Gaming sensation Payal Dhare aka PayalGaming wants her own Netflix show after defying a few odds — her journey

Payal: I am from a very small town of Chhindwara in Madhya Pradesh which is near Nagpur. We are a small nuclear family. Initially I was not allowed to play games. I was into studies.  Around 2018, I got into PUBG. Through that I started watching YouTube videos. That got me thinking that I have to start something like that.

Payal: I was studying in Bhilai in Chhattisgarh. It was first year of my engineering college. Everything was new. One of my friends introduced me to the game.

Gradually, I met some of the famous gamers and YouTube content creators. I wasn't aware that they were famous creators. I came across Goldy bhai (Lokesh Jain). Then I also met God Nixon  (Luv Sharma). I know Goldy bhai for around seven years now.

Payal: I realised that gaming content was frequently blowing up and going viral on Instagram. People used to put short video clips. So I started editing the videos of my games and uploaded them on my Instagram handle. I learnt about the trending hashtags on Instagram and used them while uploading my clips.

My videos went viral in the first week itself. In one video I got somewhere around 50,000 views and on the other I got close to 60,000 views. I realised that this thing is working for me and that I have to upload frequently. I understood that If I remain consistent with my videos I will get more followers. I thought maybe with more views on my videos and more followers, I could tell my family that I getting some success and I want to continue doing this. Because explaining how YouTube works is very difficult.

I never had a friend or anyone I knew who was earning through YouTube. So to convince family was very difficult at that time. So my idea was to achieve something first and then I will tell at home what I am doing.

At times I used to participate in small gaming tournaments. Sometimes I would earn ₹1000, at times ₹2000.

Within 2-3 months, I got around 80,000-90,000 followers on Instagram. Then I was told to do livestream as it was picking up at that time.  Again, convincing my family to do livestreams was a task because I am from a conservative background where these things are not normal.

Payal: My mother is a bit strict but my father always supported me in everything I wanted to do and supports me in everything.

Payal: Recently, I came to know that around 40% mobile gamers in India are girls. You may not be able to see many female gamers on YouTube but they are playing games on mobile phones.  There can be family issues or pressure of studies. There could be many reasons for female e-sports players not being on YouTube. But yes I see many more female streamers on YouTube than when I started.

The female content creator community has experienced a healthy growth. Both in PC gaming and mobile gaming I am seeing many new females.

Most importantly, don't put pressure on your family. Try to convince your family about what you wish to do. Girls should make their family understand that what they want to do is safe.

Payal: Initially the trolls and the hate comments used to affect me a lot. But as you become a public figure you have to learn to deal with these things. Everyone has their opinion. It is  up to you how you take it, what you accept. You have to ignore hate. You have to surround yourself with positivity.

Payal: When I started, I had very little idea about YouTube. After I joined S8UL, I got some good guidance. Then I joined 8-bit creative. From there I collaborated with multiple brands. So S8UL helped me a lot from the earning and growth angles. It has helped me to build my community.

Recently, we got the Content Creator of the Year award also. Now I am attached to S8UL in my heart. It totally changed my life.

Payal: Honestly, I used to be a casual gamer. And I never thought that one day I would get the Female Streamer of the Year award. I never imagined I would scale these heights.

Now, I am all ready for greater opportunities. I want to do a lot of good work in this space. But I never planned anything. I am waiting for the things that will come my way.And I am very happy to accept them.

On a lighter note, I want my own show on Netflix.

Payal: BGMI is the most loved game. I like GTA a lot. GTA is very interactive. So people love it on the livestreams.

Payal: On the personal front, I gifted a car to my father. I gave him a Mahindra Thar. I also bought a plot of land. That was around Diwali.  I have been able to do this in a short period of time, so it felt nice.

I also got many awards last year. I got around four awards this year. S8UL also got many awards, so that is also great.