"Parents and kids are now gaming together": Akshat Rathee, Nodwin Gaming

The co-founder and MD of one of South Asia's largest e-sports companies talks about media, advertising, and marketing in and around the e-sports ecosystem.

What are the chances of a schoolgoer, who knows how to run and bowl, getting Virat Kohli out in the nets? Kohli might get bored and leave a ball that hits the stumps, but that doesn't mean the kid defeated him. "Where skill wins 10 out of 10 times, it is sports. When you need to depend significantly on luck, it is not," says Akshat Rathee, co-founder and MD of Nodwin Gaming, one of South Asia's largest e-sports companies.

In India, one often gets confused about what e-sports is, and how different it is from gaming. There are many games, like Ludo, Candy Crush, fantasy games, etc., that are played electronically. Are these a part of the e-sports economy? "No they’re not," says Rathee. They are RNG (random number generator) games, "Where skill will lose 30 per cent of the time because of the opponent's superior luck," he adds.

The Coronavirus-induced lockdown forced people to remain indoors. Television didn’t have new content to telecast, schools were shut, and so were gyms, swimming pools, and cinema halls. While games like Candy Crush and Ludo, did see a significant spike when it comes to the time spent and active users, COVID-19 seems to have become a blessing for e-sports, too.

Nodwin's ‘ESL India Premiership’, one of the marquee e-sports properties in India, has witnessed record growth in the number of registrations. The 2020 edition of the tournament will have the likes of Counter-Strike, FIFA 20, PUBG and Clash of Clans. Gamers from all over the country have registered to participate in the competition. The number of entries, Rathee says, has grown by an unprecedented 414 per cent.

In an interview with afaqs!, Rathee explains what this growth means for media, advertising, and marketing in and around the e-sports ecosystem.

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