One of the biggest events in the Indian gaming community took place recently in Delhi on November 18, 2023, witnessed some of the exciting gameplays of 2023. Biggest names in the gaming industry like Soul, GodLike, Gladiator eSports among others where competing for the biggest price, a chance to win a Red Bull Racing experience. Amongst them, Red Bull Athlete, Jonathan Amaral, professionally known as Jonathan Gaming shared his thoughts about his journey. This 21-year-old prodigy already has won his claim to fame through eSports and gaming industry.
What initially drew you into the world of esports, and how did you get started?
When it all began initially, I used to love gaming a lot and I used to play shooting games. So, when I came into this scene, people did not expect that this player could play so well. They used to call me a hacker and even gave my ID to the officials to get me banned. All this used to happen back when I was just an amateur in the scene. I was quite nervous and scared that I would be out of the scene because I wanted to be a top notch esports player. Back then, it was my dream.
What initially drew you into the world of esports, and how did you get started?
Just after that, I thought I shouldn’t stop and now I will stream and show people how I play. I still remember my first stream, and I got a frag through the smoke, so people didn’t expect that this guy was playing legit as his live stream. From there, people came to know who Jonathan is and from there my journey started and I kept dominating. From the start, my dream was to keep winning and eventually win the India international trophy, but that is still a dream.
How do you balance the demands of competitive gaming with other aspects of your life, such as work or education?
About my practice, mostly I wake up at 12pm, max 1pm. Then, I go to the training grounds to practice my close range, sprays etc, and I do some drills in the training grounds for maybe about 20 to 25 minutes. After that, I go into TDMs so that I can improve my close-range skills. I keep doing this process the whole day and then finally I join my customs and train with my teammates. My focus has been to play competitively, usually I must skip my streams to play competitive matches, but when I think it’s the right time to stream on YouTube and other platforms, I am there. Mostly I try to skip and do less of my work so I can focus more on the esports side and get better in the game.
Can you share your perspective on the importance of teamwork and communication in esports competitions?
In the current scene, teamwork and communication should be top notch. If you don’t have the team synergy, you won’t be winning any trophies. Team work, communication and individual skills are very important to win any tournament. These are the three major things required in a team.
How do you feel after being a part of Red Bull? Can you tell us about your thoughts?
Being a part of Red Bull, first, this was quite a big surprise for me. I didn’t expect this honestly but now being a Red Bull Player, I feel like something next level has happened in my life. Because I am a frequent consumer of the product, and I was a Red Bull fan too. Now being a Red Bull Player, it has been a dream come true.
In your opinion, what do you think about initiatives like Red Bull MEO? How impactful is it for developing esports
Red Bull is known for building more scenes for the younger gamers through events like Red Bull Campus Clutch and Red Bull M.E.O. They have shown how it is important to have these initiatives. I am really looking forward to seeing such events and being a part of the initiatives. It is crucial for the Indian gaming scene to have such empowering events that also inspires the young gamers to elevate.
