Hopefully, after reading this, you’ll stop whining about your keyboard.
Prithvi Bharadwaj, aka ‘Matka’ is a college student in Bengaluru who was born without a left arm and no, he has no complaints. In fact, he’s currently shooting holes into competition at Counter Strike events across the city. I caught up with Prithvi at at LXG for a quick chat.
Q How did you start gaming?
A. Just like everyone else, I started off playing cricket with my friends, then one day he said come to the café with me. I started by playing GTA Vice City, where everyone starts and I enjoyed it, then I saw some people playing Counter Strike 1.6 and I thought, why not?
Q How do you manage the moves?
A. It took me time, almost a year, but now I have adjusted and learned to use the
normal keyboard. My timing, strategy and reaction time are good enough so I can play with others
Q How does your family feel about your gaming?
A. Grandparents feel I should concentrate on my studies, but my mother and father are very supportive and let me go for my tournaments. But I still work hard on my studies during the week.
Q Have you ever faced issues with other players or looking for a team?
A. Not really, I know a lot of the people from my café and they always want to play with me, everyone wants me on their team. I’ve adjusted over time and they have adjusted to playing with me, we learn and make calls and work together as a team. One day one of the good players said we are making a team, would you like to play? I said yes.
Q Where do you see yourself going with gaming?
A. I hope to get noticed by sponsors and go for national and international events with my team. Recently, player ‘machinegun’ got a good contract with a salary and they are paying for his college, so I hope someday I can do that too. I also want to be an inspiration to others.
