"With more and more tournaments taking place, there is so much opportunity for growth in the esports and gaming industry": Manoj George, co-founder of Numen

With professional video gaming and esports on the rise, many Indian agencies and companies are rising to the occasion to support the growing talent amongst youngsters. Numen is one such agency that recently announced its partnership with GodLike Esports and Team Insane.

Manoj George, the co-founder of Numen, has over twenty-two years of experience in the field of media and entertainment. In conversation with Sportskeeda Esports’ Debolina Banerjee, Manoj provided his take on India's competitive gaming scenario, Numen, and more.

---

Manoj George's opinions about esports and gaming in India

Q. Being the co-founder of an agency that is dedicated to gaming and esports, what is your take on the current competitive gaming scenario of the country?

Manoj: Even if gaming is becoming bigger in India, unlike western culture, it is not as popular. Compared to the global competitive gaming scenario, India has still not reached its peak. However, the way that the gaming industry has developed, especially in the past six months, India is headed on its way towards success. Over the next six months, we will surely see great esports athletes and content creators emerging.

---

Q. The gaming industry is dominated by teenagers and young adults, do you really feel that opting gaming as a career will be beneficial in the long run?

Manoj: From being an esports athlete to a content creator to a manager to a game designer, there are so many aspects that one can explore. They can get associated with companies like Skyesports and NODWIN to host social events and tournaments. There are so many opportunities when it comes to gaming and they can even choose what they want to become and excel in it.

---

Q. We recently witnessed the Indian government banning games that had a thriving competitive gaming scenario in the country. Do you feel that the government is justified?

Manoj: To be honest, we understand the mindset from where the decision came from, and we have to respect that. Data privacy is important and I am glad that the government is taking active measures to keep it in check. However, I am sure that games like Free Fire and BGMI will be back in the next few months.

---

Q. Since LAN tournaments are now back, do you feel like it will give esports to flourish even more? Which type of competitions do you personally prefer, online or offline?

Manoj: Of course, it will allow esports to flourish! LAN tournaments are so immersive in nature. Even without a crowd of people cheering for their idols, they could see the teams performing face-to-face. Back when online tournaments were hosted, they could see them in a bubble, but the whole thing comes alive when it’s a LAN competition. Viewers can see the emotions on the faces of the players and the whole ambience becomes quite different.

Online tournaments really helped the competitive scene during COVID-19 and made a significant contribution towards the growth of the esports ecosystem. But LAN takes it to the next level! I will choose a LAN tournament over online ones any day!

---

Q. Can you tell us more about your company, Numen? What is your mission and vision with respect to creating a healthy gaming ecosystem?

Manoj: Our vision is to bridge the gap between talent and opportunity, and help the competitive gaming industry to grow. We are a gaming and esports company that manages talent who are our pillars. We also create long and short format content for brands as well as publishers.

---

Q. Since you have over 22 years of experience in the field of entertainment and media, what are some of the aspects (gained as a result of your experience) that you wanted to incorporate into your own company?

Manoj: To be honest, when I became a part of the esports ecosystem, the people who were a part of this industry called me old media. They did not expect me to know or do much in order to improve the scene.

To build any strong ecosystem, you need to have a strong foundation. The right principles, correct structure, and hard work is something that will help us achieve that. So, these are some of the aspects that I tried to incorporate into my company.

---

Q. What are a few of the advantages of getting associated with talent management companies like Numen? How will the contract be beneficial to rising gamers stars?

Manoj: Numen has a very transparent policy with talents that are well aware of what they are getting into. When they start their journey in esports and gaming, we help them build their identity and support them whenever they need to. Most importantly, we help them connect to the right brand. Right now, gaming is a huge community and communicating with the right people becomes a bit difficult.

We aid our talent in making the right decisions and choosing the brand that they are comfortable with. Needless to say, we also help them scale and, with our global partnership, we also make sure that they get in touch with foreign gaming teams.

---

Q. What is your message to youngsters who want to take up gaming professionally?

Manoj: I think they should go ahead and look at it seriously. Hard work, putting in the hours, discipline, all of these aspects are very important. It is not easy, compared to other industries, but if one stays true to the path, he/she will succeed. With more and more tournaments taking place, there is so much opportunity for growth in this industry.