By – Prakarsh Kastwar
College students from NCR were motivated by the game’s inclusion as a medal event in the Asian Games to create the first-of-its-kind esports society in DU, ARCADE.
India’s delegation just arrived in China, where the Asian Games 2022 will feature esports as a medal event for the first time. And who do you suppose they inspired? Young people from colleges all throughout Delhi-NCR have created ARCADE, a pioneering esports and gaming group, at Delhi University.
This DU soc was founded by five students from Delhi University’s Hansraj College and two students from an engineering school in Ghaziabad. Ishwar Yadav, Apoorva Anand, Vinay Rathore, Jatin Seth, and Ansh Nagar from Hansraj are members of this pilot team, along with engineering students Harsh Rajvanshi and Vivek Chaudhary from a university in Ghaziabad.
“Esports aren’t simply for gamers… It’s about dismantling obstacles, encouraging community, and cultivating talent,” says Ishwar Yadav, a BA (Hons) Philosophy final-year student and the instigator of this new society. “Our goal is to build a community where esports fans can show off their talents while also improving their skills. I’ve been a devoted supporter of this industry for more than five years now. Yadav continues, “The whole idea behind starting this organization is for us to be at the forefront of this esports transformation where these games are no longer only considered as a way to kill time.
Views on how Vinay Rathore, a second-year BCom (Hons) student, adds that “esports is at the cusp of becoming a fixture in the international gaming tournaments,” and that “our purpose is to raise awareness and encourage involvement in this developing sporting culture. In addition to providing us with fresh inspiration, the field’s debut at the Asian Games 2022 has raised the bar for gaming.’
Esports athletes like Sabyasachi ‘Antidote’ Bose (Valorant), Darshan Batra, and Shubham Goli (DOTA), according to Apoorva Anand, a second-year BA (Prog) student and self-described philomath, have caused these games to fall under the same definition as “mainstream physical sports.” One is no longer need to conceal their love of gaming. Playing video games now enhances your image as an athlete rather than making you look like a nerd. I have no doubt that someday, students from DU will represent their nation at international competitions while donning the Indian shirt.