File picture of contestants at a gaming festival organised by The Zephyr-India in June this year in Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar, Nov. 5: Gaming pros glued to their computer consoles are headed for an action-packed weekend.

Fragology, a 48-hour non-stop gaming festival, will start in Bhubaneswar on November 9 to give an opportunity to youngsters to learn about the latest gaming related technology and products.

The brain behind this unique event is 24-year-old Satyajit Pattnaik, an Odia engineer based in Pune, who has set up a company The Zephyr-India last year to promote professional and casual gaming exclusively in Odisha and other neighbouring states.

“It will be every gaming connoisseur’s fantasy come true. There will be five-member teams, which will take on each other in Counter Strike 1.6, a tactical first-person shooter video game. We have christened the event as Fragology as frag means to assassinate,” said Satyajit.

The rules are simple. Any gaming rodent can register online for Fragology 2013 till November 8 through Facebook by paying an amount of Rs 750 per team. What’s more, there are prizes worth Rs 20,000 to be won.

“So far, we have received an overwhelming response in the registrations. We are expecting around 300 to 400 participants,” said the young techie.

Frameboxx, an animation institute at Saheed Nagar, has been finalised as the venue for the intense marathon event.

“There will be a double elimination process. Each team plays two rounds of 15 battles, first as a terrorist group and then as a counter terrorist squad. The first team winning 16 out of 30 rounds shall be crowned as the Fragology Odisha champions,” he said.

Satyajit organised his first gaming festival in June this year, which witnessed the participation of about 200 youngsters.

“We have also organised semi-professional gaming events in Mumbai under the name of Clan Wars earlier this year in collaboration with the Cyber Gaming Community.

The objective behind this event is to unite gaming enthusiasts from every nook and corner of the state. After Odisha, our target is Bengal,” he said.

Satyajit said gaming as a career option was gradually picking up in the country.

“With the increased popularity of social networking sites and advanced mobile technology, gaming has reached a new level altogether and it will only get better from here,” he said.