As I start my first day at Gala Games, I began to think about my long history with video games.
The first console I distinctly remember is the Nintendo 64. I had recently moved to America and my neighbor invited me over to check out Super Smash Brothers. As I watched Mario and Pikachu battle it out on Hyrule Castle, I could tell the game was special. I petitioned my mom to buy me an N64 which was a big ask as we were still experiencing the immigrant struggle.
Having been raised by a Bengali tiger mom, all my gaming purchases were tied to academic achievements.
Magnet Middle School — Gamecube
Magnet High School — Xbox
Scholarship to College — Xbox 360
During college, my addiction to World of Warcraft got markedly worse as I had the freedom to do what I wanted. Instead of studying for my premed classes or going to college parties, I led my guild through Icecrown Citadel raids. Over the course of my time at Fordham, I found my tribe of fellow gamers and nerds. As we would play drunk Smash each night, I had the idea to start a gaming club…we called it GG-Gamer’s Guild.
Gamer’s Guild had formed just as the eSports movement was taking off and we began running tournaments. My dorm had been converted into an eSports arena with teams playing out of two bedrooms and spectators watching live in the common room. Our Starcraft tournament featured a $1000 prize pool complete with trophies and cash payouts for top players. I went to college to become a doctor but organizing and leading Gamer’s Guild was my crowning achievement.
To no one’s surprise, I failed to become a doctor.
After college, I struggled to figure out my future and worked part-time as an SAT tutor and freelance photographer. I also started up a gaming YouTube channel called Alpha Nerd where I reviewed video games. The Youtube channel led me to the creator industry and the world of influencer marketing. I worked at an influencer agency in creator partnerships with a specialty in gaming and nerd culture.
After 5 years in the creator economy, I began to look for new challenges. It was at this time I learned about NFTs and Web 3. My time accruing digital assets in World of Warcraft and League of Legends allowed me to see the potential for NFTs to revolutionize the gaming industry. I quit my longstanding career in the creator economy and found myself working at a Web 3 gaming startup. I sold out 3 NFT collections and went on to establish myself in this space.
As I begin my first day at Gala Games, I feel proud of having made it to an organization that is at the forefront of Web 3 gaming. When I touched my first game as a child I knew I was hooked and I never thought I would have the opportunity to build a career in this industry.
I look forward to writing the next chapter of my journey as a lifelong gamer.
This is a picture of the Starcraft 2 tournament from Gamer’s Guild.
It’s still my best memory of college.
Thank you for reading.
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