Gamers in the city were in for a treat last week as Gluttons Garage, a café near the Beach Road, organised a three-day Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) mobile squad competition.
Anyone who was billed more than ₹149 at the cafe was eligible to join the competition.
Gaming enthusiasts turned up each day armed with mobiles, earphones, chargers and power banks for the battle. The game was also streamed on a projector for those who were there as mere spectators and for those who were knocked out early in the game.
First person shooter (FPS) games – where players view the game through a shooter’s perspective, have always been popular but PUBG took it to another level when it was released for PCs last March. Exactly a year later, PUBG made its début on mobile devices and set a new benchmark for mobile gaming. The game has been downloaded over 100 million times on Android and iOS devices.
What is the game about?
PUBG is an FPS battle. It is a multi-player game which takes pride in how realistic it is. It can be played solo, as a duo or in squad mode where teams of four players can participate. The game begins with an aeroplane flying over an 8x8 kilometre island. The players select a strategic location to jump and collect loot, such as — bulletproof vest, helmet, guns, energy drinks, painkillers, badages and so on.
The rules are simple — shoot everyone you see and don’t get shot. But here’s the trick, the play zone keeps reducing and if you don't stay inside the marked circle, you will be eliminated.
The mobile version is not as visually good as the PC or console versions, however it has all the components of the actual game.
For instance, you can hear the footsteps of other players walking around. It’s always better to use earphones to cancel out external sounds and help in the game play.
If you win the game, your mobile screen shows 'winner chicken dinner' along with your statistics from the game. Each game typically lasts for 30 to 40 minutes.
Uniting gamers
Even before the competition began people were practising . Sushaan Kudani, a second-year college student, has been playing at least two games per day since it released. He said, “I couldn’t believe it could be so good on mobile. Now, people don't necessarily need a gaming computer to play multi-player games.”
The tension in the cafe was palpable once the game started. About four games were played each day. And the team that performed the best won a four-course meal at Gluttons Garage.
Damini K, who works at a multinational company, came to the café with her friends. She said, “As soon as my friends got to know about the competition , they all joined in and I was left stranded. However, it was fun to see them play.”
Twelve-year-olds Aryan Sakkaram and Suraj Jain's became friends playing video games. They have also played Fortnite, a similar game which was released after PUBG. Suraj, who aspires to start a YouTube channel said, “My brother introduced me to FPS games. I often go to a PS7 Lounge to play PUBG and Fortnite with friends.” Aryan feels, “PUBG’s controls are better than Fortnite but the updates on the PUBG mobile haven't improved the game’s visual performance.”
The response has been overwhelming, says Vijai Kanth from Dot Marketing, a local digital marketing company that managed the event for Glutton’s Garage. He promised, “In our next competitions we plan to introduce bigger prizes.”
