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Watch: PM Modi turns gamer ‘NaMo OP’, plays virtual reality games
Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed several issues related to gaming industry with India's top gamers in an interaction at his residence.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with top gamers of India on a host of issues related to the gaming industry.
In a 32-minute video shared on the prime minister's YouTube channel, gamers Tirth Mehta, Payal Dhare, Animesh Agarwal, Anshu Bisht, Naman Mathur, Mithilesh Patankar, Ganesh Gangadhar can be seen engaged in a candid conversation.
During the interaction, gamer Animesh Agarwal said that the govermment should recognise eports and gaming as a mainstream sport. “It is a skill-based gaming and does not involve gambling. Once it is established and understood by all government bodies including those involved in financial transactions, it will be really beneficial. Like you said, the industry does not need a regulation. We should let it grow freely. With a little push, the industry will be ready,” he said.
Prime minister replied,"It (esports and gaming) does not require any regulation. It must remain free, only then it will boom."
“How do you deal with the conflict between gaming and gambling?" PM Modi asked the gamers present in the interaction.
Tirth Mehta, the gamer from Kutch in Gujarat, said,"People feel that we play games for passing time. We play games that are really different from the others, but people think they are easy as ludo. But that's not true. We play games that are complex as chess that demand mental and physical skills.
On what are the do's and don'ts, Anshu Bisht said,"If someone wants to achieve the level of gamer success as me, I advise them to follow my life path. I followed my passion for gaming with college and also starting my job. I didn't abandon other aspects of my life to solely focus on gaming."
Payal Dhare, the only female gamer present in the interaction, said,"There are two categories in gaming and esports. In esports you compete against each other. In content creation, we make interactive videos around gaming that people really enjoy."
Towards the end of the interaction, PM Modi donned a virtual headset and tried his hands at gaming.
