Gaming in India is growing a lot and increasing in popularity. Chirantan Patnaik is a huge fan of gaming, and to take his love for gaming to the next level, he has decided to attempt to break the record of the ‘Longest Marathon playing Grand Theft Auto (Series)’ thereby entering into the Guinness World Records. If he succeeds, he will be the first Indian gamer to find a place in the Gamers Edition of the Guinness World Records.
Chirantan Patnaik commented ahead of the attempt, “I have been an ardent gamer since childhood, and when I came across such a record, I felt that this would be the perfect opportunity to take my passion to another level, as I feel that current generation gaming is such an under-appreciated art form. The event has evoked wide support including from Zapak.com. They would be present during the event as independent observers. I regularly practice yoga to maintain my energy and endurance levels- an Indian twist to video gaming!”
Rohit Sharma, COO, Zapak Digital Entertainment stated, “We have always believed in the potential of Indian gamers. Chirantan’s success in his feat will be a proud moment for the Indian gaming industry. We have extended our complete support to him and wish him all the very best.”
Chirantan, an MBA and a certified scuba diver, will be playing GTA IV for his record attempt. The current record for the ‘longest continuous play session on Grand Theft Auto IV’ is held by USA’s Jim Patton and is 28 hours and 1 minute.
The record attempt has been approved by the Guinness World Records Limited and will be overlooked by two independent observers, one of which will be from Zapak. According to a statement by Zapak, Chirantan would have started at 10 am today, September 4, 2009, at his residence at Mumbai, and the entire event is to be streamed live on a gaming blog created by Chirantan.