The Supernova Gaming Carnival: One day of AWPs, a Juggernaut and standup comedy

By Abhilash Pavuluri

How many times does one get to hear the excited commentary of two commentators during an esports match? Waiting with bated breath for the perfect AWP shot is not something you get to experience every day, but that’s exactly what went down at the Supernova gaming carnival, hosted by Novaplay, a fledgling gaming company. The event was held at at Loft38, Bangalore on the June 3. Read on to find out what unfolded at the event.

Of aces and teamplay: The CS: GO tournament

The most anticipated event this day, for obvious reasons, was the CS: GO tournament (Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, and if you didn’t know that, you shouldn’t be reading this story). Upon entering, the first thing one’s eyes fell on was the gigantic LCD panel that was streaming the matches. The stream was set up to perfection, with separate insets of the teams, the scores, etc. on one screen.

The excitement in the air was palpable. One thing that did blow me away though, was the setup. Every system guaranteed 60fps gameplay a 60fps stream (PC gamers rejoice!) and a first for me, two pairs of headphones for each player: one for talking to fellow teammates and one for monitoring sound.

This was actually my first ever gaming event and so I was overwhelmed.

The tournament started without any hitches. The participants? There were casual gamers looking for a fun day and then pros who played like their life depended on it. Pretty soon, the tension in the air was just as palpable as the excitement. Every round was nerve-wracking for the participants. One by one, the teams started getting eliminated and it came down to the quarter finals.

Team Brutality, one of India’s leading esports teams from Mumbai, was at loggerheads with team Overcome from Bangalore. Eventually, Team Brutality took the final kill and won the match, and then living up to their name, went on to win the tournament after a tight-knit competition with team Kung-Fu Pandits in the finals. When asked, Team Brutality mentioned that the prize money or the fame was never a reason to enter the contest, and that it was only about the game for them. True gamers, indeed!

From brain-monsters to Juggernaut: the cosplay competition

Quite frankly, I’d never got the opportunity to see a cosplay competition in real life and so, I was super excited for this one. Suffice to say, it didn’t disappoint. The sheer amount of effort each cosplayer had put into their costume showed. With costumes from the all-classic DoTA and LoL to a few more unconventional costumes, like James from Pokemon (Team Rocket) and my personal favorite, the brain-sucker from Resident Evil.

One by one, each contestant made their way to the ramp and explained why they chose their character and how they made it. The materials used ranged from the typical EVA foam to cardboard tubes and even wood! In the end, Yogesh, a contestant posing as Juggernaut from DoTA 2, won the contest. He impressed us all with his Blade Fury move. I’m disappointed that the brain-sucker didn’t win though. He was so scary!

A bit of everything else

Apart from the already enticing events, Abish Mathew, a comedian and actor dropped by for some standup comedy. His experiences playing DoTA2 and the early Tomb Raider games struck a chord in all of us.

In the end, to go off with a bang, there was live music by BLOT! And DJ Vachan Chinnappa to keep the crowd and participants on their toes. Courtesy of Novaplay.in, there was free food and drinks, all of which kept us going through the day, constantly cheering for the CS: GO participants and cosplayers.

A Word with the CEO

Of course, the entire event was possible thanks to the efforts of Novaplay. Novaplay is an upcoming gaming group that wants more and more people to look at gaming as extremely fun but also as something more, especially the social aspect that multiplayer brings. Amitesh Rao, CEO of Novaplay, talks about the scope of gaming as an e-sport. “Gaming in India is coming out of the closet, so to speak. It’s fast becoming a legitimate form of entertainment and a part of the culture, gaming is earning its rightful place in the sun.” Amitesh also mentioned that Supernova was actually the company’s first ever gaming event, and that it was also a marketing stratagem to showcase hardcore multiplayer gaming, which, he says, is slowly but surely picking up in India. He assured us that there would be many more such similar events, including ones that focus not just on hardcore and popular games, but also on indie titles and even multiplayer games on mobile platforms.

Did this event meet expectations? Oh yes it did. Overwhelmingly so for me. As with any event, there were some issues, such as some technical trouble, cramped location, etc. But these are minor issues Novaplay did a fantastic job ironing out all the little kinks.

It’s refreshing to see a proper gaming event like this and with companies like Novaplay at the helm, things can only get better.