City boy captains Indian gaming team

Thirteen-year-old Ganesh Meenavalli, a Class IX student from Oakridge International School, is set to lead the Indian team at Major League Gaming Finals, a video game tournament, in New Orleans, US from October 16.

“I am excited to represent India. It is the first time that India is participating in the event,” says Ganesh, who goes under the name “tacticalnuke”, adding, “I play video games and make YouTube videos that has around 1,000 subscribers; so far I have earned $280 from the channel. I have been playing for over six years now. I’m mostly good at First-person shooter.”

Ganesh is one of the three members selected from India to play Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Tournament, wherein 176 teams will fight it out. His team includes Lokesh Suji from Delhi, Hrithik Saurya from Hyderabad and Alex, an Indian settled in Canada.

Convincing his parents to let him travel to attend the event was not tough, as his father, who himself has been a gamer, has always supported him. “I was apprehensive that my parents wouldn’t let me attend the event, but I was excited when they agreed. My dad is also a gamer so he encourages me always. And I make it a point to maintain a balance between academics and the time I spend on gaming.”