IG Claws Jazzy: A Budding Esports Player

IG CLAWZ JAZZY: A BUDDING ESPORTS PLAYER

WORDS BY SAMEER BAIG

What does it take to be an upcoming and successful esports player in India today? Can you make a career in esports in India? IG Clawz Jazzy, who already has many tournament wins under his belt, tells us about his journey to success.

How did you get into professional gaming?

I was quite fond of gaming for a very long time. When I was 7-year-old I used to watch my elder brother play CS 1.6 on his PC, which sparked an interest in me to play FPS games. When I started playing games I didn’t know anything about esports as families in India did not talk about it the way they spoke about cricket being a professional sport! With the introduction of PUBG MOBILE in India, I found my passion and realized that I wanted to pursue esports more seriously. I spoke to my family and they were supportive of it. They were ready to invest in it the way we invest in any other college course for doing a specialized graduate program. They got me an XR too, so I could progress in my career.

Do you remember a particular moment when you decided that esports would be your career?

When I was playing in the PMIT semifinals, I saw a player named Scout (a known PUBG player) and from that day onwards he be-

came my inspiration. I wanted to become like him. I started playing the game very seriously. There have been several ups and downs but I think I will be able to make it.

What is Claw Esports?

Claw Esports is one of the oldest teams of PUBG. Our very first clan leader left the game a long time ago. Clan leadership was given to ClawFreak in 2019. ClawFreak gave me the opportunity to play for Claw Esports. He is a very humble and kind man. He manages everything in the clan and is doing a great job. Currently, I am also the co leader of Claw Esports.

Tell me more about NPL, PMUL, PMAL.

NPL was a specialized tournament with a prize pool of INR 3 Lakh designed only for Elite teams of PUBG MOBILE. PMUL and PMAL were comparatively smaller tournaments with a prize pool of INR 2025,000 but better known in the community of PUBG. It was important for us to make our mark there and we were able to do it easily by winning both the tournaments. Thanks to our IGL Claw Vegeta for the Rotations–a skill used in the gameplay and a strategy which was much needed for us to perform at our peak.

How do you think you could have done better?

We have a balanced team with proper Sniper Entry fragger support and IGL. But there was a lack of communication in some of the tournaments. Some players were busy with their studies and hence our practice was not as good as we expected it to be. But it was a learning experience and a lesson in how to manage our time better without compromising on our education as well as our dreams.

How did you feel when you won PMAL?

Everyone in the team was happy when we won PMAL. I was the top fragger for my team in that tournament. Almost every PMPL team in India played that tournament. We wiped out Fnatic Entity and many more teams in proper 4v4 fights. I was also very excited about the points table and being on the top of the fragger chart as well. It was the best experience I ever had. It made me believe that gaming is my calling.

What are your future plans when it comes to your gaming and further education?

I already cleared my 12th grade with 85%. My parents are very supportive of gaming. My mom also likes to play games with me on my PS4. Due to Covid-19, I have not yet decided about what’s next in terms of my education. My parents have suggested that I move to Canada but because esports is growing in India, I am unable to decide what to pick. Going abroad for further studies sounds fascinating but leaving behind my passion makes me wonder which path to take.

BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT

Finalist of Porusplay and semi-finalist of PMIT

TOP SKILLS NEED FOR PORUS PLAY

• Practice • Trust in every member of the squad

GAMES YOU WOULD RECOMMEND

• GTA V • Call of Duty: Cold War