Youngsters make a living at these unique gaming houses

MUMBAI: They spend all day gaming, sipping on energy drinks, discussing virtual battle strategies. And that’s their job.

MUMBAI: They spend all day gaming, sipping on energy drinks, discussing virtual battle strategies. And that’s their job.

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It’s an unusual kind of life inside India’s fledgling gaming houses. There are two in Mumbai, and one each in Bangalore, Hyderabad and Thane. Here, sponsors pay the rent and foot all expenses.

All the hand-picked players have to do is play — often the same battle over and over, watching playback on special monitors to help perfect their game.

This kind of sponsorship is still new to India, but as prize money grows — there is a total booty of about Rs 77 lakh up for grabs across 40 e-sports tournaments in India this year — the kinds of houses dedicated to gaming in countries like South Korea, and, increasingly, hyper-competitive China are also cropping up in Indian cities.

Some of these houses are basic — a single room with mattresses, a fridge and high-tech monitors.

Some are plush three-bedroom pads with comfy couches and bean bags. Most gaming houses come with a housekeeper, to do the washing and cleaning — because the players often practice 15 hours a day.