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A virtual Olympics
The World Cyber Games in progress in Bangalore on Sunday.
IF ANIMATION has entered this country in a big way and urban centres are brimming with information-technology gizmos, video games and mobile games, the World Cyber Games is a natural progression. Playing for fun has now graduated to playing for pride. That was evident as hundreds of teenagers queued up at the city's Megabowl to try their luck at the local rounds of the games on Sunday. The games are designed to build an e-sports ideology. Players around the world share the excitement as they compete against one another for the honour of their countries. The Indian rounds are under way in Bangalore, Mumbai, Pune, Delhi, Indore, Kochi, Chennai, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Baroda.
While the semi-finals are on August 20 and 22, the finals are scheduled for August 23. These events will be held in Mumbai. When the games first came to India three years ago, hardly 300 competitors turned up for it. But today, the popularity of cyber games has grown enormously. About 4,500 participants have registered for the local event. After the finals in Mumbai, nine winners will fly to San Francisco to fight for world honours.
Stress buster
At the Bangalore leg of the contest, Channel [V] VJ Sarah Jane was there to egg on the crowds, to make them get competitive and play to be the winners. "Playing games relieves stress in a big way. These games are not just about pressing some keys on the board. A lot of strategising is involved in it," says Jane, who has been an avid games buff herself.
She feels India will emerge in a big way in the games industry. With animation catching on here, with graphic designing and such stuff getting popular, the industry is bound to succeed. "You can see more of our culture there. Many Indians are getting involved in the making of the gaming software as well," says Ms. Jane.
A great leveller
Cutting across barriers of language, culture and race, the World Cyber Games has become a great leveller since 2000. Held every year since the onset of the millennium, the WCG has become the Olympics of e-sports. Now, when 60 countries fight it out for world supremacy at one venue, you cannot miss the comparison with the Olympics.
To respect the U.S. regulations and ERSB provisions regarding certain games, the organisers have imposed some age restrictions. The ERSB is the authority which rates the games according to the content, a practical tool of warning the parents on the possibly disturbing content of some games which contain too much violence, trivial language and more. The games in India will strictly follow the ERSB ratings as per the international guidelines imposed on all participating countries.
The age restrictions are for only three of the five games. They are: Counter Strike (17 years), Unreal Tournament (17) and WarCraft (13). The other games, Need for Speed and FIFA Soccer, do not have age restrictions.
Rasheed Kappan
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Life
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Thiruvananthapuram
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