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“(We) hosted one of the biggest Valorant Tournaments with well over 15+ teams back in 2021. In 2022, smaller communities also hosted numerous valorant tournaments such as Mintys community cup and Asitte’s community cup with 8+ teams.” says OverGaming MV executive committee member, Mazin Ali.

He adds that the e-sports centre, Game Room - prior to their shutdown last year - also hosted 3 Valorant tournaments in 2022; each tournament garnered over 10+ teams. One of these tournaments included the internationally recognised Valorant Campus Clutch by RedBull held in 2022.

Established as an official organisation in 2023, OverGaming MV claims to be Maldives largest PC gaming community. Mazin says the OverGaming Community had humble beginnings from a small discord server created for Maldivian players of the popular online multi-player game, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds or better known as PUBG.

“(The community was) founded by Mohamed Bassam and Mohamed Acyl in 2017 to play PUBG on PC with a small group of friends. In two years time, the community grew and accumulated 150+ members and began to contribute teams to local and international tournaments. A year later, OverGaming Mv had begun to push out their own local tournaments providing more frequent tournaments on a large scale.”

These tournaments included Overwatch Community Showdowns, Valorant Community Showdowns and various mini arcade style tournaments such as Valorant Team Death Matches and Overwatch Widow Headshot Only Tournaments, explained Mazin.

Mazin, alongside fellow executive committee members Hussain Shamih (Badfinger), Ahmed Mizaan (Orange), Faaidh Abdullah (Slurp), are currently preparing for their upcoming tournament - Valorant OverGaming Showdown. 

“As a collective, we recognize our responsibility to respond to the popular demand by actively hosting tournaments for such games (like Valorant).” says Mazin.

The tournament will span two weekends between 1st and 10th February 2024. Teams are invited to register for a chance to compete, with a registration fee of MVR 150 per team.

The only criterion for participation is a Discord account. Further rules and regulations will be explained via a briefing session for team captains prior to the tournament. 

The tournament structure and final prize pool, starting at a minimum of MVR 4500, will be disclosed after the registration deadline on 27th January 2024.

While the response to participant registrations has been positive, Mazin says the organisation’s main focus is on reaching out to newer players and communities for increased engagement. “Currently, we have 7 teams registered so far. Our target is a minimum of 10 teams,”

“So far, we have held two events with Rocketeers MV, a community of Rocket League players. 42 players and 34 matches were played in the first tournament and 40 players and 17 matches were played in the second tournament. In the above-mentioned tournaments, we helped the community with tournament costs and broadcasting. We are currently planning further collaborative events in the coming months with a few other communities as well,” he adds.

Evolving the Local Gaming Community: Bridging Gaps in PC Gaming

Over the past few years, the local gaming community has seen significant growth, particularly in mobile and console gaming. However, the PC gaming scene has lagged behind. OverGaming MV aims to bridge this gap, recognizing the untapped potential of PC gaming to contribute to the expansion of esports in the Maldives. According to Mazin, the plan is to host more frequent tournaments to establish PC gaming in the local esports community.

“We have tournaments planned out annually and Valorant is the second tournament we have set up for 2024 right after our most recent Rocket League Tournament (that was) held in collaboration with Rocketeers MV.” 

He explains that the organisation aims to host one major tournament each quarter - a total of 4 tournaments annually - based on games that attract the most public interest. “In addition to the major tournament there will be at least 1 mini tournament held every month. The duration for a major tournament can span over a month whilst mini tournaments are completed within a day or a week.”

“Looking ahead, we aspire to serve as a platform that not only promotes gaming but also nurtures creative talents within the community. Our vision includes hosting contests and initiatives that empower individuals to showcase their creativity in the dynamic realm of esports, reinforcing our commitment to a multifaceted and inclusive gaming culture.”