NEW DELHI: He is a gaming geek, a die-hard Chelsea fan whose profile bio on X – the company formerly known as twitter – goes by the name of @chelseaCJ12.
Meet India’s best FIFAe player, Charanjot Singh, who will be competing in FIFA Online 4 category at the Hangzhou Asian Games, where esports will be making its debut as a medal sport.
Esports was included as a demonstration event at the Jakarta Asiad in 2018, where medals won weren’t counted in the official tally. This time, a gold, silver and bronze will be on offer in each competition and, in all, 21 medals will be up for grabs for the esports participants.
"People don’t know much about esports as a competitive sport. They still look at it as some fun or leisure activity. Hopefully, that mindset will change after the Asian Games and we, as professional gamers, can be viewed seriously," Charanjot said.
In Hangzhou, the competitors will engage in seven distinct events: Arena of Valor Asian Games Version, Dota 2, Dream Three Kingdoms 2, FIFA Online 4, League of Legends, PUBG Mobile Asian Games Version, Street Fighter and Champion Edition.
However, India will only be represented in four of these events: Dota 2, FIFA Online 4, League of Legends and Street Fighter V: Champion Edition. It’s pertinent to mention here that Arena of Valor and PUBG Mobile Asian Games Version are prohibited in India and Dream Three Kingdoms 2 is not accessible in the country.
India has named a 15-member esports team for the Asiad and Charanjot will be partnering Karman Singh Tikka. "I am super excited about my chances…hoping to win a medal. The esports industry is growing and the youngsters joining the gaming brigade is unimaginable. With the introduction of sport in Hangzhou, I believe more and more parents would be encouraged to allow their kids to choose esports as a career path. Mind you, there is good money involved if competing professionally," he said.
Both Charanjot and Karman will be locked in a 15-minute game of FIFA, with a halftime of 90 seconds.
According to the State of Indian Gaming Report, 2022, the esports industry in India, which was worth $40 million in 2022, is expected to grow exponentially to reach a market cap of $140 million by 2027.
Charanjot will be the top-seeded player at the Games in his category after he secured impressive victories over Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in the South Asia seeding event.
