KOCHI: Sentinels and scourges fighting it out to protect their turf, the legacy of the boot as it ignites the ball, turbo-charged pursuits that reek of burnt rubber and boast of perfection on wheels, propaganda and wars against terror, multi-coloured chicken missiles out to oust egg-stealing pigs - the annals of gaming afford many an experience before the screen ultimately reads, “game over.”Gaming fever has washed onto the shores of Kochi too as the city gears up to play host to the gamers’ clique. With many gaming lounges dotting the city, youngsters, who swear by the rules of the game, have found their den and the battles, to stake claims to gaming consoles, have already begun.“Choose your weapon” reads the entry to Area 51, the latest melting pot of gaming culture in the city. With its PS3s and a stash of the latest offers from the gaming area (FIFA Street and Call of Duty 3), the new setup offers an inkling of what city gamers can expect in the months to come. A pool table to square off at, a foosball table (Yes! F.R.I.E.N.D.S revisited!), an XBOX extravaganza and a menu that boasts of an attitude of its own are all in the pipeline. Calendar gaming events are slated to be a regular mainstay here thanks to Indiagames and Csharks Games and Solutions. The cafe also housed the second edition of the Kochi Gamers’ meet and if the number of attendees are anything to go by, the art of gaming has definitely arrived in the city.Though personal computers bring the luxury of gaming to one’s couch, the multi-player experience is unrivalled as testified by the slew of machines at the Zapak Gameplex (Opp. Naval Quarters, Elamkulam). PC gaming takes on a different dimension here as cyber jocks test their mettle and their gameplans against virtual enemies, literally seated at their right hand.With the advent of gaming arcades, game centres, that operate out of homes, have not lost their old school charm. Reminiscing about the time when friends pooled in money for a modest one hour of gaming, Arun Cherian, an post-graduate student of business administration, elaborates, “ Summer holidays found me and my friends making our way to FunWorld on Asoka Road, Kaloor. Run by a family, this haunt provided a pocket’s worth of fun and it was good value for money. CounterStrike and FIFA ruled the roost and the multiple - player phenomenon is unbeatable! With the advent of Play Stations, the thrill of gaming only got better.” While PC games continue to find many takers, the fan base for console gaming is fast expanding and tablets and smartphones have created a niche market for games by themselves. PC versions of games are accompanied by versions that are made exclusively for the Andoid and Iphone sectors. Women have taken to gaming in troves and constitute a major chunk of casual gamers. Angry Birds, Farmville, Poker, Life Quest, Cityville, Diner Dash and multiple variants of mystery files and adventure series are a number of casual games that involve time-management, planning and problem-solving skills. The hardcore gamers abide by the gospel of Need for Speed (NFS), Counter-Strike, FIFA 2012 and Street, Defense of the Ancients (DotA from the Warcraft III front), Unreal Tournament, Age of Empires that guarantee the real deal of blood and battle.Online gaming marathons and gaming quests at popular college fests let winners take home the spoils and the prize money consists of a sizeable number of zeroes. Further, LAN-based gaming allows for PC-to-PC interaction and has great scope for team plays.The constant need to better previous scores and think ahead to what lies beyond the curve demands high levels of mental physique.Exhaustive gameplays are becoming popular since they swarrant that a player connect psychologically with the characters and in the process, the joystick defines the thin line between life and death.The chance to control virtual destinies and make one’s way through uncharted terrain in alternate realities holds gaming in good stead as the ‘console hippie’ is all set to conquer the (virtual) world.
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