India qualifies for the Fifa World Cup!? While this may sound like a joke to many, the news that India not only made it to the esteemed football tournament, but also finished among the top 20 will further come as a shocker. The fact of the matter is that it?s all true, albeit in the virtual world.

The country has reasons to rejoice as it has been doing exceptionally well?while it notched the 16th position last year, it came 17th this time?in the Fifa division of the Electronic Sports World Cup (ESWC), considered the mecca of global e-gaming. The feat is remarkable considering India?s ?physical? football team is ranked a distant 155th in the world.

Now in its 10th year, the ESWC is a worldwide competition of video games, starting locally with a national qualifying round, only to end at a final gathering of ?cyber athletes?, designed as a live show. With representation from over 70 countries, it is the pinnacle of e-sporting competition. This year, the tournament was held in Paris from October 30 to November 3. Although India slipped to the 17th rank?after losing to world champion France?gaming enthusiasts feel India?s moment has come and that it has all the makings of a winner, provided there are enough facilities available for participants.

E-gaming is a craze all over the world. Countries like the US, France, South Korea and Norway hold major tournaments and give away prizes valued at over hundreds and thousands of dollars. In the Major League Gaming?s Winter Championship held earlier this year, over 1,000 competitors took part for the prize money of $1,70,000, with matches being broadcast live across the world. The scene in India, however, is yet to pick up steam.

Mumbai-based Sitanshu Gala, who represented India at the ESWC this year, started playing video games way back in school where he took it as a form of entertainment. Often, he had to visit cyber cafes as none of his friends had a computer at home. When he came to know about competitive gaming in college, he started taking e-gaming professionally. Though Gala lost to France in this year?s event, making it to the top 20 was a moment of pride, considering it was his first tournament in Paris.

?When I came to know about e-gaming tournaments in college festivals, I started participating in as many as I could. I made new friends who had attended other tournaments. Gradually, it became a passion,? says Gala, adding, ?But one cannot take it on a full-time or professional basis as of now in India.? He laments that he makes just about R30,000 per year from domestic tournaments. Now, he is concentrating only on international tournaments for a wider reach and challenge. Gala?s toughest competitors this year came from France.

Video games are considered the 21st-century sport, with many tournaments being organised throughout the globe. Recently, video games were included in the Asian Indoor Games held in South Korea in July this year. Moreover, talks are on for their inclusion in the 2020 Olympics. There are already machinations in play?including an online petition with over 1,500 signatures from 24 countries?pushing for e-sports to become an Olympic event. The challenge in India, however, is one pertaining to mindsets as electronic sports have never been recognised as a competitive entity here. Rather, it?s considered a waste of time.

Akshat Rathee, chief gaming officer at Nodwin Gaming that organised ?Best of the Best Fifa: Road to ESWC?, the national qualifying event for India?s entry to the ESWC, feels that though professional e-gaming in India has improved drastically, a lot more still needs to be done. ?There are now over 20,000 teams competing in India on different e-sporting platforms. But none is a full-time entity. They are either funded by passion or parents. The highest-earning cyber athlete in India bags about R10,000 per month at the most,? says Rathee.

Nodwin Gaming sponsors individual gamers, not teams. To give the fledgling sport a boost, it has now started a programme through which it will pay gamers R7,500 per month, including one international trip and three domestic tournaments a year. Though this is not sufficient to lead a comfortable life, Rathee believes the remuneration, however small it may be, will encourage others to take up gaming as a profession.

The potential for excellence in terms of e-sports is mostly untapped in India. The country has had only four tournaments till date?two rounds of ESWC qualifiers and two rounds of Weekend Warzones. Even South Korea has had twice that number of tournaments. India also lacks a proper regulatory authority for e-sports. This is in sharp contrast to Sri Lanka, which hardly features on the e-sports map, but has one competent body to look after the sector. It?s an irony that even with a handful of professionals, the teams keep making it to every world cup. Gala believes that if the number of tournaments are increased, it will be beneficial for both the country and gamers.

Sagar Vyas, who represented India at the ESWC last year, feels a lot more needs to be done to make e-gaming a proper sporting event in India. The most important thing, he believes, is infusing more money. ?Cash is obviously a necessity. One cannot win cups only by passion. He or she has to be financially stable,? says Vyas, who finished 14th at last year?s ESWC after losing against France. Sadly, he has now quit e-gaming due to lack of opportunities in the country.

This, however, is not the case with Santanu Basu, a 27-year-old Indian gamer, the only one to be sponsored by a company, who feels the environment for gaming is getting more conducive in the country. ?Earlier, there were hardly any gamers in India. But today, you can find at least 30,000 players always connected to the Internet for gaming,? adding, ?Earlier, I used to earn about R1,000 after winning a tournament in India. Today, with international tournaments happening every month, I make at least $150-200 per tournament,? he says.

This year, Basu toured five countries?South Korea (Asian Indoor Games), Hong Kong, Dubai, Malaysia and Bangladesh?for gaming tournaments. TTE Sports from Taiwan bears all his equipment costs, as well as expenses for tournaments.

Basu?s stint with e-gaming started in childhood when he was confined to his home due to a major operation. Out of sheer choice, he started playing games on his computer. However, when he came to know about the ESWC in 2004, he started taking it seriously and later decided to take it up as a profession. ?As a child born and brought up in Kolkata, I was always passionate about football. I even wanted to play for the country. But due to my health, it was a dream that could never be fulfilled. However, e-gaming has given me new hope,? says Basu, who currently works for a gaming review website.