BackRetro multi-player games are back as online contests
It is not just PUBG Mobile or Asphalt 9 that is pitting gamers against each other and giving them the chance to make some money while having funMPL (mobile premier league) hosted an online chess tournament with a prize pool of ₹10 lakh
PremiumAround a week back, online multi-player gaming platform MPL (mobile premier league) hosted an online chess tournament with a prize pool of ₹10 lakh. The game lasted over 12 hours and attracted 90,472 participants, recording 1.2 million games. MPL is now planning to host a carrom tournament.
Clearly, it is not just PUBG Mobile or Asphalt 9 that is pitting gamers against each other and giving them the chance to make some money while having fun. Even good old board games like chess, ludo and carrom are turning into online battlegrounds for millions of people vying for a cash prize or few minutes of fame.
“The beauty of these games is that the interest in them never dies. People have always been keen on them. It is just that there was no platform where people could come together and play competitively," said Sai Srinivas Kiran G., co-founder and CEO of MPL.
MPL isn’t the only platform where one can participate in tournaments on household games that users from age group are familiar with or have grown up with.
Early this year, at the GameOn Masters: India, mobile games like Ludo and Real Carrom were part of the tournament and participants took home prize money of ₹1 lakh for each game. The finals were held in Delhi.
“When you’re conducting any tournament, the prize is always a very important factor. Having good prize money makes it all the more competitive. Meaningful prize money rewards their ability and gives them a chance to pursue what they like more," adds Srinivas G.
Incidentally, the online tournaments on these games have got takers in all age groups including the younger audience. In fact, a majority of the participants in the chess tournament on MPL were in the age group of 18 to 25. The winner, V.S. Rathnavel is an 18-year-old professional chess player from Coimbatore.
“There is captive audience for each games. Games like chess or carom are not limited to any age group. There is a certain category of people who would play the games regardless of the platform. It is just that access to mobile devices has made it possible for anyone to play these games," says Saumya Rathore, co-founder Winzo games, an online multiplayer gaming platform.
Srinivas G. wants to make the next chess tournament on MPL bigger and get participants from other countries to join as well. Given the kind of traction online tournaments are getting in India, particularly among the competitive younger audience, we can expect more such conventional games come alive online.
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