Joe Williams
Mumbai
Online gaming platforms have been growing in popularity in not just in India but across the globe. In fantasy sports, fans create their virtual teams made up of real sportspersons. Apart from cricket and kabaddi, fantasy sports titles are designed for many others, such as football and basketball.
“I would say that it has given many of us a new window to explore the world in technology which we otherwise never thought about,” says Pourushasp Mehta, one of the communication specialist in Mumbai.
This has opened up hitherto unheard of avenues for many in day-to-day life.
“I never knew this existed," says Mehta, who has organised many online cricket and football matches, with many big names to boot.
“We did have Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo in football and the likes of Steve Smith and David Garner in such games which have evoked good response and now many are actively involved,” an expert in the field reveals.
This gaming market in India has seen tremendous growth lately, driven by the surge in digital usage, smartphone-savvy users and cheap data. And many brands are making the most of it.
The 'Davis Cup Dhamaka' virtual tennis tournament, featuring past and present Davis Cup greats was one such event which connected the sports tennis public with legends like Vijay Anand Amritraj and Ramesh Ramanathan Krishnan, Leander Paes, Rohan Bopanna and Mahesh Bhupathi, according to former Davis Cupper Nitten Kirrtane.
“Players have to adjust to this new world and with fitness, yoga and meditation connecting people in all walks of life, this phase too shall pass and we will be back on the court soon. Be patient, learn to live the virtual way to spend quality time with your kids and family. Enjoy this moment,” says Kirrtane.
Gokulam Kerala FC (GKFC) is one of the many who have moved to online webinar football training for children. This is the first time an I-League club is giving online training sessions to children during the lockdown.
“Usually this is vacation time for children. But they have minimal sports-related activities due to the lockdown. So we thought of giving online training classes for children,” said Bino George, the technical director of GKFC.
