Going pro: Senegal's young gamers betting on eSport
Avid fans of the best-selling FIFA video game watched on a big screen as leading Senegalese gamers battled it out as virtual iterations of footballing royalty like Cristiano Ronaldo and Olivier Giroud.
Some 400 eSports enthusiasts attended Dakar's recent Esport Experience tournament, inspired by local heroes like Mouhamed Thiam, 19, alias "Dex77" -- three-time continental champion -- and by Senegal's real-life football team, the continent's reigning champions.
Rising star Cheikh Thiaw, 20, alias "Coldfire Junior", said that the national football team's recent successes, making it into the World Cup's last 16, motivated him "to face off against any foreign gamer".
The tournament featured one million CFA francs ($1,626) in prizes, divided among the top players of the games FIFA, eFootball and Street Fighter.
Gamers from the West African nation are now eyeing global eSport success, with their stars competing in tournaments throughout the region.
Establishing a career in eSports is no mean feat -- the prize money in Senegal is low compared to the rest of the world, and few can become professionals.
But the country is an emerging economy in Africa, and analysts say gaming is likely to expand in the coming years.
Senegal is home to some 20,000 competitive video game players, according to Sengames, the country's main gamers' association.
Dex77's older brother Papa Adama Thiam, 26, alias "Doctor Dexx", is also on the forefront of Senegal's gaming revolution. Alongside his pharmacy studies he has become five-time national FIFA champion.
"My father gave me my first PlayStation when I was 11," he said.
"My mother used to work half the year as a hairdresser in the United States and brought back the latest version of PlayStation."
With help
Read more on tech.hindustantimes.com
