Women in gaming face frequent online abuse and a lot harder glass ceiling

You could guess that eSports is a male-dominated space but you surely don’t know the extent of it. The glass ceiling is present in the new-gen eSports industry and female players may find it hard to break through. For instance, according to a recent Lumikai report, male players get 100 times bigger prizes than their female counterparts.

State of female esports players in India 

The number of women gamers is lagging behind men players by a 60:40 ratio. That is only 40% of players in India are women. Not only that, a more assuring finding is that women have been spending more time playing online and also contribute to 43 percent of the player base in the smartphone gaming space.

Jio’s disruption of the telecom industry, the resulting economical rates of phone plans, and the pandemic must have been a driving force behind this cultural shift. It is also reassuring to see the acceptance of gaming as a livelihood in general and that a lot of women are pursuing gaming as a serious career. 

Also Read: More Indian Women Are Choosing Gaming As A Serious Career Option

Another stat by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry states that female participants in competitive esports have soared to 22 percent in 2022 compared to 12 percent in 2020 (Ref: 2021 Women Mobile Gaming Report).

So, the number of pursuant seems to be ticking up. What’s concerning is the pay gap existing between them and their male counterparts. As per the Esports Federation of India, this difference is as big as 100 times.  

An even bigger issue is the rampant harassment that women face online. Local Circles in a 2023 report revealed about 86 percent of urban women gamers suffer online abuse in the form of sleazy comments, trolls, and cybercrimes.

Also Read: Women In Gaming Speak About Gaming In India, Their Challenges And Opportunities

The underrepresentation of women in leading positions in the gaming industry is also a matter of concern. 

The long and short of it is that the gaming industry needs to promote more diversity and inclusion. And we hope to find a crack in the aforesaid glass ceiling. We urge game publishers, tournament organizers and other stakeholders to develop a safe and empowering environment for female players. This could involve a working complaint and feedback system to record and report foul incidents. They should be able to keep their identity private to whatever extent possible. There should be a block option, if required. Family and friends should be there to hear out their problems and offer support and advice. Finally, women gamers reading this, we encourage you to seek professional help at times of emotional distress. 

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No more lost phones How Indian govts CEIR system will help you find lost phones

What if we told you that the Indian government is rolling out a system that will let you trace and even find lost phones? Sounds too good to be true? Well, not anymore. Later this month, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) will deploy the Central Equipment Identity Registry (CEIR) system.

This CEIR system will let you trace lost phones, believe it or not. While the system was introduced across states and union territories in March, the actual deployment is to take place starting May 17. 

Also read: Edit WhatsApp messages this way: Here’s how to get the feature

What is CEIR?

In simple terms the initiative to let the users of the smartphones block their device in case of theft or when the device has been lost. How does this work? 

You need to connect your device and add in preliminary details on the CEIR website or use the KYC application which is made available on the Apple store and Play store. The government will track down your device and retrieve it. Once you have procured your device you can simply unblock your cell phone. This system is introduced to prevent any data or privacy breach upon the loss of the device. The citizen can easily track their device and maintain security for their personal and confidential information.    

To add in your details and register your smartphone with the CEIR system you can visit their website here. Whenever someone tries to operate a blocked cell phone the tracking system takes a notice of the movement and the officials are made aware of the device’s location.

A statement from Chief Executive Officer and Chairman Project Board at CDoT, Rajkumar Upadhyay to PTI suggested that the system is ready for pan-India usage. 

"The system is ready, and now it will be deployed across India, in this quarter. This will enable people to block and track their lost mobile phones. One of the common practices is that miscreants change the IMEI number of stolen mobile phones which prevents tracking and blocking of such handsets. It was a national security issue. The CEIR will be able to block any cloned mobile phones on the network with the help of various databases."

Also read: Google trolled Apple over SMS feature yet again: Here’s why

How to block your phone on CEIR?

File an FIR (first information report) Fill an online form with all your information and the IMEI numbers which are foremost targeted IDs Attach a scanned copy of the FIR Within 24hrs of the completion of the form your cell phone will be blocked The phone will be disabled from all the networks throughout India.   You can track the status of the device traceability. 

What do you think about this centralized system of tracing lost phones online? Will you be using it in the future, if your phone gets lost? Let us know in the comments below.

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CS:GO Paris Major 2023: NaVi bounce back as Heroic and Vitality dance on with a three-match win streak

The BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023 is turning out to be the perfect spectacle that would essentially mark the end of one of the best eras of Counter-Strike. There are some issues like under-representation of other regions like Asia, the Americas, and the rest, with Europe being a dominant force. However, I will be taking a deep dive into that after the Major ends. For now, I am sure everyone is loving how the action is unfolding during the Legends stage of the Paris Major 2023.

CS:GO Paris Major 2023: Legends stage - Day 2 - Heroic and Vitality remain undefeated

Day 2 of the Legends stage started with Na’Vi taking on Ninjas in Pyjamas on Overpass. Having lost a game on Day 1 of the Legends stage, Na’Vi bounced back, handing the Ninjas their second defeat. The second match had GamerLegion defeat fnatic 11-16 on the familiar battlegrounds of Overpass.

Same vibes.#BLASTTVMajor @b1tcs pic.twitter.com/Onp4HHriWC

— BLAST.tv (@BLASTtv) May 14, 2023

The action then moved on to Vertigo, where Into the Breach showed why they were placed in the Legends bracket from the get-go, as they defeated one of the top-ranked teams from the Challengers stage, ENCE, 7-16. Apeks showed a glimpse of their brilliance as they stole a win from Bad News Eagles on Ancient.

Next, we moved on to the best of three matches, where the first teams facing off against each other were Monte and Vitality. The apEX-led roster (Vitality) trampled over Monte, as they registered an easy 2-0 win. When it was time for Liquid to take on Heroic, things got a little more interesting.

In the first map of the series, Inferno, Heroic won 16-11. On Mirage, Liquid fought back, giving Heroic a taste of their own medicine as they won 16-11. The decider map was Ancient, where we saw Heroic inch past Liquid, 16-12, making the series their own.

The next match of the day, between FaZe and 9INE, landed in FaZe’s bag, as they won 2-0. The story repeated in the last game, where G2 handed Furia a 0-2 loss.

With three straight wins, Heroic and Vitality look to be the teams to beat as we move into another day of some exciting Counter-Strike: Global Offensive action, which will be Day 3 of the Legends stage of the BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023.

Here's what the points table looked like at the end of Day 3 of the Legends stage of the Paris Major 2023 -

On Day 4, all the matches will be best of three series, so it will be interesting to see how things pan out -

To get all of our coverage of the BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023, check out this page.

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Redmi A2 vs Redmi A2+ comparison: Which one to buy when they launch in India

The Redmi A2 series is set to launch in India on May 19 and there will be two phones, namely Redmi A2 and Redmi A2+. Since the A2 series has been already announced elsewhere, we know what to expect from them. There is one key difference between the two devices and that is the presence of a rear-mounted fingerprint reader on the Plus model. Rest, everything else is the same between the two.

Redmi A2 series specs and features 

Redmi A2 Plus (Right)

We suppose the two phones will be the same as their global counterparts.

1. Redmi A2 series sport a 6.52-inch LCD display with HD resolution, 400 nits of peak brightness and a waterdrop notch. 

2. Within the notch lies a 5MP selfie camera that can record up to 1080p @30 fps. The rear cameras include an 8MP main camera and a 0.08MP depth sensing module. Even from the back, you can shoot videos up to FHD at 30 frames per second.

3. Inside the phones there is a MediaTek Helio G36 chipset with a 5000mAh battery (supporting 10W charging). The memory configurations include 2GB RAM+ 32GB storage and 3GB RAM+ 32GB storage. The phone supports microSD card storage expansion too. This will be a dedicated slot.

4. The global model ships with Android 12 Go Edition and MIUI skin on top. However, in India, Xiaomi has teased to boot the device with Android 13 software (probably, Go edition).

5. The connectivity options include micro-USB 2.0, WiFi, dual 4G VoLTE, Bluetooth 5.0, and GPS. You also get FM radio support and a 3.5mm headphone jack. 

The phone has been released in the global market in Black, Light Blue, and Light Green colours.

As already mentioned, the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ has got a fingerprint sensor on the back which the vanilla variant misses.

Xiaomi will launch the Redmi A2 series in India on May 19 at 11 AM (IST). It has also hosted a promotional page for the series. With colourful imagery, the brand is teasing various features of the Redmi A2 duo. It also has a small game as an engagement activity. Take part in it and you can stand a chance to win exciting giveaways. 

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Edit WhatsApp messages this way: Heres how to get the feature

WhatsApp is rolling out the ability to edit sent messages. But the feature is available only in WhatsApp for Android beta version 2.23.10.14 and above. Here’s how to get the WhatsApp beta update and this new feature.

How to get the WhatsApp beta update

1. You can get the WhatsApp beta update from Google Play Store. You can enrol into the WhatsApp beta program at this link. 

2. Click on “Become a Tester”. Ensure you are logged in to Google Play with the Google Account you want.

3. You may have to update your WhatsApp. Open the Play Store and search for WhatsApp. Click on the update option.

4. Once updated, you should have WhatsApp for Android beta installed on your device.

Let’s check if you have the edit option for WhatsApp messages.

How to edit WhatsApp messages

1. In case you sent a wrong message or a message with a typo/spelling mistake, the message can now be edited. You have to open the WhatsApp chat window where the message is present. 

2. Hold and press the message you want to edit.

3. Click on the three-dot menu option in the top right corner.

4. Tap on the edit option.

5. The text field and keyboard appear. Make the required changes. Click the tick option when you are finished editing.

6. The newly edited message will appear with an “Edited” tag on both the sender's and receiver’s end.

You get a 15-minute window to make the edit. So, it’s ideal for typos. You can also edit multiple times in this window.

Currently, the feature is available on Android only. iOS users should, however, get it soon. Needless to say, the feature will be available to beta users first. After the major bugs (if any) are ironed out in the testing phase, the ability to edit WhatsApp messages should reach the general public.

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CS:GO Paris Major 2023: cadianNs troops marching on with authority Vitality, Liquid, and Monte also get a strong start

If we were to get a real-life example of how one can start a tournament on a perfect note, then the Legends stage of the BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023 would be it. In a day marked by 16 best-of-one matches, we saw it all.    CS:GO Paris Major 2023: Legends stage - Day 1 - Heroic, Monte, Vitality, and Liquid start off on a strong note   Na’Vi started off the day, facing off and winning against GamerLegion 16-19 and setting the tone for the day. But their joy was short-lived, as later in the day, Liquid beat them 16-8 on the fabled grounds of Inferno.   Liquid, in their first match, were pitted against 9INE. Coming from the Challengers stage, Liquid showed why they are big hopefuls to win the tournament. They beat 9INE who were sat in the Legends bracket after the RMRs 16-9. Monte continued their run of form against Furia and fnatic, beating both teams in their best-of-one match. Fnatic had started their day with a win against Ninjas in Pyjamas and looked in hot form until they faced off against Monte.  

10 years of grinding pic.twitter.com/HZ1Y1Yugsc

— HEROIC (@heroicgg) May 13, 2023   Heroic locked horns with FaZe, who had a rocky start to their Major campaign. And, once again, FaZe’s graph went on a downward trend when they lost against cadiaN’s giants 16-7. They continued their victory trail into their second match where they won against Apeks.    Apeks had carried their form from the Legends stage and beat Into the Breach 16-10. Vitality was one of the few teams beating the Challengers stage progressors when they sat G2 down on Nuke. ENCE, who had qualified with G2, beat the Bad News Eagles on Vertigo. But later in the day were given a taste of their own medicine by Vitality.    Monte and fnatic had an exciting matchup on Vertigo. Their game went into overtime, where we saw Monte getting the upper hand, and emerging as the victors, with the scoreline reading 19-17 in their favour.    The final four matches of the day had – NiP beat Furia, GamerLegion beating 9INE, G2 losing their second match-up after winning their first game against Vitality, and FaZe looking meak with their second loss in their match against Into the Breach.    Here's a look at the points table at the end of Day1 of the Legends stage of the BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023 -    

Heroic, Liquid, Monte, and Vitality are looking to be the teams to beat at the moment. And, G2, FaZe, 9INE, and Furia having the most amount of rubber to pick up if they want to avoid a trip to de_airport.

Here's the schedule of Day 2 of the BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023 -

To get all of our coverage of the BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023, check out this page  

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Tecno Ultimage camera technology explained: How it benefits the Camon 20 series

Tecno has announced Ultimage camera technology for the Camon and Phantom line of smartphones. Ultimage encompasses 3 camera technologies viz. RGBW Pro sensor, sensor-shift image stabilisation, and a proprietary AI algorithm for portraits. Ultimage will be part of the Tecno Camon 20 series that could launch in India soon. Let’s learn more about this camera technology and what we know about the upcoming Camon family of phones.

What is Ultimage?

Ultimage is a term coined by Tecno for a bundle of 3 camera features it is bringing to some of its forthcoming Phantom and Camon smartphones, especially the Tecno Camon 20 Premier 5G.

As for the 3 Ultimage camera technologies, here they are:

1. RGBW Pro Technology

Traditionally, the camera sensors have an RGGB (Red, Green, Green, and Blue) colour filter pattern. However, in this case, one of those Green pixel arrays is replaced by a White pixel array. The white pixels increase the sensor’s light sensitivity and enable it to capture more light. The company claims ​​the new filter can intake 208% light which can be helpful in low-light settings.

This isn’t a new technology or concept and Tecno isn’t the only one working on this. In fact, back in December 2021, Tecno announced it is working on RGBW sensors with Samsung. 

2. Sensor-shift image stabilization

Instead of moving the lens (like in the case of OIS), the sensor-shift technology moves the sensor itself to compensate for any shakes or jittery movements up to 5,000 times per second. 

This anti-shaking technology should offer clearer images than before.

3. Portrait Master Algorithm

The proprietary algorithm is the result of deep learning on over 50 million deep skin tone photos. Tecno claims the algo can discern 7 different skin tones and that it should be able to offer the “most advanced” portraits out of a smartphone.

Needless to say, all these will be tested when the phone lands in our hands. Speaking of which, Tecno Camon 20 Premier 5G is the flagship phone out of the Camon 20 family. It has launched in another market with a 120Hz FHD+ AMOLED display, Android 13 with HiOS software, a triple rear camera setup including 50MP (main)+ 108MP (ultrawide)+ 2MP (depth), a 32MP selfie snapper, a 5000mAh battery with 45W charging, and a Mediatek Dimensity 8050 5G chipset.

Let’s see if it comes to India with these features.

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