Gone are the days when the World Cyber Games were only a distant murmur, to us Indians at least. The games were lost to us Indians who could only crave for them; knowing that we could claim our place among the best.
Gone are the days of our desolation when we’d be certain pushovers in anything remotely related to professional gaming.
However, it seems that we’re finally making our mark and stepping out of our ignorant, fragile cocoons and facing the world with a fierce glint of determination. Yes, Indians have finally shone at the biggest celebration of e-sports on the planet — the World Cyber Games 2011 (WCG); and the agency for that score has been none other than Prince Johal, alias ‘HI_ISTLER’.
Johal won the Bronze medal at the PC game Carom 3D (a billiards simulator) last week, at the finals of the worldwide championships hosted at Busan Metropolitan City, Korea amid heightened fanfare. After winning the national finals of the event earlier this year, Johal went on to represent the nation at the Grand Finals, where he was placed in Group ‘A’ in the Full Leagues, and faced off against ‘TwinS_KluB’, ‘InmORtall’ and ‘Diieego.’ They proved to be too much for him, though as he faced encumbering losses against all three (scores of 3-0, 3-2 and 3-1 respectively) he lost the opportunity to be among the top two.
He took on ‘TwinS_KluB’ once again vying for the Bronze and came out winner this time, crushing his opponent 3-0 claiming his bit of fame in a way he never imagined, and perhaps writing India’s name in the world of e-sports in stone. The WCG is a prominent platform for people seeking recognition in gaming.
So, India’s arrival to the arena of e-sport, albeit a bit late, is a welcome feat indeed. Here’s hoping that this debut will lead to a lot more encouragement four our sportsmen, both as entertainment and as a profession.