Gamer’s Den is a mini-documentary series created by MX Studios that takes a peek into the world of esports where these new-age athletes are breaking stereotypes as they write a new history. Directed by Shubh Mukherjee, there are 5 episodes in the series with a runtime of about 10-15 minutes.
The cast of gamers that are featured in the series includes Ankit Panth, Saloni Pawar, Amit Thakur, Rishabh Karanwal and Ocean Sharma, as they tell us their own experiences of being a gamer in India, in their own voice.
The official synopsis of the series reads, “In this series, we explore the life of gamers. It will be a showcase of their quest to selfhood, identity & acceptance of gaming as a career option in India. Gamer’s Den is an intense character study of the gamers who have made a mark in this field.”
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-Gamer’s Den Review Contain Spoilers-
Spread across 5 episodes, the mini-series will give viewers an insight into the lives of leading award-winning gamers including Ankit Panth aka V3nom – a Red Bull gamer, Saloni aka Meow16k, Amit Thakur aka Fa2, Rishab Karanwala aka Rakazone, and gaming commentator and player Ocean Sharma.
Gamer’s Den traces the evolution of the gaming industry through the five gaming personalities and their journey so far. It gives audiences an opportunity to understand the realities of gaming and the gamers behind their virtual avatars.
To give an introduction to the first gamer, Ankit ‘V3nom’ Panth is a professional gamer from Mumbai. He is a Red Bull Athlete and also the brand ambassador of HyperX. He started gaming in a café in Kandivali, Mumbai, and the enthusiasm he witnessed when people played Counter-Strike 1.6 and the sophistication in the gameplay were what convinced him to focus on the game.
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After playing Counter-Strike for a while, he realised that he could represent India by playing it and he decided to make gaming his profession. Episode 2 features Rishabh Karanwal aka Rakazone, who also had a humble start from playing games while managing a 9 to 5 job in Delhi. He is one of the most diverse Indian streamers who play a wide variety of games on his streaming channels. Mostly known for his GTA V roleplay videos and streams.
In the third episode, we are introduced to Saloni Pawar aka Meow16k, who is one of the few female streamers in a male-dominated esports arena. She is also a streamer and Indian Girls CSGO professional player for Global ESports. In the next episode, we meet Fa2 or Amit Phartiyal, who also fell in love with games while playing with his friends, and kept the passion alive with his corporate job.
Lastly, we are introduced to Ocean Sharma, who is a bit different from others as he aims to provide a detailed and analytical take on the game’s mechanics. From being a maths tutor and a science lover to becoming a professional esports commentator, he tells us his story.
Summing Up: Gamer’s Den
The mini-series tells us how these known gaming personalities reached the position they are in now. It is like anecdotal stories from their own perspectives, telling the viewers what got them interested in gaming in the first place, the challenges they faced to make it a known and viable career for themselves and what kind of future do they see for gaming in India.
Every gamer had their own struggles but essentially it shows how they started from nothing. Even though the episode runtime is already short enough the Lenskart and other product placements take up a good minute in between. If you are familiar with these stars then you might be interested in watching their back story as well.
Meanwhile, I on the Candy Crush level 2277, am glad to know that the gaming community is getting traction in India but the series could have actually delved deeper into the gaming scene. It is no more than a short interview and provides no other insight about the industry, the featured guests are a part of.
Gamer’s Den is currently streaming on MX Player.
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