Following the interplay with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, founder and CEO of 8Bit Creatives and co-founder of S8UL, Animesh Aggarwal, mentioned that it was actually an honour to debate the fast rise of Esports in India with the PM. In a bid to drive ahead the event of India’s burgeoning Esports trade, the nation’s notable gaming personalities convened in a groundbreaking dialogue with Prime Minister Modi and mentioned the expansion of the nation’s video gaming sector.

“It was truly an honour to discuss the rapid rise of Esports in India with our honorable Prime Minister Modi and share our vision about revolutionizing 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 additionally mentioned ease of enterprise round gaming and actually voiced our aspirations on the highest attainable discussion board. Gaming is now a mainstream sport and with the federal government’s help we will take it to the following degree,” Animesh Aggarwal said, sharing his perspective on discussing the exponential growth of Esports in India with PM Modi.

The roundtable discussion also featured 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.

As per the Esports Federation of India, Naman ‘Mortal’ Mathur, Co-founder & CMO of 8Bit Creatives and co-founder of S8UL called the interaction with the PM “surreal.”

“Being within the presence of the PM, discussing the subject closest to my coronary heart, was certainly surreal. Who thought I’d be enjoying with the PM & personally strolling him via the nuances of one of many video games across the theme of Indian mythology. I hope this second is an inflection level for gaming & esports in India,” Mathur said.

Payal Dhare looked back at the interaction and expressed, “Discussing prospects for feminine avid gamers in India with the PM made my journey a lot extra worthwhile. I noticed that he’s an excellent listener, and completely paraphrased the distinction between esports & gaming content material creation, one thing we now hope everybody will have the ability to perceive. His imaginative and prescient for recreation improvement in India round Indian tradition, environmental points, and so forth is one thing I felt very strongly about, and I hope it helps take Indian video games to the worldwide stage. Thanks to sir for gifting us a lifetime reminiscence.”

Lokesh ‘Goldy’ Jain, Co-founder of 8Bit Creatives expressed his pride and said, “This is sure to have outcomes for the trade which I stay up for, however as of now I’m focussing on the happiness I’m feeling. Having three of my very own sit with the PM and focus on gaming & esports, jogs my memory of why I do what I do. I’m fully aligned with the PM’s imaginative and prescient, and hope to work in the direction of it with my crew, to the extent we are able to.”

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 journeys, struggles and wins.

Esports in India has grown from a pastime activity to a new-age ‘multi-sport’ event, officially recognized 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.

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