roster he would definitely grow as a player, gain more experience, and get opportunities to achieve a lot more. It might not be easy settling down but he would eventually find a way to use the resources available and excel, similar to how one of the best CS:GO players in the world, Oleksandr "s1mple" Kostyliev, despite a troubled time on Team Liquid used it as a base to propel his career forward.

However, this might only benefit him as an individual Valorant player as opposed to carrying the whole region forward with him if he was to stay, continue the grind, and show positive results in the upcoming tournaments. If he decides to do so, there is a chance that the region might hold him back from reaching his truest potential, and a few years down the line it might become too late to seek international offers.

To ensure that nothing of the sort happens, here are a few things that can be done to compensate for the lack of experience and exposure. Continued work with an international coach seems integral as this could help both him and his team achieve a lot more, something his current team GE has already experimented with for the VCT 2021: APAC LCQ. Another such exercise could be collaborations with international Valorant teams for training sessions like the one between Velocity Gaming and Gen.G Esports which took place recently.

In a nutshell, SkRossi has successfully proved that the South Asian region does in fact have a lot of potential and that he is a hell of a beast within the server. Hopefully, we will have more to celebrate next year along with a new competitive season.

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Interview With Da Kun Gaming You: The Unstoppable Chinese Wild Rift Teamhttps://afkgaming.com/premium/wildrift/interview-with-da-kun-gaming-you-the-unstoppable-chinese-wild-rift-teamhttps://afkgaming.com/premium/wildrift/interview-with-da-kun-gaming-you-the-unstoppable-chinese-wild-rift-team#comments5d29ba27-4c92-48d6-9864-988bb49b3f44Sun, 21 Nov 2021 15:14:33 +05302021-11-21T15:14:33.862+05:30John Dave Rossel/api/author/1568073Asia,China,Wild Rift,Wild RIft Esports,Original Interview,Horizon cup 2021,Da Kun GamingWildRiftThe semifinals of the League of Legends (LoL): Wild Rift Horizon Cup 2021 saw the Chinese teams defending their undefeated titles in the tournament. One of the unbeatable teams was Da Kun Gaming who dominated and won against the fan-favorite Team Secret after a 3-1 match score.

Da Kun Gaming has been one of the most dominant Wild Rift teams in the region. The team qualified for the Horizon Cup 2021 after winning the championship title in the Wild RIft Spark Invitational 2021. Though they are yet to be part of the Wild Rift Professional League in China, Da Kun Gaming has proven that they are more than capable to earn that title soon.

Da Kun Gaming is composed of the members Yankai "Yk" Hong, Fangjun "Huiba" Li, Muchuang "You" You, Zhenyu "Wind" Qi, Mochen "Emo" Fan, Shiliu, and Au. Similar to the Philippines team, Team Secret, Dakun Gaming is yet to revamp its roster. Instead, the team focused on coming up with impressive strategies and studying their opponents’ weaknesses to outplay them in tournaments.

Being one of the undefeated teams in the Horizon Cup 2021, Da Kun Gaming will be facing its fellow Chinese team, ThunderTalk Gaming in the grand finals. The two teams may be undefeated so far, but eventually, one shall stand and one shall fall. Will Da Kun Gaming be able to assert dominance in the grand finals and snatch the Championship title?

Da Kun Gaming is more than prepared to reach the grand finals

The first-ever international esports event for Wild Rift, the Horizon Cup 2021 features the top-tier teams from around the world competing for the title of World Champions. In a conversation with AFK Gaming, the team’s Mid Laner Muchuang "You" You revealed how the team managed to stay dominant in the tournament.

With high stakes at hand, Da Kun Gaming made sure to come prepared and have formulated strategies and team compositions that can help them take down the best of the best Wild Rift teams.

“To be honest, we really prepared for the Horizon Cup (2021), we played many scrims during the normal days. We also gathered a lot of information about teams from other regions and we did some research on them. Our preparation was totally completed,” stated You

But despite being prepared for the tournament, Da Kun Gaming is far from perfect. According to You, the team did make some mistakes during its semifinals match against Team Secret.

“I’m so happy that we won this game. In the second game, we couldn’t play so well and made many mistakes so we lost. But it’s just a reminder for us that we should focus on ourselves so we can play our best in the next two games,” stated You.

The semifinals match ended with a 3-1 match score, in favor of Da Kun Gaming. Despite Team Secret losing the match, it did put up a good fight against the Chinese team.

Following Da Kun Gaming’s victory in the semifinals, its fellow Chinese team, ThunderTalk Gaming also dominated its match against Rolster Y and will proceed in the grand finals. The climax of the Horizon Cup 2021 will see two Chinese teams battling it out to prove who is the strongest Chinese team.

According to You, the reason why the most dominant teams in the Horizon Cup 2021 are the Chinese team is due to how big the esports scene is in the region. A lot of promising teams and pro players are debuting in local tournaments which further makes local events more competitive.

“I think all of our Chinese teams have played very hard and we practiced more. We also have a lot of teams in our region and the inner competition is too fierce. That’s why we are so strong,” stated You.

The Horizon Cup 2021 is not the only tournament Da Kun Gaming has prepared for

The Horizon Cup 2021 is just one of the main tournaments that Da Kun Gaming intends to dominate. You revealed that his team is also looking to earn the title as one of the official professional Wild Rift League teams in China. According to him “when we come back to China, we also want to play in the national qualification tournament for Wild Rift.”

For now, the league event is yet to have its definitive title. According to Da Kun Gaming, this national event will serve as an opportunity for non-professional Wild Rift teams in China to earn the right to compete alongside the organizations that are part of the LoL Professional League.

“If we can be successful in qualifying for the Wild Rift league, then I think next year we can go abroad and participate in international events again,” stated You.

He added that his team will have to grind harder and be more prepared for the national qualification tournament for Wild Rift in China.

Despite Wild Rift being a national sensation in Southeast Asia and China, You believes that its esports scene still has a long way to go before it can be as big as the LoL PC esports scene. According to him “If there are more international events and other regions can acquire more achievements, I think global esports (for Wild Rift) would be better in the future.”

You ended his statements by thanking his fans for their continued support and stating that DKG could “hopefully we could get the championship title.” It will be interesting to see if Da Kun Gaming will be able to take down its fellow Chinese team, ThunderTalk Gaming and claim the title of world champions in the Horizon Cup 2021.

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Interview With Team Secret Azar: "I Feel We’re Stronger Now That We’re Playing Together"https://afkgaming.com/premium/wildrift/interview-with-team-secret-azar-i-feel-were-stronger-now-that-were-playing-togetherhttps://afkgaming.com/premium/wildrift/interview-with-team-secret-azar-i-feel-were-stronger-now-that-were-playing-together#comments21373c27-480b-406b-bd7b-342e19a36303Sat, 20 Nov 2021 17:17:49 +05302021-11-20T17:17:49.464+05:30John Dave Rossel/api/author/1568073Philippines,Wild Rift,Southeast Asia,Wild RIft Esports,Original Interview,Team Secret Wild Rift,Horizon cup 2021WildRiftThe quarterfinals of the League of Legends: Wild Rift Horizon Cup 2021 were rife with action-packed matches. The match between the two Southeast Asian (SEA) rival teams - the Vietnamese team of SBTC Esports and the Philippines (PH) team of Team Secret, was undoubtedly one of the most anticipated matches in the whole tournament. Albeit short, the match saw the PH team exacting sweet vengeance upon the Vietnamese team who had previously defeated them in the Wild Rift SEA Championship 2021.

Team Secret has always been one of the most interesting teams in the Wild Rift Esports scene. This is primarily because of their mental resilience and determination to take on the toughest challenges. They are resolute despite having only participated in Wild Rift events separately from their respective homes. The team is yet to have its own boot camp but this has never hindered them from dominating their matches.

Team Secret’s Wild Rift roster is composed of Eleazar "Azar" Salle, Robert "Trebor" Mansilungan, Morris "Core" Raymundo, Heri "Tatsurii" Garcia, Caster "Chewy" Dela Cruz, and James "Hamezz" Santos. While Core rarely appears in esports events, he is the team’s secret trump card whenever they wanted to add a little bit of spice into their team composition. Since its debut in February 2021, Team Secret has never had any roster changes allowing the members of the team to develop some amazing chemistry, unmatched by the other teams.

As the only remaining representative for both Southeast Asia and the Philippines, the pressure is high for Team Secret as they try to clutch the championship title in the Horizon Cup 2021. But how confident are they in reaching the grand finals against the best of the best in the world?

Team Secret’s inseparable bond grows ever stronger

The Horizon Cup 2021 is more than just an esports event for the PH Wild Rift team as it also serves as an opportunity for the members to finally compete side by side with each other since their debut.

In a conversation with AFK Gaming, Team Secret’s Baron Laner Eleazar "Azar" Salle believes that his team’s communication and their bond were strengthened during the Horizon Cup 2021.

“For me, it’s really fun and we feel so strong together because there is not much of a problem now. We can hear each other clearly and we can say what we want without network issues and something like that, those happen really often before,” stated Azar.

This new experience allowed the team to take down their SEA rival, SBTC Esports in the quarterfinals with a 3-0 clean sweep victory. According to Azar, Team Secret has improved significantly in terms of drafting and strategies. Being able to compete without the hindrance of playing separately from their respective homes was an entirely new and rewarding experience for the team.

“We’re very confident right now, especially after that match (against SBTC Esports). I think we got it, the tempo is ours and we’ll keep it that way until the end of this tournament,” stated Azar.

The Baron Laner admits that the Chinese teams - Da Kun Gaming and Thundertalk Gaming are indeed the toughest teams in the tournament. However, he is confident that their team captain James "Hamezz" Santos will find a way for the team to dominate.

“You can see how smooth their gameplay is and how they take control of the map. They’re really good in their micro and macro,” stated Azar. “But we can see their weaknesses. I think Hamez can penetrate their team composition because he’s really good. That will then be our chance to defeat them.”

The relevance of Wild Rift in SEA compared to other regions

While Wild Rift saw massive success in Asian regions such as the SEA and China, it falls a bit short in other regions such as NA and EU. Azar believes that this is due to other regions’ preference of playing on personal computers instead of mobile phones.

“It’s new to them. Here in SEA, mobile games have already been established. Many people have already been playing mobile games while other countries are still new to this,“ stated Azar.

The same things can be said about the relevance of League of Legends PC in SEA compared to other regions. According to Azar, having your own computer in PH is quite expensive so most players will go to computer shops or internet cafes which limits their gameplay and growth to become esports pro players.

However, since almost everyone can afford to have a mobile phone, this allows anyone to simply grind and find better opportunities to pursue their career as a Wild Rift esports pro player. This is why he believes that SEA is dominant in terms of mobile esports.

Team Secret sets its eyes on the championship title of the Horizon Cup 2021

With the tournament being an offline format, Azar firmly believes that this format is perfect for his team and he prefers this type of format to online events such as the Wild Rift SEA Championship 2021 and the SEA Icon Series.

The Baron Laner states that “when you’re playing online, at your own homes, there’s going to be problems like internet issues and whatnot.” So playing at a LAN event where everyone will be playing side by side will automatically eliminate issues and improve the team’s communication.

He ended his statements by thanking all the fans who continue to support them through thick and thin. Team Secret will “keep this momentum going along with the fire in our hearts.” With that said, Azar and his team will stop at nothing to take the championship title in the Horizon Cup 2021.

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The Story of Tribe Gaming: The Pride of North American Wild Rift Esportshttps://afkgaming.com/premium/wildrift/the-story-of-tribe-gaming-the-pride-of-north-american-wild-rift-esportshttps://afkgaming.com/premium/wildrift/the-story-of-tribe-gaming-the-pride-of-north-american-wild-rift-esports#comments79146802-3fce-4fd0-8015-d771d93969d8Wed, 17 Nov 2021 19:18:22 +05302021-11-17T19:27:26.194+05:30John Dave Rossel/api/author/1568073North America,Wild Rift,Wild RIft Esports,Original Interview,Tribe Gaming Wild Rift,Wild Rift Horizon CupWildRiftThe group stage of the League of Legends: Wild Rift Horizon Cup 2021 saw a number of intense matches play out. While some aspirations were set ablaze, some teams were unfortunate and fell early on in their competitive journey. One such team is North America’s (NA) pride, Tribe Gaming.

Tribe Gaming is one of the most prominent mobile esports organizations in the world with teams from various esports titles such as Clash of Clans, Clash Royale, Call of Duty: Mobile, Brawl Stars, and League of Legends: Wild Rift.

The organization's Wild Rift team so far has had an amazing portfolio of championship titles and even dominated Riot Games’ official tournament circuit, the Summoner Series 2021. Tribe Gaming reigned supreme starting from the first Major all the way up till the grand finals of the esports event.

The team was first established in June 2021 and has never been through any roster changes. Tribe Gaming’s roster comprises Raul "Chuck" Montano-Chaidez, Ray "ttigers" Han, Joshrick "Starting" Ainsley Narag, Gabriel "Oldskool" Villamariona, and Daniel "MaxGreen" Choi. Together the team strives to be one of the best Wild Rift teams not just in North America, but across the world.

As NA’s representative in the Horizon Cup 2021, Tribe Gaming aimed at securing a playoffs spot in the tournament. However, the team fell short as they suffered three consecutive losses in the tournament. Tribe Gaming will have to bow out for now and hope to come back stronger next season.

Tribe Gaming, defeated but still determined

Tribe Gaming has undoubtedly proven itself to be one of the strongest Wild Rift teams in NA. With a plethora of championship titles to its name, the pressure was high for Tribe Gaming as they represented their region in the Horizon Cup 2021.

To their dismay, the NA team went on a three-day losing streak which ultimately ended Tribe Gaming’s chance at securing a playoffs spot in the Horizon Cup 2021. The team still has one match before the group stage officially ends where they will perform their last hurrah and finally exit the international esports event.

During the third day of the group stage, in a conversation with AFK Gaming, Tribe Gaming’s mid-lane Joshrick "Starting" Ainsley Narag revealed that his team had a hard time dealing with their second opponent, Da Kun Gaming. According to him Da Kun Gaming is very unpredictable which made it hard for his team to set up a proper drafting strategy.

“I feel like they can play anything. I’ve seen them play Lucian support and Garen support and you just never know,” said Starting.

Da Kun Gaming is one of the dominant Chinese teams in the Horizon Cup 2021. Despite the Tribe Gaming's efforts to keep up with its opponents, Da Kun Gaming was in a league of its own and completely destroyed the NA representatives with a clean sweep victory of 2-0.

However, despite losing against the Chinese team, Starting believes that his performance was still good. It’s just that “a lot of these teams are just really good, as a team.”

He added that his team will have to improve its early game strategy as there is such little room for mistakes in high-level competitions like the Horizon Cup 2021.

“We have to clean up our early game. I feel like in these games where it’s just the best teams in the world, once you mess up your game it’s really hard to come back because they’re not gonna give you the chance to come back from the game and you get punished for your mistakes,” stated Starting.

Starting also mentioned the challenges that his team faced prior to the Horizon Cup 2021. According to him, his teammates had a hard time transitioning to playing on different devices.

Despite this, Starting is still determined to pursue next year’s official Wild Rift world championship.

“Next year, I think we will try to aim for that (Wild Rift Worlds 2022) since we’re the most dominant team in NA but in Horizon Cup, not so much,” said Starting.

Wild Rift is still trying to penetrate the NA region

Despite the popularity of the mobile MOBA title’s PC counterpart, League of Legends (LoL), the growth of Wild Rift in NA is quite slow compared to regions such as China and Southeast Asia (SEA).

Starting believes that this is due to people’s preference in playing games on a Laptop or PC rather than on mobile devices. He added that “in SEA and China, mobile esports is more embraced because everyone has a phone and most SEA countries do not have access to really good computers.”

However, the future is still uncertain, according to Starting. He wasn’t keen on revealing too much information but he hinted that Riot Games is planning something for the Wild Rift esports scene.

Starting also expressed his opinions on how Riot Games can bolster Wild Rift’s relevance and make it as sensational as its PC counterpart in the NA region.

“I think Wild Rift is a lot easier than League (LoL PC). Casual players can maybe just try to enjoy the game more. Everyone has a phone in NA as well but I think they (Riot Games) need to attract casual players more than esports pros. Anything like having communities in the game would be nice,” stated Starting.

Starting ended his statements by saying that the continued support of their fans, especially in NA, is what motivates him and his team:

“I see that NA is trying to support us and I really appreciate that. I hope they continue to support us in the future.”

With that said, fans will most certainly see more of Tribe Gaming in the near future. The team is looking to redeem itself next year and is aiming for another chance at an international championship title.

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Opinion: Why the Underdogs of Dota 2 Defy All Odds at The Internationals https://afkgaming.com/premium/dota2/opinion-how-the-underdogs-of-dota-2-defy-all-odds-at-the-internationalshttps://afkgaming.com/premium/dota2/opinion-how-the-underdogs-of-dota-2-defy-all-odds-at-the-internationals#comments5ae11eee-56e2-4b58-a4e9-51346e25a40eTue, 16 Nov 2021 10:30:00 +05302021-11-16T12:04:40.400+05:30Sarah Zulkiflee/api/author/1591371TI10,Dota 2,The International,UnderdogDota2The International (TI) is the pinnacle of Dota 2 esports. Players may win hundreds of other tournaments but several pro players have admitted that nothing really compares to winning a TI. Being a tournament of such prestige, we can assume that only the teams going into the tournament with the best form will win, but that has rarely been the case so far. The story of underdogs and their Cinderella runs has been written over and over again at TIs. Despite many discounting their potential to do so, these teams continue to prove the naysayers wrong and surpass expectations.

In 2016, TI finalist Digital Chaos was a roster made of rejects. OG’s 2018 roster was ripped apart just before TI, and Team Spirit, the victor of The International 10, was a group of newcomers that had never been subjected to the competitively intense environment of TI. Each of these teams came into TI with little to no expectations, fought against all odds, and stumped many Dota 2 experts. The International winners are supposed to be the creme de la creme of the game, the ones with the highest chance of success. But almost every year, there is one underdog that defies all odds. Is there a reason for this phenomenon, or is it just an outcome of chaos induced by the immense pressure courtesy of a gargantuan prize pool?

Contrary to what it might seem, The International is not just about excelling and being the most skilled Dota 2 players. Nor is it just about having a strategic advantage through a superior understanding of the game. One can argue about individual players being better than each other, but at the end of the day, everyone at The International is a master of the game. Though each individual might have different experiences, all of them have played innumerable hours of Dota 2. They breathe and live the game. And when it comes to TI, the skill differences between teams and players are almost negligible.

It is the other factors, like mental fortitude, team synergy, and other factors that contribute more towards success at TIs. “I think Dota is 80% something that’s outside the game. 20% is just the game, like how you play and whatever. 80% is actually the whole team aspect and human aspect,” said Johan "N0tail" Sundstein in an interview at The International 6.

Teams often excel and surpass seasoned favorites in some of these aspects solely because they are the underdogs.

Underdogs in Dota 2 hold the biggest motivation

Johan "N0tail" Sundstein was at the rock bottom of his career before he won TI8 with OG.

If there is one huge difference between the favorites and underdogs of a tournament, it’s in their drive to be noticed. The stronger teams of the tournament want to defend their position. They’re already on top of the chain and what they have to worry about is not losing. But the underdogs want to prove the world wrong. The underdogs hold this huge motivation and ‘they have this fire going for them’, as described by Sébastien "Ceb" Debs at the TI archives.

According to a study published by Samir Nurmohamed, a Ph.D graduate of University of Michigan in Management and Organizations, “underdog expectations” can actually motivate people to try to prove others, especially those they find less credible, wrong — leading them to perform better. While this study was conducted from the perspective of a workplace environment, the same applies to teams competing in top esports events.

Underdogs at TI's are not noobs who don’t belong there. Every single Dota 2 team at the tournament had to battle their way through the cut-throat competition while overcoming numerous hurdles just to make it to a TI. However, these teams are often perceived well below their true potential. If not by their competitors, the underdogs still receive criticism and doubt from the Dota community. “They’re not very experienced,” or “they have been inconsistent throughout the year” are just some of the comments that devalue underdogs as a team. This undermining from the public provides them with that extra bit of motivation that pushes them past their limits and allows them to excel at such events.

Mindset and mental strength is key

Team Spirit had a smooth Lower Bracket run in TI10 against the best teams in the world.

The mental side of competition has always been highlighted at TI's and continues to be a huge factor in deciding the teams’ fates in these events. Most competitions have their set of favorites and underdogs and obviously, these teams face different types of expectations and pressure coming into the tournament.

For teams that consistently perform throughout the year, they build confidence, a winning mentality, and an aura around them that makes them a scary proposition for their opponents. However, this also builds up fan expectations and a pressure to deliver when it counts. Losing is simply not acceptable for such teams, their fans, and those who wager on them. Defeat at the tournament comes with a lot of disappointment and possibly backlash from the community, and therefore, they carry a burden of expectations. As a result, players might no longer dare to take risks, or play with carefree confidence. This could affect their decision-making and might even become too rigid and calculated at the cost of creativity and flexibility. “As the favored team, it’s actually quite a bit of pressure. If we had a bad game or poor results, it changed your mental state and it was a lot easier to fall apart.” said Xu "BurNIng" Zhilei in the TI archives.

On the other hand, underdogs have nothing to lose but everything to gain. A loss is almost expected from them heading into the tournament and hence with no expectations or pressure on the line, the underdogs have the freedom to push boundaries and surpass their limits. Due to this, underdogs can also be more inventive in their solutions compared to the stronger teams.

Aliwi "w33" Omar elaborated on this in an interview at TI6. “It's just less pressure on you. People have no expectations from you,” he explained.

What the underdogs have and the favorites do not is the room to grow, not only in-game but also mentally. Underdogs can constantly learn and improve themselves, while the favorites might struggle to improve when they’re already at the top. When underdogs start winning matches, they begin to embrace their potential and nurture their own confidence. The hunger to win accumulates and the confidence to defeat everyone in their paths allows them to ‘snowball’ throughout the tournament.

Winning for the stronger teams is almost always anticipated. But when underdogs do so, they create a strong momentum. “Once a team gets in the booth and they get used to the feeling of winning, it’s kind of hard to stop them,” said Clinton "Fear" Loomis at TI7.

Underdogs Are Underestimated

Underdogs have lesser presence in the pro scene compared to the stronger teams.

Preceding competitions and especially The International, all the participants spend significant time and effort to not only improve themselves but also study their opponents. Dota 2 is a game that revolves heavily around strategy, and understanding your opponents’ gameplay is a pivotal step to outmaneuvering them.

However, the level of preparation might vary from team to team. It is only natural for teams to prioritize their preparations for the strongest teams heading into the tournament. The weaker ones might be overlooked and their approaches to the game are easily kept confidential. “Nobody is looking at them, even though they’re the ones that have a really good idea on how to beat the tournament”, said Puppey in the TI archives.

The best teams usually have a better understanding of the meta and hence studying these favorites are much more likely to be beneficial compared to studying an unfancied underdog. Usually, historical data about most underdog teams that come into the tournament is sparse, since they have little presence in the scene compared to the favorites.

In 2018, OG’s roster was formed just a moment before TI and because of that, other teams had probably little to no clue about what type of drafts and strategy they would bring into the tournament. Topias Miikka "Topson" Taavitsainen was a fresh face in the scene and being so, other teams struggled to read his hero pool and play style which gave the team a major edge at TI8. OG had the upper hand on unpredictability with respect to their drafts, strategies, and playstyle. The team had access to more information on their opponents than their opponents had on them, at least in the initial phases of the tournament.

Esports fans love a good underdog story

According to a study, 81% of the people root for underdogs.

The world loves underdogs. A natural instinct for humans is to root for the ones that the world deems weak. We love to see a character grow and achieve what they were told they couldn’t; or people that are discounted and overlooked to prove themselves. We loved it when Rasmus "MISERY" Filipsen at TI6 was baffled by his own achievements. We loved watching N0tail living his own redemption story at TI8, and we definitely enjoyed the reactions of the world when the underdogs of TI10 tumbled the Dota 2 beasts one by one.

This could be due to the fact that we want to be like them not just in Dota but other aspects of life as well. Miraculous runs and true stories of someone making their way to the top from rock bottom gives the public a sense of hope - that just maybe things will turn out well if we keep pursuing our goals in life.

We aren’t just satisfied seeing powerhouses dominate the esports scene. We want to see someone weaker, someone that is deemed to not have a chance, to ‘magically’ make it. Like when CDEC, a wild card team, stormed their way to the grand finals at TI5. Like OG’s miracle run at TI8 and TI10’s Team Spirit, who won the biggest prize pot in esports history in unexpected fashion.

Upsets are possibly one of the most exciting parts of tournaments because who doesn’t love surprises? We love plot twists and unexpected turns in stories. We love being surprised and caught off guard by something we did not foresee. The shocked reactions and the roaring crowd when a game flips, or when a comeback happens, that’s the adrenaline rush we get by seeing underdogs making it.

These underdog stories are the fuel that keeps the fire of competition alive, both for the players and the crowd. A consistent set of teams dominating the scene is great, but an underdog story lets the world be a part of a fairytale experience. And as Danil "Dendi" Ishutin said in the TI Archives, ‘it’s like a Cinderella story. When you get underdogs that start to beat the powerhouses, it shows the world that everyone can do it.


That is inspiring! And that is what The Internationals are all about.

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Cybersecurity in Online Gaming: Why You Are Not as Safe As You Thinkhttps://afkgaming.com/premium/esports/cybersecurity-in-online-gaming-why-you-are-not-as-safe-as-you-thinkhttps://afkgaming.com/premium/esports/cybersecurity-in-online-gaming-why-you-are-not-as-safe-as-you-think#comments2ebe0e66-7ea3-4637-9b19-c3f851bfb732Sat, 13 Nov 2021 16:00:00 +05302021-11-13T16:00:00.000+05:30Abhimannu Das/api/author/1568072Online security,cyber crime,data theftEsportsGaming was originally disconnected from data and it was something that was a purely single-player experience. But with the advent of esports titles that connect millions of players, developers can now collect substantial amounts of data through in-game behavior or external sources like surveys and feedback in forums. Just like social media platforms and online services, games are no exceptions to data leaks.

If you slap on factors like anti-cheats that have kernel access, China’s facial recognition and social credit systems, and games like Valorant recording your voice data “to curb toxicity”, online privacy in gaming can be a scary topic. AFK Gaming talked to a data analyst, on the condition of anonymity, who offered their insights based on their experience working in the industry and how gamers can secure themselves online.

Why is cybersecurity so important for a gamer?

Cybersecurity seeks to protect all types of sensitive information which includes personally identifiable information, protected health information, intellectual property data, and more. You might think that even if your data did get leaked, hackers would get access to your contact information and maybe some gameplay analytics data. What’s the worst that could happen if a hacker had access to your name and date of birth? Well, it turns out that it could have drastic consequences. Your basic personal information could be cross-referenced with other databases that have been compromised and the next thing you know is your entire personal life is out on the internet and sold.

When it comes to your gameplay data, it could very well be used to create your psychological profile. In an interview with Polygon, Silent Hill: Shattered Memories writer Sam Barlow talked about how intrusive games can be. The game was released over a decade ago and it altered outcomes and incidents in the game depending on player choices. He told the publication, “I was capturing all this data and then analyzing it later, and it honestly felt like you were spying on someone.”

Esports titles are even more “intrusive” when it comes to collecting player data. Battlefield 2042 is set to include advanced AI (Artificial Intelligence) bots and the devs claim that it will be hard to tell them apart from players. While how good or bad the bots turn out is yet to be seen, but the idea could only be conceptualized in the first place based on player behavior. The bots are expected to have the intelligence to decide between engaging with you via enemy fire, flanking, throwing grenades, or even reviving a downed squadmate.

Player personas or personality profiles can be created by developers and the data can be used to improve the AI in games. It is not some high-tech implementation that could lead to the birth of Skynet either. Creating customer profiles in marketing is one of the most common practices. Businesses are essentially able to identify market segments by using data that includes identifiers like demographics, location, hobbies, preferred social media channels, likes/dislikes, credit background, psychographics, and more. Games are no different either as games are able to create profiles of their audience and understand their behavior.

Quantic Foundry is a data company that supplies data to clients such as Tencent and Wizards of the Coast. Its founder, Nick Yee, published a study called “The Expression of Personality in World of Warcraft,” highlighting how player models could be created to identify and create personality profiles. According to it, games can identify your personality traits with a certain degree of accuracy. The study collected data for four months and found personality traits coinciding with in-game behavior. For example, extroverted players were more likely to engage in group activities in-game. His study was able to identify and measure traits like extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability and openness to experience. The fact that such data could be stolen, cross-referenced, leaked, or sold online and be used for malicious purposes should be concerning to players.

How are security concerns in gaming different from other online services and apps?

What makes gaming different from any other form of social media platform or online service where your data can be leaked? The global online microtransaction market is expected to grow from $33.4 billion in 2020 to $34.59 billion in 2021 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.6%. Almost all esports titles are free to play with a few exceptions like Overwatch and previously Rocket League, which after five years of its release moved to a free-to-play model last year. These titles are also home to microtransactions, which means that your credit card information, billing information, and personal information are recorded when purchasing items in-game.

This data is typically collected by third-party payment gateways and it is up to the developers to decide which payment service provider and their reliability can vary. Indian payment gateway Juspay was compromised in the past with Economic Times reporting "if the hackers can find out the Hash algorithm used to generate the card fingerprint (for credit cards), they will be able to decrypt the masked card number."

Then we have potential concerns about data that is collected by developers. Even if we assume no developer out there will misuse data for unintended purposes or transfer it to third-parties, it does not mean that the data cannot be stolen or leaked. Here are some instances of data leaks that have been reported over the past decade:

Addressing potential personal data security concerns

AFK Gaming spoke to a senior data analyst, who currently works at a big pharmaceutical company, and has worked with global data firms in the past. On the condition of anonymity, they gave us some valuable insights on what kind of data is collected, how data can be misused and how safe your data really is.

What kind of data is collected by online games?

Our source revealed that generally your PC configuration, crash reports, network statistics, game data like load time, and security data for anti-cheat programs are usually tracked by games. They revealed that the risks are lower on consoles due to the closed ecosystem, which prevents a lot of the above mentioned metrics from being collected by games.

Can developers sell your personal data and should you be concerned?

Reputed developers are highly unlikely to compromise your personal data and the potential risks of getting caught in the process are not worth it according to the analyst. They have never seen gaming or non-gaming companies trade data but while your data is not sold by the developers themselves, it does not mean that they do not buy data from third-parties. He stated that Quantic Foundry was one of the bigger players in the data market that supplies data to League of Legends developer Riot Games, which is owned Tencent. However, this is not personally identifiable information and there is no real reason to be alarmed according to them.

How risky is giving out your facial or voice data?

Developers are deploying face recognition measures to abide by China’s anti-addiction measures to keep minors from gaming at night. This could be viewed as highly invasive and restrictive of personal freedom. Earlier this year, Valorant developer Riot Games revealed that it would start recording voice comms to curb toxicity. Our source stated that “giving up your voice or facial data is a huge privacy breach. Unless a company can prove that the data can never be traced back, which is highly unlikely. It is not something that should be the norm.”

They added, “while the intent of publishers when using such data is not malicious, the average hacker will not think twice before selling your data. The security of your data is not guaranteed as some of the biggest organizations in the world like Yahoo, LinkedIn and Facebook have been breached. Some of them have been breached on multiple occasions. Even if a publisher removes your data after verification, the data is still being sent to the servers and it could still be stolen, intercepted or leaked before deletion.”

Should there be guidelines enforced globally that are in line with the GDPR in Europe?

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a legal framework that sets guidelines for the collection and processing of personal information from individuals who live in the European Union (EU). On being asked if something similar would be beneficial at a global level for gamers, our source said that “companies should explicitly break down and inform players what data is collected and for what purpose. Any form of data collection except raw gameplay stats should be opt-in. The GDPR has been a welcome addition for anyone concerned with privacy but something like that is yet to be implemented globally. Governments should impose strict regulations and require publishers to be more transparent and accountable in case of leaks. Until then, it is up to the players to safeguard their privacy.”

Conclusion: Protecting yourself as a gamer

Using two-factor authentication is strongly suggested for all games. Avoid using the same or similar passwords for multiple games or online services. The analyst also suggests maintaining a separate email for gaming instead of using the same email for school, banking services or work. “Using two-factor authentication goes a long way,” they said. “While password managers can be helpful to memorize your login credentials, popular options like LastPass have been compromised. Using open-source password managers available that do not connect to the internet can be an option but it’s just best to remember all of your login credentials.”

They went on to add that, “keeping your online credentials safe also involves not clicking on suspicious links that can bait you into giving up your login details. The suspicious email trying to give you free V-bucks in Fortnite is not legit, so please do yourself a favor and keep your information safe.”

Are kernel-level anti-cheats something to be concerned about? Or does the average gamer blow things out of proportion?

The analyst states that “kernel-level access essentially means giving the anti-cheat the ability to delve into the core of your operating system. For the longest time cheating software booted with your system and was undetectable after your system fully booted up, making it nearly impossible for anti-cheat programs to detect. This led to games opting for kernel-level anti-cheat software.

With Windows 11, Kernel Data Protection is being added which should alleviate some security concerns. While the OS is not mainstream yet, all I can say without using technical terms is that players will need to be less concerned about their data in the future whether it’s from hackers or the developers themselves. But currently, kernel-level attacks can easily compromise all player data. Modern anti-cheats are unlikely to be compromised and games from reputed publishers should generally be safe. However, players should be wary when letting anti-cheat programs get installed from less reputed publishers.”

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FULL SENSE is Headed into Valorant Champions With The Grand Finals in Sighthttps://afkgaming.com/premium/valorant/full-sense-is-headed-into-valorant-champions-with-the-grand-finals-in-sighthttps://afkgaming.com/premium/valorant/full-sense-is-headed-into-valorant-champions-with-the-grand-finals-in-sight#comments653e6b2e-dc65-4254-af45-2b691bbf91e0Tue, 09 Nov 2021 12:00:00 +05302021-11-09T12:00:00.000+05:30Abhimannu Das/api/author/1568072Riot Games,Valorant Champions Tour,Valorant Champions,FULL SENSEValorantIn one of the most thrilling Grand Finals that we’ve been treated to, Thai Valorant team FULL SENSE managed to secure a scintillating 3-2 victory in the VALORANT Champions Tour 2021: APAC Last Chance Qualifier to secure a berth in VALORANT Champions 2021. The team has since been bootcamping, with the goal of becoming the first-ever Valorant world champions as the sole objective on their minds. Despite a mixed bag of results throughout the year, the team has remained one of the best in Southeast Asia throughout 2021 with consistent performances throughout the inaugural Valorant Champions Tour season. However, they simply couldn’t take that final step towards glory and had to go through the gruelling. challenge of facing some of the best Valorant teams from all of Asia at the APAC LCQ.

The team not only overcame the odds and earned a spot at Valorant Champions, it did so with an unbeaten record underlining its credentials as it heads to Berlin for the biggest tournament of the year. The FULL SENSE roster reflected on the team’s performance at the Valorant Champions Tour: APAC Last Chance Qualifier in an interview with AFK Gaming.

FULL SENSE’s Entry into Valorant

Chanitpak "ChAlalala" Suwanaprateep, Elamrahim "LAMMYSNAX" Khanpathan, Chanawin "JohnOlsen" Nakchain and Nattawat "SuperBusS" Yoosawat were formerly a part of NG.Black. After winning the Stage One Challengers 2 event in Thailand, the team competed in SEA Stage 1 Masters but could not secure a qualification for Masters.

The team disbanded and the players along with their coach Songchai "Tongrak" Payang joined FULL SENSE. Their former NG.Black teammate Theethawat "Zelyn" Taechavitidkhul is now an analyst for FS. During the interview with AFK Gaming, JohnOlsen pointed out that part of the success that FULL SENSE has experienced can be attributed to the players sticking together for so long and building their synergy over the past few months..

FULL SENSE captain Kititkawin "PTC" Rattanasukol is the only player who was not part of the original NG.Black squad, with the rest of the team playing and competing together for well over 17 months. JohnOlsen and PTC have proven themselves as the deadliest duo in Southeast Asia. Both players broke the 300-kill mark at the APAC LCQ, a feat that was not achieved by anyone else at the event. They also hold the two highest Average Combat Score.

PTC has spent far less time in the team than anyone else on the roster. However, this does not seem to be a hindrance to the team as he has displayed some top-notch in-game leadership skills with excellent reads of his teammates and their capabilities. As a result, he has been able to captain the team and lead them to Valorant Champions in commanding fashion.

The team not only managed to outperform others in the region, but it also won against tournament favorites NUTURN, Northeption and DAMWON.

The Winning Formula at the APAC LCQ

FULL SENSE captain PTC feels that the driving factor behind FULL SENSE’s success in Asia is all thanks to discipline and practice. The team spends six hours a day playing together, figuring out strategies and improving their cohesion as a team to reach where they are today. When preparing for the APAC LCQ, the players mentally prepared themselves for the stiff competition by scrimming against professional teams regularly.

They went in with a plan every game and if they needed to adapt or change something, the players were mentally prepared to shift strategies on the fly. The team competes against teams from Southeast Asia and India regularly and in the recent past, the players scrimmed against teams from other regions as well to prepare themselves for the competition.

Prior to their run at the APAC LCQ, the team had not competed in a major event outside the SEA Circuit. Fans got to watch FULL SENSE compete against the likes of NUTURN Gaming, F4Q and NORTHEPTION at the event and the team from Thailand beat everyone that came in its path.

JohnOlsen feels that “the level of competition is just as stiff in the APAC region but when comparing region to region, it can be difficult to pin down which one is the best. North America, Europe, China and other regions have their distinct playstyles and we try to approach each game as a fresh start.”

However PTC feels that China is a sleeping giant in Valorant esports, stating, “the competition in China is arguably the toughest but it has not received much exposure yet. Chinese teams missed out on the APAC LCQ this year due to logistical issues and fans missed out on watching the region compete.”

The Thai Esports Community Wants to Become Massive

The team is ready to go up against the best teams in the world in Valorant Champions and compete at the global level, but the local fan support and love the team gets from its fans is unparalleled. On being asked about what are their expectations from VCT’s next season, the FULL SENSE players said that they want the local esports scene to grow more than anything else. While competition at a global level is necessary, Riot Games needs to support the smaller regions and grow Valorant esports at a grassroots level.

Thailand has many promising teams but Southeast Asia’s opportunities become limited as there are more than ten countries competing in the region. PTC says that “there is a need for more regional events in addition to the flagship Champions Tour event, which could potentially bring the esports scenes of smaller countries into the limelight.”

The team wants to give its best in Champions and PTC feels that the team has come too far to have a goal of anything less than the world championships. The players want to experience competition at the highest level and it is something they are looking forward to.

The team knows that its journey in Champions is not over yet with team captain PTC revealing “after a small barbecue party following a victory at the APAC LCQ, the players are already back to practicing daily and preparing for what lies ahead.” He is thankful to the FULL SENSE fans for supporting the team’s journey so far and the players want to continue making the Thai community proud in future seasons of the Valorant Champions Tour.

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BOOM Esports' Journey in Valorant is Just Getting Startedhttps://afkgaming.com/premium/valorant/boom-esports-journey-in-valorant-is-just-getting-startedhttps://afkgaming.com/premium/valorant/boom-esports-journey-in-valorant-is-just-getting-started#comments6945cb96-c35e-478d-8e3b-3c88de23545eFri, 05 Nov 2021 11:00:00 +05302021-11-05T11:00:00.000+05:30Abhimannu Das/api/author/1568072Riot Games,BOOM Esports,VALORANT,Valorant Champions TourValorantRiot Games’ Valorant Champions Tour (VCT) has been a highly successful event in terms of providing players with exposure. It gives players from all regions the opportunity to compete and prove themselves on the global stage. Southeast Asia (SEA) in particular has proven that it is by no means weaker than the likes of North America (NA) or Europe (EU) when it comes to Valorant esports.

One such team that has consistently outperformed others in the SEA region is BOOM Esports, with multiple VCT Indonesia Challengers victories throughout the 2021 season. One of the team’s newest players, Rafi "frostmind" Diandra, who joined the team on 25th September as a replacement for Sheldon “NcSlasher” Andersen, spoke to AFK Gaming about how Valorant connected with him while other FPS games didn’t, how he still considers himself an esports fan despite competing professionally, and more.

Frostmind on joining BOOM Esports and moving his career forward

At the time of the interview, Frostmind was the newest member of the BOOM Esports roster and he was very excited about the new opportunity. He previously competed at an international event back in 2020 and the Valorant APAC (Asia Pacific) Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ) was his first global event in over a year. He has a sense of pride for his country and he repeatedly spoke about how much he wants to represent Indonesia and Southeast Asia as a whole. Heading into the event, BOOM Esports was preparing itself to take on Team FENNEL and NUTURN Gaming. His intuition that NUTURN would be the toughest opponent in their bracket turned out to be true, with the Korean Valorant team knocking BOOM Esports into the lower bracket.

Frostmind has a desire to compete at the highest level and this is a fresh start for him. He has a strong desire to be among the best in Southeast Asian Valorant. “I was a part of Alter Ego during Stage One and eventually moved to Indonesian organization XcN Gaming. My experience so far in the Valorant Champions Tour has had its ups and downs. It was a toss up between coming second and third and I have never been to the Southeast Asian playoffs before. This is going to be my first time coming back to face the top teams in Asia and I couldn’t be more excited!”

BOOM Esports’ journey in Valorant

Southeast Asia has been a strange region for Riot Games after League of Legends failed to take off in the region. In fact, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, a game that was sued by Riot Games for copyright infringement (citing similarities between Mobile Legends and League of Legends) is extremely popular in Southeast Asia with over a billion downloads and its esports tournaments regularly garnering millions of views. So when Riot Games decided to branch out of League of Legends, and announce a new title like Valorant, no one knew what to expect. In a predominantly mobile-focused market, a game like Valorant did not seem like it would succeed, but it did.

BOOM Esports, an Indonesian organization dipped its toes in Valorant esports shortly after the game’s launch and secured a respectable fourth place in the national First Strike event. The team’s potential was unknown until the announcement of the Valorant Champions Tour. BOOM participated in the Stage One Challengers event and ended up winning it. Lightning struck not once but thrice with the team securing first place at Indonesian Challengers events in all three stages. During the Southeast Asia playoffs to qualify for Valorant Masters Berlin, the team fell short against eventual qualification winners Paper Rex, who went on to compete at Masters Berlin.

BOOM Esports' run at the VCT APAC LCQ

Riot has also taken a keen interest in SEA with its General Manager (SEA and Taiwan) talking about the publisher’s plans to grow its studios in Singapore and Hong Kong as part of its expansion strategy. In its very first year, Riot Games aggressively pushed for Valorant esports’ expansion with the introduction of First Strike events for Southeast Asian countries including Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, Philippines, and Indonesia.

Frostmind on the future of Valorant in Southeast Asia

Frostmind has competed in the AOC Masters, Valorant First Strike and other top-tier events over the past two years and he has an understanding of what it feels like to be on stage against Southeast Asia’s best. He feels that Valorant esports has a solid future in the region. He is looking forward to what Riot Games has in store for SEA in the future and is ready to compete again once the 2022 Valorant Champions Tour season kicks off.

Frostmind's Record at VCT APAC LCQ

Frostmind still considers himself an avid esports fan despite being a pro player himself. His favorite moment in the Valorant Champions Tour so far was cheering with the fans for the Indonesian players who made it to Masters Berlin and despite his team not making it to Champions, he will be cheering for his fellow Southeast Asian teams once the world championship commences later this year.

Southeast Asia is often dismissed as a weaker region compared to the likes of North America and Europe however, Frostmind explained that this was a lot more nuanced. “The teams in Europe and North America have the fundamentals and the firepower to be the best in the world and they have actually proven it. Sentinels and Vision Strikers are currently among the best teams in the world right now.”

He is confident that Asian teams can keep up with NA and EU in Valorant Esports and he hopes to go up against the best in the future. He says, “in terms of mechanical skill we are not far off with Paper Rex putting on a solid performance against SuperMassive Blaze in Berlin. Unfortunately, Team Secret (former Bren Esports roster) could not compete in the event and could not make it to the event so we missed out on seeing them in action. Judging by how our peers performed in Berlin, we can keep up with the best too.”

But good communication skills is something that teams in the region currently lack, according to Frostmind. He thinks players from Europe and NA tend to stay calm even in tough situations and have the mental fortitude to make comebacks. “Whoever makes the least mistakes in Valorant wins”, he adds.

Having played CS:GO since 2017 prior to switching to Valorant, Riot Games’ shooter has quickly become Frostmind’s game of choice. He seeks to compete with BOOM Esports and the team is setting its expectations high for future Valorant events. It was a tough event for BOOM Esports to compete in, with three new players including Frostmind, David “Tehbotol” Monangin, and Rizkie “BerSerX” Adla Kusuma. But fans shouldn’t count them out yet. Frostmind wants BOOM Esports’ fans to continue supporting them in future events and if their track record in Indonesia and SEA is anything to go by, we will be seeing a lot more of the team next year at major events.

This year, teams FULL SENSE, X10 Esports, and Team Secret will be representing SEA at the Valorant Champions, which is the game’s first-ever world championship taking place in December 2021. BOOM Esports had one final opportunity to be a part of the world championships via the APAC Last Chance Qualifier, but losses against Korean giants NUTURN and DAMWON means that BOOM will not be a part of this year’s world championships. BOOM is already preparing itself for next year’s Champions Tour and its recent roster reshuffle is a major part of its plans for 2022.

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Why is Fan Support Critical to an Esports Team's Successhttps://afkgaming.com/premium/esports/fan-support-is-critical-to-an-esports-teams-successhttps://afkgaming.com/premium/esports/fan-support-is-critical-to-an-esports-teams-success#comments5af081d5-b15d-469b-9306-f8d44da1756cMon, 01 Nov 2021 12:52:49 +05302021-11-01T12:52:49.264+05:30Cormac Wyatt (ImPERium)/api/author/1601401PUBG Mobile,South Asia,India,VALORANT,Battlegrounds Mobile IndiaEsportsIt seems like an obvious point to make right? We have all witnessed it over the years with traditional sports, the lifeblood of a team is the fan support. It not only lifts the team up when they are performing badly, but also helps them to celebrate after a tournament win. Much of this transfers to esports, but I don’t think fans realize how important of a role they play in a team's success!

In the world of esports, fan support is much more accessible due to the strength of online connections, be it through a livestream chat, Instagram interactions, Facebook groups or any other medium. This allows teams and fans to build a strong personal bond. But before getting into why fan support is so critical, ask yourself “what is the definition of success?”.

Defining success in esports

I know, getting real deep, real early in this article. But it's an important question that needs to be asked. Success comes in many forms and what might be perceived as success for one person, can be perceived as a lack of it for others. To me, success in esports is made up of all or partly the following:

  • Achieving your own goals

  • Working hard to make yourself proud

  • Helping to make a difference outside of the game, within the community

  • Adding to your own happiness

All of that is easier said than done, which is why I list multiple options.

How fan support helps esports teams to build mental resilience

Teams often have players aged 16 to 18. This is great as being able to compete at the highest level of an esport at a young age is something to be proud of, with all the hard work that goes into it. But due to the younger age of competitors, a lot of them can struggle with the required mental strength, the psychology of competitive gaming, and the emotional stress that it can put them under. This is an ever developing area of course. As the scene grows, more focus will naturally go into a team's mentality leading up to a tournament. As I’ve said many times during casting, at the highest level of a competitive game the biggest difference between a winning team and non winning team is mental strength.

Fan support is a major part of helping a team's mentality being in the right place. Simple acts such as sending a player/team an instagram DM saying “well done” and putting a reassuring comment on a Facebook post can go a long way in boosting a team's morale. Positive words from fans will be seen, heard and absorbed by the team as a form of motivation! But just as the positive words will be seen, so too will the negative. Every time a fan expresses disappointment at a team's poor performance, poor result or general mistake it will be heard by the team and will negatively affect their morale. Baseless, nasty comments will add pressure to an already pressurised situation of teams having to perform at their highest level! When a team is performing badly, that is when they need fan support the most. Positive words, positive encouragement will help justify and validate their hard work despite a personal low moment! Fans are like an unofficial fifth player in a team.

Pro Players' Thoughts on How Fan Support Direcly Impacts Them

I spoke to some players to find out what fan support means to them and how it can affect them in both a positive and negative way.

Shahil "OnTop" Verma from Nepali PUBG Mobile Team DeadEyes Guys had this to say; “I have always pictured my fan base as a virtual family. Whenever we perform we don’t just perform for just ourselves now, we have a family to go back to and share the results with. Fans believing in us has its advantages and disadvantages. There is always pressure. We are definitely more focused and hungry to succeed than before but the pressure definitely gets to us at the best of times. With that being said, I personally am very thankful because the DE fam has always been very considerate and respectful.”

OnTop went on to state that esports is unpredictable and that all humans make mistakes. As a team, DeadEyes Guys work hard, occasionally losing sleep and skipping meals to grind for long hours.

It is already quite stressful at times. Please, just be there for the teams you support,” said OnTop when asked about advice that he would give fans on how better to support teams.

Kanishk "Slayer" Shah of BGMI giants TeamIND is of the opinion that fan support is the most powerful element there is in esports.

“With all these people backing us up we are highly motivated towards winning and giving our best performance,” said INDSlayer. “When a fan supports a team it boosts the morale of that team. At the same time, it also adds lots of pressure on the team to perform.. So I would say, don’t just support one team but all teams competing because at some point more than one team will impress you!”

Shahbaz "Trynda" Mengal from i8 Esports, the team that recently represented Pakistan in the PUBG Mobile World Invitational (PMWI) charity event, had a calm and collected answer to my question.

Trynda on Fan Support

PMNC 2021 winner Asraful "ThorYT" Islam of Venom Legends had the following to say; “We play to entertain ourselves, to win and for thousands of fans as they are the most valuable to us. If we perform well and win matches they are happy. In the live stream they cheer our names. Our morale is boosted by that and we respect our fans.They are the X factor for us in many ways. We respect the audience a lot. As a team when we play we can see lots of people cheering for lots of different teams and sometimes their support for one team turns hateful for others. Rivalry is quite normal but if all of us can support one team and love every team, less hate will emerge. When fans spread hate, players get so unmotivated. And sometimes their own fans turn into haters just because of one or two bad games. I believe being calm and staying cool will give a morale boost to the players and they will perform better.


At the end of the day it all comes down to you, me and everyone around us having a part to play in the success of teams and esports as a whole. Be mindful of what you are saying and putting out there. Hold yourself accountable for your actions, while holding your favorite teams accountable to high standards. Give credit where it’s due (and then some!) but don’t hesitate to provide constructive criticism when you see a team/player/personality losing their way. Also, always respect fans of other teams. Everyone is allowed to have a personal favourite in teams and players. And just because a team is doing badly that you don’t ‘support’ or have a favouritism towards does not mean you are allowed to be negative towards that team or its fans. Treat other fans the way you would like to be treated. Every team, every fan, every player is here for the same reason, for the love of esports cause what is esports without its fans.

Thank you to OnTop, Slayer, Trynda and ThorYT for sharing their thoughts. It was amazing to hear from those who are affected the most, both in a good and bad way, from fan support.

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