PUBG Mobile was banned in India along with 117 other apps on the night of Wednesday, September 2. Much like the Indian government’s ban on TikTok since June 29, the ban on PUBG Mobile has also affected a massive community of people, who have engaged in games professionally due in large part to the game. They include players, many of whom are still in educational institutes, who turned professionals and began competing in tournaments and appearing on broadcasts of the game on popular streaming platforms. This ban, as the players describe, has stripped them of the source through which they have achieved financial success and reputation, in recent years.
Animesh Agarwal, who represented India in the PUBG Mobile Star Challenge final, 2018 in Thailand with her 8-bit team, tells News18 that the ban “puts an end to the dreams of professional PUBG Mobile gamers” in India. . It says: “PUBG Mobile turned me into ‘8bit Thug’ (Agarwal’s avatar in the game, with which he is popularly known). The journey cannot be described, it has changed life. I have been living this dream since mid 2018 ”.
READ ALSO | PUBG Mobile Alternatives: Call of Duty Mobile, Garena Free Fire, and Other Battle Royale Games
Agarwal says it’s because of the PUBG Mobile boom that it found the balance it has today. “(PUBG) made me a confident person, who is also known and represented around the world. It gave me my identity, on a scale that nothing else could possibly have given me. (The boom and bust of PUBG Mobile) is something that has never been seen before, and I do not expect it to be repeated on the same scale, “he adds. Since starting out as a professional PUBG Mobile gamer, Agarwal has formed his own professional esports team, under his ‘8bit Thug’ umbrella.
I chose esports over studies as my career, but now I will have to go back to my regular studies in order to find a job. This will sacrifice my esports career, which I loved.
Like Agarwal, the PUBG Mobile ban has also deeply affected other professional gamers. One such player is Yogesh ‘Roxx’ Yadav, the in-game leader (team leader, by the way) of the PUBG Mobile GXR Celtz team. The latter, which won the PUBG Mobile Premier League – South Asia (Season 1), has been one of the professional teams that has seen fringe or casual players triumph on a global scale. Speaking to News18, Yadav says: “Along with me, thousands of other professional PUBG gamers have worked hard, day and night, to make a living from esports, and the ban (of PUBG Mobile) has shattered our dreams. . I chose esports over studies as my career, but now I will have to go back to my regular studies in order to find a job. This will sacrifice my esports career, which I loved. “
READ ALSO | PUBG Mobile Ban in India: Everything You Need to Know About Popular Battle Royale Games Ban
Yadav, in no time, had considerable success through PUBG Mobile. He introduced himself as the leading player of his team’s game, and since turning pro, Yadav and his team have even received sponsorship and affiliation from the United Arab Emirates-based esports organization Galaxy Racer. With India’s ban now in place, Yadav is contemplating a possible reversal of his gambling achievements on a global stage. “Initially I was playing for fun, but I took it seriously when I realized that I can make a living out of it. It also taught me responsibility, since through the game I started working under an international organization (Galaxy Racer, the brand that supports his team), ”he adds.
Yadav believes that if the ban persists, this is the end of the road for many aspiring players in India. However, 8bit owner Agarwal has a more optimistic approach to the future of professional gaming and esports in India. As he puts it, “It may be the end of PUBG Mobile for the foreseeable future, but not the end of games, or even mobile games. I definitely think that games like Call of Duty Mobile and Garena Free Fire can see more activity and create a bigger impression in our country, especially since the environment for games is established. “
“It shouldn’t matter if the game is PUBG Mobile or not,” says Agarwal. As he summarizes, the next few months will tell us if alternative titles such as Call of Duty Mobile and Garena Free Fire can grow as much as PUBG Mobile managed to become.
@media screen only y (max width: 740px) {
.quote-box {font size: 18px; line height: 30px; color: # 505050; top margin: 30px; padding: 22px 20px 20px 70px; relative position; font style: italic; font-weight: bold}
.special-text {font size: 24px; line height: 32px; color: # 505050; margin: 20px 40px 20px 20px; left border: 8px solid # ee1b24; padding: 10px 10px 10px 15px; font style: italic; font-weight: bold}
.quote-box img {width: 60px; left: 6px}
.quote-box .quote-nam {font size: 16px; color: # 5f5f5f; padding-top: 30px; text alignment: right; font-weight: normal}
.quote-box .quote-nam span {font-weight: bold; color: # ee1b24}
}
.
