Battlegrounds looks to revolutionise eSport in the city

Join the community of live video gaming at Battlegrounds, packed with a side of hot brownies and a scoop of ice-cream

With a logo that resembles the Green Lantern symbol and unrestricted access to the newest video game releases like Injustice 2, and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, it would not be far-fetched to say that Battlegrounds is the ultimate geek and gamer paradise. With an average walk-in of about 75 gamers on a daily basis, this 1,500 sq feet gaming centre looks to change the way eSport enthusiasts in the city enjoy their gaming experience. Started by friends Prashanth DS, Vikram S, Gokul B, Sharath Kumar, Sam Adolf, Niresh Gunashekaran and Senthil Nallasamy, Battlegrounds is Coimbatore’s first gaming lounge with a setup unlike any arcade game or internet centre. Look out for their comfy bean bags, LED light tables, decorative tungsten bulbs and blacked-out windows, giving you a complete immersive experience. “eSport is the first game that, like football, has a global appeal. What with the International Olympic Committee considering eSports for future Games, gamers will be on par with any other athlete in the world,” begins the 26-year-old Prashanth. 

Community connect

If you want to get to the heart of gaming, you need to go to where the action is. It’s a Friday evening and we decide to spend it the way most youngsters do, at the gaming cafe. It is half past six in the evening and the 12 computer screens are all occupied. Most people are playing the multi-player League of Legends; others engage with the good old shoot-em-up, Counter-Strike, while a couple others are playing Fifa. “Many gamers average at least 16 to 18 hours of gaming a day. Right now, since most of them have their exams we try and monitor the amount of time they spend here. Since we have opened, we have become a family of sorts and I think that’s quite a boost for the community in the city,” says the bio-medical engineer from PSG Tech. 

Assembled  individually by the founders, the 12 and 24-inch PCs at Battlegrounds come with the specifications of an i7 processor, a Graphics Processor Unit 770 TI (Gaming Graphics Card) and 8 GB RAM. For those hoping for one-on-one time with the gaming console, this three-month-old centre has three PS4s with 49-inch screens up for grabs. “We also have one virtual reality supercomputer,” adds Prashanth. 

Check out and never leave

Mostly occupied by teenagers and twenty-something gamers, the players are too absorbed in their game to chat each other up. However, some play team games that involve animated talking to players who could be from different parts of the world. Fully equipped with a homestyle café, customers can buy fresh homebaked gooey brownies, made by Prashanth himself, experimental breakfast milkshakes — made from cornflakes and chocos, and cool drinks. “You can spend as long as you like without ever having to leave,” he says with a laugh. Hoping to encourage the uninitiated, Battlegrounds is open to ‘eSport noobs’ (a person who is inexperienced in a game) with the founders willing to provide a basic run through of the game. 

While the most popular games are Counter-Strike, DOTA 2, League of Legends, and Fifa, Battlegrounds also has a gamut of board games like Cards Against Humanity, Catan, Dominion and Risk. Besides hosting weekly gaming tournaments, Prasanth says that they plan on creating a book club, especially for comic book enthusiasts and collectors. 

Rs 100 onwards. Catch the live screening of the League of Legends World Championship  at Battlegrounds on November 4. From 12.30 pm. Details: 9787455255

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