Gaming
Little is known about the personal life and early career of one of India’s most loved mobile gamers. Here is a tell-all from fragger himself.
One of the images on the incredibly detailed tattoo on Jonathan Amaral’s left arm is of a “door that’s opening up into the galaxy.” In many ways, that’s how the gamer’s life feels right now.
As he sits down for an interview between photo shoots, he talks about his recent travel to Austria for the Formula 1 Grand Prix, recounts a skydiving adventure in Dubai, and discusses accessories he is wearing from luxury brands – like shoes and watches – that he can buy without putting too much of a dent in his bank balance.
He’s currently in a world that is far removed from the village-in-its-own Bandra suburb of Mumbai where he grew up with modest resources.
Right now, where I am, I feel like I am living in a dream.
Today, he’s one of the most famous esports athletes in India and considered the best Battleground Mobile India (BGMI) player in the country.
“Right now, where I am, I feel like I am living in a dream,” says the lanky 22-year-old with freshly coiffed hair and his signature thick frame glasses. “I wonder how this is possible. But at the same time, I know there’s still so much I can do."
Jonathan hadn’t been plotting this all along. He was just a kid with a passion for video games, like many of his friends. Despite strict warnings from his mother, Leticia, to focus on studies, Jonathan would carry on gaming.
Jonathan’s father: his first mentor
“My dad loves gaming a lot,” says Jonathan. “He was the one who pushed me. If I got five or six kills, he said you need to kill more, at least 15-20 kills. My mom wanted me to study. I was quite good in studies also. I used to get good grades. But I used to skip studies for gaming.”
His father, Jude, wasn’t just his first mentor, but since he ran an internet and cable business, he made sure Jonathan always stayed connected to the world of gaming. Having started on a gaming console, he eventually shifted to the mobile. And eventually, shooting games is where he found his niche.
“My friends told me there’s a game called PUBG (PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds). I used to love shooting games a lot. So, I thought let’s try it out,” he says. “I didn’t know I was so good at it. I used to kill everyone. But my friends stopped playing with me. They said if we play it will be the four of us versus you solo. That’s how my career began.”
Getting started in esports
Back then, it was more about having fun. Along with gaming, Jonathan was also a keen football and hockey player. How could he not be? The suburb in Mumbai he hails from and his school, St Stanislaus High School, has a rich culture in these sports.
Jonathan also played for his school teams in Mumbai School Sports Association tournaments. At that time, the dream was to become a pilot – he has included that too in the tattoo. But all those other plans fizzled out as gaming took centre-stage in his life.
When he was in his teens, esports was due for a massive surge in India. Gaming companies were looking to unearth and invest in young talent as the multi-million-dollar industry grew exponentially. Esports received mainstream validation as it was included in 2022 Asian Games. Jonathan was also the right man at the right time.
“It was around 2019 that I came to know that there’s an esports scene in India,” he says. “So I decided to try esports too. It was something new and interesting for me. It was competitive also, so I started playing. But then people started calling me a hacker.”
The accusations rattled the youngster at the time. But he bounced back quickly from it. To show the world that he was “legit”, the gamer launched his YouTube channel and gave life to his most famous catchphrase, “Hacker or wot?” That underdog energy, coupled with blazing skill, has powered his meteoric rise.
Putting in the work to be the best
Having started with esports team Entity he’s now the face of GodLike Esports. He’s won multiple tournaments, Most Valuable Player titles, and plenty of other awards.
Known for his two-finger grip, he’s probably the most popular BGMI player in India. At the 2020 PUBG Mobile India Series semi-finals, Jonathan recorded the highest individual kill count at 16 (the maximum possible number of kills) in a BGMI tournament.
The 22-year-old currently has over six million subscribers on YouTube and nearly four million followers on Instagram. Those statistics aren’t by accident. Jonathan puts in 10-12 hours every working day to make it happen.
This is what his daily routine looks like: “Wake up at around 2-2:30 pm,” he starts, “Then I start playing my matches. Around six-seven matches from 2-7:30 pm. We do in-game drills. There are practice session bots, with that you can improve your accuracy. After that I start streaming, for different platforms, from 7:30 pm to around three in the morning. I do six-seven hour-long streams. Sleep, wake up, and do the same routine again the next day. At the beginning it was a little hectic. But then I also thought that I needed to do more, so I got used to the routine because of that mentality.”
The one guilty pleasure Jonathan does allow himself is sleep. “I sleep a lot,” he smiles. “Even 15-16 hours at a stretch. As a mobile gamer, one important thing I need is proper rest. If I don’t rest properly, I won’t be able to focus.”
Family always by his side
To prepare for tournaments, Jonathan heads to the outskirts of Mumbai city, where GodLike Esports has set up a boot camp. The gamers live, eat, sleep, practice, and play there. For a month or so, he connects with his teammates, sussing out each other’s strengths and weaknesses. In their free time, they bond over movies and music, or maybe a game of football or cricket.
Mom has a book at home, where she logs in every game of mine.
As Mark Twain said, “Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” The maxim holds true for Jonathan – gaming is still his hobby, his happy place, and his day job.
“If I feel exhausted, I spend time with my dog; he’s an American bulldog named Hulk. I like to spend time with him, with my family, and I love to drive around the city,” he says.
But with work and commitments, he doesn’t get as much time to spend with his family, who have been his rock over the years.
“I just got to spend two-three days with them recently, after several weeks away,” he says. “But whenever I meet them, I feel good.
“My mom watches all my games, and the family collectively discusses how many points my team got in a game or tournament. They sit and calculate at home. Mom has a book at home, where she logs in every game of mine. She keeps a proper track of anything.”
Family dinner time conversations also include how well he has done in recent tournaments, and tips to do better.
For Jonathan, the biggest achievement of his young life has been gifting his parents an apartment in a high-rise building in Bandra West.
“I also gifted my dad his dream car,” he says. “I feel I can buy whatever I want for myself anytime, but what I really want to do is first fulfil all my parents’ dreams.”
Even as his excellence in gaming is taking him places, he remains tethered to ground by his family. The inked masterpiece on his arm, that depicts his journey, is another reminder of where he comes from. And to keep going.
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