'If you go out of your way to do something, the brands will appreciate it' ’

The fifth session of e4m Game On Summit saw a panel of gamers, gaming content creators, and influencers who explore the exciting synergies and opportunities in the gaming space. They shared their insights and had an impactful discussion on how combining the power of influencer marketing with the growing popularity of gamers is a unique opportunity that marketers can leverage and how to choose a gamer influencer that fits one’s brand. 

The panelists were Ankit Panth “V3nom” (RedBull Athlete, Gamer), Ujjwal Chaurasia “Techno Gamerz” (RedBull Athlete, Gamer), Ankkita Chauhan (Gaming Content Creator), Shagufta Iqbal “Xyaa” (Gaming Content Creator), and Sameera (Content Creator, YouTube), with Sanjay Tripathy, Co-founder & CEO, Agilio Labs, who chaired the session.

The session started with Tripathy asking the panel about how their journey as a gaming influencer started. To this, Panth said, “I came to know about gaming through gaming cafes. After doing some research, I saw that one can represent their country in gaming and that intrigued me. I wanted to do this because I wanted to lift my country’s flag on an international stage. So, that was my move into professional gaming through their cafes.”

Sameera shared the same about her journey and challenges as a gamer, where she said, “My mother encouraged me to play as I was a studious person. When I got into a job, I realized I can start something of my own. Whenever I used to get back home from work, I used to play games which eventually led to streaming.”

Speaking on how he gained recognition and a fanbase, Chaurasia elucidated, “My subscribers had hit one million slowly, as sometimes the numbers used to go up and down. At that time, I played online games through mobile. After some time, I decided to switch to PC games but then the risk was of the audience as they used to watch me playing on mobile. After I started playing on PC, I created my own series of GTA [Grand Theft Auto] and got positive reviews from my audience. From there, my channel became a hit.”

Iqbal explained the story behind adding ‘Xyaa’ in her name. “There was this favourite YouTuber of mine and he/she had kept their pet’s name as Xyaa so I got the inspiration from there and I find this name very unique and mysterious. By this gaming name, I got a different personality. I am quite different in real life compared to online. I like experimenting with new games and content, and never got stuck to one single game. By doing this, the audience gets more engaged with my content,” she added.

Concluding the session, the panelists discussed how gaming influencers have different offerings for marketers and what are the categories in which these influencers can do a great job. “When it comes to gaming influencers, there are many of us and everybody is doing something different. We are not just playing games. A lot of us have experimented with vlogging like travel vlogs, lifestyle vlogs, fashion vlogs, and many others. I believe that apart from gaming, we can also provide these lifestyle brands with something great,” Chauhan explained.