Author: Wasim Sarwar

Nada Hafez, who represented Egypt in fencing events at the Paris Olympics, has revealed that she is seven months pregnant. She defeated her American opponent in the first match but lost to a South Korean player in the round of 16.

She revealed on Instagram, saying, “What appears to you as two players on the podium, they were three! It was me, my competitor, & my yet-to-come to our world, baby. My baby & I had our fair share of challenges, be it both physical & emotional. The rollercoaster of pregnancy is tough on its own, but fighting to keep the balance of life & sports was nothing short of strenuous; however, it was worth it. This specific Olympics was different; Three times Olympian but this time carrying a little Olympian one!”

Nada, who is participating in the Olympics for the third time, says that she is lucky to have the trust of her husband and family, which has enabled her to reach this far.

She is an inspiration, her determination and dedication are truly admirable.

Brazil’s Alpha7 won the PUBG mobile World Cup 2024, securing $470,000. They won $70,000 from the league stage while $40,000 from the finals. This event, with a prize pool of $3,000,000, consists of three stages: the League Stage, the Survival Stage, and the Final Stage.

Here is the distribution of the Prize Pool:

Results Credit: liquipedia

League stage

A total of 24 teams participated in the league stage. The top 12 teams qualified for the final, while the remaining 12 teams advanced to the survival stage.

Results Credit: liquipedia

Survival Stage

In the survival stage, four more teams were invited from the regional Pubg Mobile Super League events. From the survival stage, the top four teams qualified for the final.

Results Credit: liquipedia

Finals

A total of 16 teams participated in the final stage. In the three-day final stages, Alpha7 dominated from day one and finished in the first spot at the end of day three.

Here is the final result:

eSports is getting increasingly popular worldwide, allowing young people to earn massive incomes by playing tournaments, growing their presence on social media, and attracting sponsors.

China, the United States, and Korea are the top countries in the world with the highest eSports revenue. Here are the top five eSports earners worldwide.

1-Johan Sundstein

Johan Sundstein, an eSports player from Denmark, started his career in 2012 with Heroes of Newerth, but later, he switched to Defense of the Ancients (DOTA) 2. He began as a support player with his team and quickly developed the skills necessary to become the in-game Leader (IGL) of the team Fnatic.

He was active from 2012 to 2022 and earned $7,167,802 (2 billion PKR) during his career.

2-Jesse Vainikka

Jesse, who is from Finland, began his eSports career in 2012. He made his name from Heroes of Newerth and played for numerous teams. He did compulsory military service in the Finnish Navy. After this service, he started playing Defense of the Ancients (DOTA) 2.

During his eSports career, he played for ten teams, including Evil Geniuses. Pakistan’s top earner, Shumail Hasan, has also played for the same team.

Jesse made $6,484,511 (1.8 billion PKR) during his career.

3-Anathan Pham

Anathan Pham is an Australian eSports player who started his career playing DOTA in Australia but later moved from Melbourne to Shanghai in December 2015 to continue his professional career. He joined CDEC’s in-house league, where he competed against high-rated Chinese eSports players.

He started his professional career as a substitute at Invictus Gaming in March 2016. His most notable performance was defeating Newbee in the NEA 2016 grand finals.

He made $6,026,305 (1.7 billion PKR) during 2016-2022.

4-Sébastien Debs

Sébastien Debs is professional DOTA 2 French player started with Team Shakira in 2011. His team caught everyone’s attention after placing 4th in Dreamhack Winter 2011, and shortly after, he was picked up by Western Wolves. After only three months with Western Wolves, he left the organization and joined a rehash of mTw led by Troels.

He played for 22 teams and made $5,942,567 (1.65 billion PKR during his career).

5-Topias Taavitsainen

Topias Taavitsainen, a DOTA player from Finland, started playing at the age of 8. He started playing professionally in 2017 with brief stints at SFTe-sports and 5 Anchors No Captain. He represented his country at WESG 2017.

His high leaderboard ranking subsequently attracted attention. In June 2018, he was announced as the new midlaner for OG before The International 2018 regional qualifiers.

He is still active and has made $5,767,770 (1.6 billion PKR) till now.

eSports, or competitive video gaming, is becoming a popular career choice worldwide, but most Pakistanis are unaware of this field. Pakistan, a country with a population of 25 crore, has a smaller eSports audience than Nepal, which has a maximum population of three crores. eSports could be a massive source of income.

Here’s a simple guide on how to start eSports:

Step 1: Choose Your Game

Choose a game you love and are good at, such as Dota 2, League of Legends, PUBG, or FIFA. According to the number of streamers in Pakistan, most Pakistanis are PUBG lovers.

Step 2: Practice Regularly

Like any other sport, practice is crucial. Spend time daily improving your skills and learning game strategies.

Step 3: Join a Community

Connect with other players by joining online forums, local clubs, or social media pages that organize matches and scrims. This will help you learn from others and stay updated on tournaments.

Step 4: Participate in Tournaments

Start with local or online tournaments. These competitions help you gain experience and recognition. On this level, your device matters a lot with your skills. You should have a high-end device to avoid lag during your gameplay. Most competitive players prefer iPhones above 13 or 13 pro max. But when you play globally, they provide their own mobile devices, which are mostly high-end Android devices.

But in games like Tekken or other console games, you must play them on your gaming device.

Making Money in eSports:

Many eSports tournaments offer cash prizes. The prize pool level increased from regional to global on different levels.

You can earn money on Twitch and YouTube by streaming and uploading your gameplay. Build an audience; you can earn through ads, donations, and sponsorships.

Apart from this, almost all games have affiliate programs, depending on the number of followers you have. They pay you for playing their games. Many Pakistani YouTubers are currently affiliated with PUBG mobile, such as StarAnonymous, FM Radio Gaming, Mr Jayplays, Baba Op, and many other small creatures like Falin Star, How Brand, and Unknown Op. Mr Jayplays also streamed GTA 5, so he may be affiliated with them, too.

As you gain popularity, companies start sponsoring you. They provide financial support in exchange for promoting their products like you use their mics, headphones, or any gear used in gaming.

Grooming on Social Media:

Use platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. Share your achievements, gaming tips, short videos, and behind-the-scenes content. You can quickly grow on TikTok and shift your audience to YouTube or any platform to earn Money.

Post regularly and maintain a consistent schedule. This keeps your audience engaged and helps you grow your following. You can partner with other gamers and content creators. This expands your reach and introduces you to new audiences.

Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya’s wife, Serbian actress and model Nataša Stanković has left India and gone to Serbia with her son.

According to Indian media reports, videos of Natasha Stankovich leaving India, in which she and her son Agastya are seen at the Mumbai airport, are going viral on various social media platforms.

On the other hand, the model has also shared a story about this on Instagram. In his Insta story, he shared pictures of himself packing a bag and driving a car.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced that Saudi Arabia will host the 2025 Olympics esports games.

A 12-year partnership with Saudi Arabia has also been announced. IOC President Thomas Bach said, “Saudi Arabia has a lot of expertise in the field of e-sports with all its stakeholders.”

On the other hand, Saudi Sports Minister Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Saud said, “Saudi Arabia is excited to partner with the IOC and welcome a completely new era for international sports. Participating in the Olympic Games is a great honour for any athlete.”

Saudi Arabia is currently hosting the eSports World Cup in Riyadh. The event features 21 different video games and draws participation from various eSports teams representing different countries.

Pakistan’s eSports scene is struggling, while other countries like India and Nepal have a massive audience. We need to work together to revive our eSports sector.

PUBG Mobile was banned in India in 2020, but the game makers made a new version called Battle Grounds Mobile India (BGMI) for the country because they have a vast audience. Their creators are consistent on social media platforms. I was watching a BGMI live streamer, Jonathan, in India on YouTube, who has more than six million subscribers, and his live stream crossed 136,000 viewers. Meanwhile, there is a maximum of seven to nine thousand live audiences on Pakistan PUBG mobile official channels.

Here are some initiatives that can help us to revive eSports in Pakistan.

1-Building Online Presence

We must encourage eSports players to build their online presence on platforms like Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook. This will help them gain recognition with a broader audience.

2-Supporting Local Events

We need to support our local tournaments and events to create hype. This will attract sponsors and investors and provide a platform for gamers to showcase their skills. In Pakistan, no one is ready to invest because we have a smaller audience. A few events have been organized in the last year, like Gamekey Arena, Gamer Galaxy eSports Festival, and now the Zong Manhunt series 2024.

3-Building a Strong Community

We must develop a strong community that promotes and celebrates our eSports players. We have some minor social media pages like esportsnetworkpk, Tysonesports, Esportsguypk, Instantesport, Gamingnewspk and Soomro, who are helping to promote our eSports.

4-Collaborating with Education

We must collaborate with schools and universities to create eSports programs and teams. This will help identify new talent for the future, and eSports is a significant source of income.

5-Ask the government to help with visa issues

Pakistani eSports players face visa issues in Malaysia, Japan, Saudi Arabia, and Nepal. In the past, Pakistan’s Tekken star Arslan Ash missed a big event due to a visa issue, while Pakistan PUBG mobile teams i8 and 52 eSports didn’t go to Brazil despite qualifying for Pubg Mobile Global Open (PMGO).

Reviving Pakistani eSports requires a collective effort. We need to work together to create a supportive system that encourages creators and players, attracts investors, and celebrates talent.

Pakistani Hip Hop band Young Stunners is popular both in Pakistan and India. The duo are super popular across the border and Indian star wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant is also a fan.

In a recent interview, when Rishabh was asked about his favourite songs, he said, “I don’t have any favourite song, but I like a song named ‘Afsaanay’. I love other songs sung by the same singers.”

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The famous music band started their journey 11 years ago with the songs ‘Burger e Karachi’ and ‘Maila Majnu’. The trio include Talha Anjum, Talha Younas, and their music production, Jokhay.