Valorant, Youtube, and Girls in the Gaming Industry: Interview Shifa Ali
"Gamers don't die, we respawn!"
We are back with another episode of Tournatalks. In the thirteenth episode of Tournatalks, we had an insightful discussion on Valorant, YouTube streaming, and girls in the gaming industry with our special guest. We invite gamers, organizers, and much more eminent people from the gaming industry to spread awareness on various issues related to gaming, and Esports, and gain some valuable points from the professionals themselves.
In the thirteenth episode of Tournatalks, we invited Ms. Shifa Ali aka Diana in the gaming world, a Valorant player, content creator, YouTuber, and gaming manager. The session was hosted by Devansh from team Tournafest.
Let us take a look at some of the interesting questions from the session.
How did you enter the world of Esports?
Shifa explained the beginning of her gaming journey, "I was into gaming for a long time. I used to play PUBG three years ago and when it got banned I switched to Valorant. The Esports scene of Valorant got my attention."
Valorant is more famous globally. So, what made you choose this game instead of the mainstream Indian Games like BGMI and COD?
"When PUBG got banned, people started playing the game through VPN and all but I didn't want to do it that way. I was so addicted to gaming that I had to find an alternative. I had a laptop at that time so I switched to Valorant. I had a few friends at that time who used to play Valorant so I also thought of giving it a try and that game was addictive. And here I'm today still playing it and managing teams that play Valorant." explained Shifa
How has your Esports journey been till now?
Shifa reminisced about her gaming journey, "It has been great, overall. There have always been ups and downs because this road is not easy to walk but it's fun to meet new people and play with them."
It's a common misconception that girls are not really into gaming. What are your views about this?
"This is a big misconception in people's minds that girls don't play games and even if they find someone playing, they'll think she won't be good enough but that's wrong. I have a whole female group of 6 girls who are excellent players and are killing it on the virtual battlefield and we'll be launching them soon. I don't believe that girls should not or cannot play games. It's just that they've always been discouraged from doing so that they cannot play. People always think that it's easier for girls but trust me, it's very hard, especially in the gaming community." Shifa explained the gaming scene for girls in India.
Do you think Valorant will have a successful future in the Indian Esports industry?
"Yes, definitely. Valorant is going to be successful but the biggest hindrance is a PC. If you leave the mobile games away, Valorant is one of the most successful games in India. Valiant's mechanics are very different from regular games. But overall, Valorant is a great game." said Shifa
How did your family react when you first started playing?
"When I started playing there was no reaction as such. They were like, she'll play for a few days and get enough of it and leave gaming. There was no anticipation of me being addicted to this game. My family has a little gaming background too but when I started spending 12 hours of my day on gaming, it got a little serious. They told me to do something creative rather than just sitting at home in front of the computer playing games but then they saw my dedication over time and my YouTube also started growing. They were happy with the progress and today they fully support me." answered Shifa
Do you plan on making a career in Esports?
"As of now, I don't have any other plans as such. I'm willing to give my 100% to gaming or management or content creation. This excites me so I'm currently giving everything into this", saying this, Shifa threw some light on her career plans.
What do you think makes Valorant different from other games because it is growing at a very rapid rate?
"I think the developer's idea of bringing new maps into the game, and bringing new agents keeps the players and everyone excited about the game. At one hour of a day, you'll get bored of a game but here, you tend to get addicted to it with time. As I said, adding new elements to the game from time to time is an important factor." Told Shifa
What makes you keep going on the days when you're not performing well?
Shifa exclaimed by saying, "My audience helps me keep going. If I'm having a bad day or I just want to chill and relax, I'll go and stream. Even if I'm losing a game, it's my audience that interacts with me during the live stream and that keeps me happy."
What do you think should be done in society so that people's mindset changes towards girls playing games?
"We should be encouraging girls that there's no such thing as a game made solely for males. We should at least give them the benefit of doubt that they can be equal while playing with boys out there. It's just not gaming, girls should be given equal rights and opportunities just as the other gender out there." Shifa suggested.
Do you have any suggestions/ tips for the underdogs?
"I feel that underdogs should never think that the teams which are up there are too good. Yes, they might be better in terms of synergy and rank but they are not unbeatable. You should just have confidence that if they can, so can you. You don't have to be afraid if you're going against a big team, just believe in yourself and keep practicing until you also reach that level. It's all in the mindset, always." Advised Shifa
That's all for Tournafest's thirteenth TournaTalks episode. Our guest was really great and answered all the questions our audience needed to know. If you want to watch the whole session, head to Tournafest's Instagram page.
If you enjoyed this blog, you might also like to read about other Tournatalks episodes.
Ambika
If you enjoy playing video games, you might want to download the Tournafest app from Google Play or the App Store to compete in Esports Tournaments and Scrims for games such as BGMI, Free Fire MAX, and Call of Duty and win exciting prizes! You may also organize tournaments and fetch unmatched perks.
Stay tuned for more and we will see you later!
Until next time,
#liveitforgaming
