An Interview with India’s Foremost Trophy Hunters

Gaming is more than a hobby today. It is a lifestyle. Stellar examples of managing one’s career and education priorities along with enthusiasm for gaming, are India’s foremost Trophy hunters- Karanveer and Arjunveer Singh, aka VeeR_BrOtHeRzZ. The Veer bros are well known in the PlayStation gaming community for their dedication and resilience in completing and ‘platting’ the most difficult games on their PlayStation. They have inspired many others to attempt their own platinum streaks and get the most out of the game, as game developers intended. Get ready to be charmed by the humility and tickled by the wit of our first ‘Gamer of The Week’ :  VeeR_BrOtHeRzZ.

 

BadCon: Hi guys. Thanks for giving us the time. So how did it all begin? Was gaming passed down from the previous generation at home or older cousins, building friends?

Karanveer: Our pleasure! So my mom told me she would get me a “cassette wali videogame” if I behaved and be a good child. I was 4 when I got my first videogame and trust me, being a “good child” has gotten me everything from cassette wali videogame to a PlayStation 4 😛

Arjunveer: Thank you for having us for the interview. For me it was my brother. Seeing him play on his samurai gaming console (The pirated NES) sort of got me excited to try it out as well.You could say that player 1 found his player 2 and Mario found his Luigi.

 

BadCon: What was the very first game you played?

Karanveer: Contra, with my brother, was one of the first games I ever played. Also a lot of Mario Bros, Duck Hunt, Tetris and what not.  I had that 10000000000 in 1 Cassette brah. It had everything.

Arjunveer:  I only have a faint memory of what my first game was but if I remember correctly it would have to be super Mario bros 3.

 

BadCon: Did you know right away that this was going to be more than just another hobby?

Karanveer:-

It was never a hobby. It was something I used to get when I’d study for 2 hours, when I’d solve math problems, when I’d make my bed, when I’d get bread from the market, when I’d walk the dog, when I’d plant the trees, when I’d follow a routine of brushing my teeth twice a day, when I’d start eating every green vegetable out there. Basically it started as a bait for me to a good job.

Slowly I began to have more interest in it and within no time, I decided. This is what makes me happy, this is what will make me happy.

Arjunveer: Well to be honest, my mom says that her biggest mistake in life was the time when she bought us the “samurai console”. I guess that explains a lot by itself. On a serious note, I have always taken gaming seriously. The time when I realized that this was going to be more than just a hobby was the time when we bought a PlayStation 2 in 2004.

BadCon: How much do you guys spend on gaming in a month? Rather, how much do your parents spend?

Karanveer:

We try to manage our money. Initially we used to get pocket money for food, clothes, fuel etc, but we decided to save up that money to buy games.

So saving the money we got every month helped us to buy games when we wanted to. But after getting a job, things got easier so we were able to spend more on gaming. An approximate figure would be 2-4k per month on gaming. If it is November, it can go up to 10k as well, but then it is the money from the past months which we ended up saving.

BadCon: What are your plans for the future? Career wise?

Karanveer: I already have a job, but in the future I’d like to save up some money and set up a gaming shop.

Arjunveer: After I am done with my Bachelors in Business Administration, I’ll be pursuing an MBA. My main ambition in life is to start up my own business and become a successful entrepreneur.

BadCon: Which would you say is your favorite game and favorite genre?

Karanveer: Keeping it short and simple. My favorite game of all time is Max Payne 2. I have never played a game like that. Intense, dark, amazing story. Just how I like my games to be.

And favorite genre…I like open world games. I like the freedom they offer.

Arjunveer: -It’s a tough question, and the answer changes a lot as new amazing games are released, but since “The Last Of Us” released on the PS3, I would say that it is one of my all time my favorite games.
My favorite genre would be “Third person games”. I know it’s a broad genre and that there are many sub-genres within it but yes, whether it is an RPG game or a stealth game, Third person has to be my favorite.

BadCon: What in your opinion is the most encouraging aspect in the gaming industry and gaming culture right now?

Karanveer:  More focus on story.

I love games which have fantastic stories with amazing, memorable dialogues and unforgettable characters.

Games which are a full package.
Games like Red Dead Redemption, Heavy Rain, GTA V, and The Last of Us have focused and have put so much into making a memorable story and characters. I love how upcoming games are focusing more on story.

About the gaming culture, I like how we can socialize so easily nowadays. Whether it be on Facebook, or PSN, it’s great to so easily connect with other gamers.

Arjunveer: I would have to agree.

The best thing about the gaming industry nowadays is how social it has become.

You can literally share your achievements, your favorite moments, your favorite equipment at the touch of a button, and get reactions from all over the world. The social features that gaming platforms these days offer, build a strong connectivity among gamers all over the world.

 

BadCon: And the most disappointing?

Karanveer: Industry’s lust for being ‘next gen’. Broken games on release, compensating in the name of “updates and patches”. Need to be “always online” or for the game to be released in episodic series. And ah, how can I forget, DAY ONE DLCS!

That right there is what is wrong with the gaming industry right now.

Arjunveer: The worst thing for me has to be the stupid console wars and how almost everyone is complaining about some game or the other. The gaming community occasionally seems immature with complaints like

“It’s not like its previous installments, you ruined the franchise”, “It’s the same game as last year, don’t milk the franchise”.

The developers know what they are doing so I think the community should give it a break at times.

BadCon: Who is a better gamer between the two of you?

Arjunveer: Player 1 of the house is always the better gamer, HA! And that would be Karan, but to be honest, we have our games. Like I would struggle in beating Karan in a fighting game like WWE or Mortal Kombat, but Karan would suck at trying to beat me in racing Or FPS multiplayer.

Karanveer: In terms of trophy hunting, Arjun has achieved more platinums, but I’ve gotten us some rare and difficult ones so we’re cool.

 

BadCon: What are your thoughts on the Gaming community in India?

Karanveer:  Oh it is growing by the day. It is wonderful to see so many gamers nowadays who just want to play games and enjoy, regardless of which console they own. So many tournaments, online competitions, YouTubers, Facebook groups. The count is growing day by day which is amazing.

It is good to see people getting over the fact that gaming is just for kids or a waste of time. People are finally coming out of that shell.

Arjunveer: It has grown a lot. Indian gamers are taking part in tournaments and are starting their own YouTube channels. We also witnessed an Indian clan appear in MLG this year. It’s still a long way but to see how much it has developed over the past few years is a nice feeling. We don’t see people asking “Can I play PlayStation plus games after the subscription ends” anymore, so yes it’s a positive sign.

BadCon: It’s fair to say that many gamers would wonder how you guys get the time to play and plat so many games. How much time do you spend in a week on your consoles?

Karanveer:  People often criticize, but what they don’t see is how much passion, dedication and time a person is putting into doing what he loves to do. It is all about priorities and how you manage your free time. For some, partying on a Saturday night Tony Stark style is a priority. For me, sitting on my couch and playing Call of Duty or Star Wars/Battlefield with my friends or going solo and hunting some shiny trophies is a priority. So this is how I give up one thing to achieve another. I think it’s fair. One cannot be everywhere at the same time, so why not just do what you love to do?

Arjunveer: It is indeed all about managing your time. Gaming for me is more than just a hobby, it’s my passion. So it’s important for me to give time to my passion and do my bit of social activities but I also make sure that I play as much as I want to. As I said, it’s all about management of time.
The amount of time i spend on my console varies. But if I were to say on an average, it would be around 15 to 20 hours per week. That amounts to around 2 to 3 hours per day.

 

BadCon: What has you toughest Plat been?

Karanveer: Ah the telltale games man, they are so hard to grind! 😛

Jokes apart, my toughest plat would be Skyrim mainly because of the fact that the game glitched a lot. At one point we had to use some sort of portable plate glitch (I don’t remember the exact name) to complete a certain objective because the game glitched on us.

Arjunveer: It looks easy from the outside but trust me on this, platting is as painful as it is rewarding. My toughest plat is “Hotline Miami”. I loved that game so much. It was so challenging and so rewarding at the same time. I had a blast playing it and its trophy list was also very interesting. Apart from that, I think Skyrim would be one, mainly because I was new to the RPG genre and the ride to platinum was filled with obstacles and hurdles, thanks to the ever so famous Bethesda glitches and bugs.

BadCon: Do you ever fight ? Has gaming been the cause or the remedy to these fights?

Arjunveer: Oh we fight on the ownership of the ID VeeR_BrOtHeRzZ, haha. We always argue about whether VeeR_BrOtHeRzZ is mine or his. I will be the MD of the company if we start one, or have the larger share.

We of course also have day to day quarrels which may go with Karan saying: “you were supposed to walk the dog at 7PM and it’s 8 now!”

Karanveer: To which Arjun would reply with “you better watch that tone homie”

*Imaginary Vince McMohan appears …* Vince – Why don’t you settle this rivalry in WWE 2K16 in a HELLL IN A CELLLLLLLLLL….and the loser walks the dog.

Imaginary JR – OMG, that can’t be….KARAN AND ARJUN one on one in a hell in a cell…that’s ridiculous Cole*

And 5 Mins later, you can find us sitting on a couch settling our “issues” in WWE 2K16.

So yeah, that’s how we settle scores and there are so many stories like that. and oh yes, we have a monthly tournament called “Better gamer kaun” [Sorry, I know] Where we battle against each other on different games like COD,WWE,MK, NFS etc

BadCon: What do you have to say to gamers who frown upon trophy hunting?

Karanveer: I am a gareeb aadmi(poor guy), and I like my value for money. So what is wrong if I want to make sure I do a “Full paisa vasool” with my game. I like getting those trophies.

It is something that makes me play the game in a way I might have not played it before, so why the hell not?

I get to experience so much more with the same game, I get to see all the hardwork that the devs put into it and I think platting a game makes you respect the entire process and all its subtleties more.

To all those who frown upon what we do? Please don’t. You have to understand this takes time and effort too. And if you still want to keep doing that….then…I got twwoooo wordsssss for yaa…..: subtly adds D-X reference:

Arjunveer: Not doing it is totally justified but hating on it doesn’t make any sense. It’s your choice if you want to do it or not, but that doesn’t mean that you are on the right side by showing disapproval towards it. For me, Trophies bring out the best in a game. It motivates us to explore more and more. It’s a rewarding experience. People say that trophy hunters only play games for trophies, it’s not true. We play games because we enjoy doing it and we hunt trophies because we enjoy doing it. End of story.

BadCon: Has gaming ever interfered with school, work or life in general?

Karanveer: I’m sorry do you mean “Has school, work and life interfered with GAMING?”
Yes it has. So much.

Arjunveer: Sometimes. I am not saying that I regret it. I enjoyed the time when I was totally addicted to a certain game and forgot what the outside world looked like. That’s what games do to you. They take you to another world and sometimes you do get addicted. For example, I remember the time when I was totally addicted to Call Of Duty Modern Warfare 3 multiplayer.

“Eat, Sleep, Killstreak, Repeat” was my motto at that time.

So yes, some games do suck you in and hinder your other priorities in life. But its fine as long as it doesn’t happen often.

BadCon: Do you two have a PS4 each ?

Karanveer: Yes. Since the beginning we have had our own stuff, starting from the PS2, PS3 and now the PS4. This is mainly because we acted like two jealous sisters when we were small and we and we would fight with each other to play. It was thanks to a few co-op games like Eragon, Mario Kart Wii & Contra [SNES Times] that we started to build some peace and could play together. We had two PSPs too but one dooooor ka rishtedaar(far away relative) broke it. We bought two PS3s and PS4s to play online together, and also in case one of us was playing a different game so the other could then play something else.

 

BadCon: One game from the PS2 or PS3 which you want to see a sequel of on PS4?

Karanveer: From the PS2- EA Games’ Black. I so loved the game. Wish they’d release a sequel or at least a remaster.
And from the PS3- ‘Asura’s Wrath’. Sorry, but I loved that game. : hides in the corner:

Arjunveer: I would love to see Sly Cooper get a sequel on PS4.It is time Sucker Punch puts down the Infamous franchise for some time and focuses on bringing sly and his gang back into our lives.

BadCon: Have you ever sought the help of other gamers for trophies you could not get?

Karanveer: Yes we’ve taken suggestions , how they got the trophies we struggled in getting or what guide they referred to. But we have never given our account to anyone so they could unlock a certain trophy. 7396 trophies and we have unlocked each and every one of them.

BadCon: Have you guys ever owned an XBOX ? Any plans for the Xbox one?

Arjunveer: Yes,We are planning to get an Xbox one soon, mainly for the exclusives. One Xbox exclusive that I would love to see release on PlayStation would be the Gears of War franchise.

Karanveer: Personally, I have always wished that we had Alan Wake franchise on your PlayStation. I love that game.

BadCon: What’s a game you want to see a movie made of?

Karanveer: I want to see a movie version of the game “Remember Me” with Scar Jo or J Law in the lead :drools:

Arjunveer: Heavy rain. No doubt about that. Even though I would know the major plot twist, I would still go and watch it, first day first show.

 

BadCon: Great! Thanks for all the interesting answers guys. To conclude, I have one last question- perhaps the most significant one. Team Cap or Team Iron Man?

Karanveer: Team Iron Man

Arjunveer: Team Cap for sure.

Karanveer: Oh Ohhhhh Ohhhhhhhh

Arjunveer: Well well well

Karanveer: Domestic war bro.. Domestic war!

 

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