# Subin Mathew
It isn’t always necessary to excel in track and field, you can bring laurels to the nation by playing video games as well. Traditionally, video games have been the root cause of the rift between parents and children in Indian families. But the way things are now, parents should no longer worry about their kids who are overly engaged in video games. With enough support for their craft, they might even go on to win medals for our nation on the international stage, using their immaculate gaming skills. This year’s Asian Games (Asiad) will be historic for gaming enthusiasts in this part of the world.
ESports is a competition event in the Hangzhou Asian Games. Competitions are happening in seven categories. Over 500 gaming stars from across 31 countries are participating in the ESports competitions. The gamers from India are participating in various events including Fifa Online 4 (Charanjot Singh, Karman Singh), League of Legends (Akshay Shenoy(C), Mihir Ranjan, Adithya Selvarajam, Sanindhya Malik, etc.), Street Fighter (Mayank Prajapathi, Ayan Biswas), and Defence of the Ancients (DOTA) 2 (Darshan Bata (C), Krish Gupta, Ahhishek Yadav etc). The other three EGames featured in the Asian Games are banned in India.
With ESports being inducted as an official competition, the total number of people playing such games has increased considerably in recent years. While six lakh gamers used to relish the virtual experience in 2021, by 2022, their numbers rose to 10 lakh. By the end of 2023, the number of gaming enthusiasts is expected to touch the 25 lakh mark.
“The attitude of Indian parents has changed considerably. Grass root facilities for EGames are being set up in the country at a quick pace,” says Lokesh Suji, Director of the ESports Federation of India (ESFI).
ESports was a demonstration event in the 2018 Asian Games. Back then, India’s Tirth Mehta had won the bronze medal in Hearthstone. However, Hearthstone is not included in the competition list this year.
