The two avatars of Chandrasekhar

BENGALURU : I don’t like to limit myself to a particular game. Trying out new ones which challenge me with variety keeps me on my toes,” says Satya Chandrasekhar, 32, from Hyderabad.His journey towards gaming was not easy. He has been an avid gamer since his teenage years. An electrical engineering graduate, Chandrasekhar started professional gaming in 2004 and since then, has been playing Counter Strike Global Offensive and DOTA – 2.He says, “During my teenage years, I used to play casual games like Mario and Contra. I did not know that gaming would be my career until I played Counter Strike Global Offensive. My passion for gaming peaked after playing Halo, a Microsoft release. Now when I look back, it feels like I had made the right choice.”

He took part in many tournaments and has won a few, like ESWC Bangalore in the year 2006, Gaming Tournament at IIT Kharagpur. He’s won about 40-50 local tournaments and was recognised as a pro gamer in South India.Chandrasekhar takes on the avatars of Chan and Brood in the virtual world. The expert in ‘Counter Strike Global Offensive’ (CSGO) and DOTA - 2  who makes a comfortable living out of gaming says, “Gaming teach me team spirit and newer ways to socialise. I was always a restless soul, but games taught me to strategise and plan my offensive well. In real life, we are emotional and listen to our heart. Gaming teaches you to segregate solution from emotion and think with your brain — to come up with a good fix”

His stress buster game is PubG and Diablo 3. He feels refreshed playing it during breaks. His role models are Filip Kubski (Team Vitus Pro), Clement Ivanov (Team Secret) and Gabriel Toledo (Team SK). Chandrasekhar has learnt most of the techniques and skills from them. He suggests beginners to play casual racing games like Real Racing 3 and Dirt 3 and PubG. These can be played individually and helps teach basic skills like hand and eye coordination. Once the beginner gets a grasp of the keyboard and mouse, he can try for professional games. He says, “The first three years are going to be difficult but once you learn the ropes, you will fall in love with it,” he says. 

Gaming is nascent in India and still labelled as a pastime, not a passion. Although, the gaming industry has progressed in comparison to the previous years, there is still room for development.In his 10-15 years of experience, Chandrasekhar, has experienced many ups and downs. He says some days were happy and the other days he felt like quitting. However, with a lot of patience and hard work he is now a successful gamer. He enjoys playing all the new games as and when they are released and sometimes reviews them in gaming mags and websites.