‘Even if there is no PUBG someday, the show would go on’ – 8bit Thug

In an interview with The Gaming Reporter, Animesh Agarwal a.k.a 8bit Thug shared his views on content creation, esports and gaming as a career.

Animesh a popular streamer/influencer and the founder of 8bit, a gaming and esports organization with teams across multiple esports titles such as Clash Royale, Clash of Clans, Free Fire and PUBG.

The Gaming Reporter – Describe to us how your alias ‘THUG’ came into existence, and how it has impacted your identity in real life.

Animesh Agarwal – So basically, I started mobile gaming around 2014 end. Around that time, I saw this movie called Dictator, in which there was this song called “Thug life“, so I made my game name keeping that in mind! Eventually I shortened my name into Thug, from ThugLife.

TGR – You have represented India in PMSC Global Finals 2018. What was the experience like? How does professional play at the highest level differ from playing casually as a creator?

AA –  I think this is one of my achievements that I am forever proud about. The experience was something ecstatic and gives me a sense of pride to be the First ever Indian to represent our country in a PUBG mobile event. Professional play is very much different from a casual creator type play. Having played both roles in my gaming career, I can definitely touch for this. Professional gameplay requires a lot of hard work, practice, being consistently in touch with the game and basically if you are playing at the tier 1 level, you need to practice at least 8-10 hours a day dedicatedly. Content creation is an entertainment based gaming wherein it’s more about our engagement and interaction with the audience and less gameplay oriented.

TGR – After recently being partnered with multiple gaming brands such as Corsair, Aorus, Elgato & Gigabyte, how far do you think you are from achieving your goal to become a Red Bull associate?

AA –  Red Bull athlete is not a partnership, it’s a feeling. Right now, I cannot comment how long will it take before Red Bull gaming finds me an apt person for such an accolade, but it’s a dream for me in my gaming career and I am working hard to gain the trust.

TGR – With PUBG MOBILE the Indian gaming has seen a lot of growth, what makes PUBG MOBILE stand out from other competitive games?

AA –  PUBG MOBILE took India by storm due to their Top-notch marketing abilities. The team at Tencent did a great job to roll out events in India and stayed committed to create an ecosystem in India, where young guns started to take gaming as a career. It’s more about the trust that PUBG mobile was able to gain amongst the audience and the masses and how they ensured to take good care of the creators, esport players, etc. The priority Tencent placed to the Indian market definitely made them stand out against their competitors.

TGR – You have a vision to go global with a 8 BIT in MOBA Esports. What makes you choose MOBA over other genres?

AA – MOBA is a genre that gets very less acclaim in India, but we do have its roots in India. I want to be the promoter for that genre among the Indian masses. I personally love watching MOBA gamers and I believe it’s just about opportunity. Once MOBA gamers in India start feeling that they too have a future, we will start generating more interest from other gamers.
8bit has always been first movers when it comes to providing new opportunities in the Gaming Industry and we need to continue doing so.

TGR – For new creators it can be tough to grow with changing trends, also there are times when the audience doesn’t enjoy the game you want to stream. How should creators deal with such problems?

AA – Every creator has 2 kinds of audience, one who comes for the creator and other for the game. It actually all depends on the creator how they mold the audience to make sure they stick to the channel irrespective of the game. A very fine example of this is Carryminati, his audience stays with him irrespective of the game he plays. Best case scenario is keeping the creativity and diversity alive on your channel.

TGR – Do women lack opportunities in esports? If yes, what can be done to provide opportunities and encourage women to be a part of esports?

AA – I don’t believe women lack opportunities in esports. There is no Man or Woman in gaming, There is only a gamer who should be skilled enough to take the opponent down.

TGR – How do you imagine your life to be without PUBG?

AA – For me right now it’s more about gaming as a whole than one single game. Even if there is no PUBG someday, the show would go on with other games.

TGR – Being an eminent personality in the gaming & esports world, what is your advice or message to the fans and the people who look up to you and want to make gaming their career?

AA – My advice on gaming career is very simple, HAVE A BACK UP ! Gaming in India is at a budding stage and people are still trying to make their way up the career ladder in gaming. There are a lot of opportunities right now, but the longevity and the growth prospects are not certain IMMEDIATELY. My advice to everyone is lets wait for this industry to grow even further and more opportunities can come up for a huge chunk of people, that’s when newbies can look upto gaming As a mainstream career.