Women's Day: Kanchan and Niharika breaking the stereotypes by venturing into male-dominated Esports space

New Delhi, March 8: The esports industry is making big strides in India and the lockdown imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic was a major shot in the arms in what was a neglected sector in the country.

With people getting confined to their homes, hundreds of thousands switched to esports to pass their time. While esports has been there for quite some time but it never got its due until the world came to a grinding halt due to the pandemic. The mobile versions of popular e-games and websites like Baazi Games, coupled with the exponential growth in the smartphone industry, revolutionised the sector.

Now, a person no more requires a computer or a laptop or other expensive gears to enjoy and dive deep into the unique ocean of esports gaming. People of all ages are now getting hooked to esports online gaming and many are also taking it up as a career option.

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Esports is not just about boys, in fact, girls are also making a great deal of progress in this field and earning fame and money. There are quite a few women champions in this field and they are acing it in this male-dominated space. Earlier there used to be three-four women players, but in recent years, the numbers have risen exponentially for now we have women competing against each other too.

On the occasion of International Women's Day, MyKhel had a chat with a couple of women esport players who are carving a niche for females in this sector and could be an inspiration to thousands of young girls who wish to traverse through this less chartered territory.

Responding to MyKhel's questions, Kanchan Sharma and Niharika Bindra - both of whom are poker players - shared their journey, their aspirations and also the success they've tasted in the esports industry. Niharika Bindra is 36 years old from New Delhi whereas Kanchan Sharma is a 27-year-old player based out of Agra - both the players at the moment are only focusing on esports.

Here are the excerpts:

MyKhel: What has been your experience as an online gamer so far?

Kanchan Sharma: I started off only 3 years ago and my experience has been great so far. I have seen the industry grow massively. Online platforms like PokerBaazi.com have made it very easy to pursue Poker from the comfort of our homes. During the lockdown, online gaming was a boon because otherwise, it could have easily been a no income year for most professional players considering there were no live games. Even though I am not tech-savvy, it was fairly easy for me to adapt to the modern-way of playing Poker because the experience is almost the same. It has kept me in touch with the game on-the-go, as a result of which I have bettered my game exponentially.

Niharika Bindra: I have been playing online, on and off, for many years. Started right from the time when PokerBaazi.com was launched in India but then moved towards completely playing live only in the middle. Though in the last 5-6 years, I have re-started and enjoyed playing regularly ever since.

MK: How were you attracted to online gaming?

Kanchan: For me, it was more about the game initially. When I learned Poker, I used to play live games regularly. But it was always dependent on the availability of people and other logistics. I was also doing a full-time job, so it was much more difficult to be available for physical games. I started playing online because I loved the game so much and it provided me with the flexibility of utilising my free time without having to depend on any third person.

Niharika: Just the comfort of sitting at home and playing tournaments with such huge guarantees, definitely appeals to the lazy in me.

MK: Do you plan on building a career out of online gaming?

Kanchan: I have been playing poker professionally for the past 2 years now and it is safe to say that online gaming has helped me turn my hobby into a full-time career. Even pre-COVID, I was largely playing all the live tournament series online only.

Niharika: Poker is a career for me, so definitely need to embrace every platform and try and win everywhere.

MK: How are you breaking the taboo/stereotypes for this sector is still a male-dominated one and people generally don't associate girls with esports and online gaming?

Kanchan: I don't really see it as breaking any taboo. I look at it as doing something I like and want to do every day. But yes, online gaming is fairly new in our country and people, in general, are sceptical about taking it up as a full-time profession. But I'd say, start small, start slow and progress gradually.

Niharika: Being a girl in the poker industry, one is already smashing every stereotype - especially in India, and every time someone labels playing poker for a living as just gambling - there is a long debate that ensues.

MK: What help the industry and the platforms like Baazi Games are providing you?

Kanchan: Baazi Games is surely building an online gaming community within the country. Just promoting games is something that will encourage more and more people to take it up and eventually build a community. They have various poker tournaments which are really good as they enable small stake players to come and play. This way more and more people can join the community and grow together.

Niharika: Baazi Games' online Poker platform, PokerBaazi.com is definitely the most user friendly of all the apps and brings access to some huge tournaments, while you are sitting at home. Also, Baazi Games is leading the way for the online poker industry. Always happy to play on it.

MK: What are your future plans?

Kanchan: For now, I want to focus on upskilling myself and getting better at my game. There are so many things to learn and contrary to popular belief, poker is an extremely demanding profession. You have got to regularly study, grind and be disciplined if you want to hone your skills. That is the only way to grow and be successful eventually.

Niharika: Win, win, win, and win some more! (laughs).

MK: What is your message to the girls who wish to build a career in the field?

Kanchan: A lot of women might get intimidated by the fact that online gaming is a male-dominated community. I'd just like to say that there is no reason to be intimidated because it is an equal playing ground irrespective of gender and the community is also very welcoming. It is just our own mental block that we need to overcome to be able to pursue the game.

Niharika: Don't be afraid to step out of your comfort zone. Learn the game, study, practice. Reach out to other poker players if you have any questions - because we are a very friendly industry and most of us are always trying to promote the game - in India especially.