Mumbai: In a bid to drive forward the development of India's burgeoning Esports industry, the country’s notable gaming personalities convened in a groundbreaking dialogue with PM Modi and discussed the growth of the nation.
The roundtable discussion featured Animesh Agarwal (8Bit_Thug), Naman Mathur (Mortal) and Payal Dhare (PayalGaming) of 8BitCreatives, India’s leading gaming influencer management agency alongside Ganesh Gangadhar (SKRossi), Anshu Bisht (GamerFleet), Mithilesh Patankar (MythPat) and Tirth Mehta.
Esports in India has grown from a pastime activity to a new-age ‘multi-sport’ event, officially recognised by the government. The latest FICCI-EY report titled ‘#Reinvent: India’s media & entertainment sector is innovating for the future’, states that participation in Esports tournaments surged to 1.8 million in 2023, across various prominent titles and competitive levels, with an estimated increase to 2.5 million in 2024. Additionally, game streamers witnessed a notable rise in viewership of 20% to 25%, particularly in Tier-II cities.
Sharing his perspective on discussing the exponential growth of Esports in India with the prime minister, 8Bit Creatives founder and co-founder of S8UL & CEO Animesh Agarwal stated, “It was truly an honour to discuss the rapid rise of Esports in India with our prime minister Modi and share our vision about revolutionising the future. I was personally awed at the PM’s understanding of the nuances of the industry, especially when he mentioned that the industry right now needs to grow with support, and not regulation from the government. We also discussed ease of business around gaming and literally voiced our aspirations at the highest possible forum. Gaming is now a mainstream sport and with the government’s support we will be able to take it to the next level.”
S8UL co-founder & CMO of 8Bit Creatives Naman ‘Mortal’ Mathur called the experience surreal and said “Being in the presence of the PM, discussing the topic closest to my heart, was indeed surreal. Who thought I would be playing with the PM & personally walking him through the nuances of one of the games around the theme of Indian mythology. I hope this moment is an inflection point for gaming & esports in India.”
Payal Dhare looked back at the interaction and mentioned “Discussing prospects for female gamers in India with the PM made my journey so much more worthwhile. I realized that he is a great listener, and perfectly paraphrased the difference between esports & gaming content creation, something we now hope everyone will be able to understand. His vision for game development in India around Indian culture, environmental issues, etc is something I felt very strongly about, and I hope it helps take Indian games to the global stage. Thanks to sir for gifting us a lifetime memory.”
8Bit Creatives co-founder Lokesh ‘Goldy’ Jain expressed his pride and said, “This is bound to have outcomes for the industry which I look forward to, but as of now I am focussing on the happiness I am feeling. Having three of my own sit with the PM and discuss gaming & esports, reminds me of why I do what I do. I am completely aligned with the PM’s vision, and hope to work towards it with my team, to the extent we can.”
During the discussion, the gamers delved into various aspects of gaming, including esports, game development, impact on youth, the global presence of India in the industry, and more. The gamers also shared their individual journeys, struggles & wins.
