Esports in India | Kings of the console

When Mayank Prajapati isn’t changing his two-year-old son’s diapers, he is busy breaking legs and cracking heads in Street Fighter V, a ‘fighting’ video game in which two players use a variety of special techniques and ‘characters’ to knock out opponents. “It is pretty difficultâ€æI don’t sleep at all,” says Prajapati about his balancing act as a freelance architect, a stay-at-home dad and a committed competitive gamer. He is amongst the growing legion of diehard Indian Esports enthusiasts—competi­tive video gaming where people play aga­inst each other online and at spectator events in indoor arenas. Having played Street Fighter for two decades and after winning multiple tournaments in India, 32-year-old Prajapati awaits his finest hour. He will represent India at the Asian Games at Hang­­zhou, China, where Esports makes its debut as a medal event. It gives Prajapati bragging rights to another vocation: an ‘Esports athlete’. “It is pretty satisfying to say that you play video games and represent India,” he says. “People just don’t believe it.”