Esports: Meet 'GhettoClownFish' - The reason behind the screen name

Jahkel "Notorious-God" Meta eased past Ifraaz "Tetsu" Ali.

A gamer's screen name can mean many things.

For some it's a simple nickname or a play on their own given name, while for others it's a way to assert their dominance on an opponent by referring to themselves as some type of "God".

But for NBA 2K player Sahan Petta, who plays under the moniker "GhettoClownFish", it was a sign.

"It came to me in a dream," Petta said.

Something is working for him with that quirky name because the economics student from Canterbury is playing in this week's round of the LPL Pro NBA 2K18 1on1 NZ Championship.

He will meet Regan "TROPIC_Superstar" Small in a South Island Conference Elite 8 clash.

Petta, who is the second seed and will enter as a warm favourite, wasn't short on confidence ahead of the match.

"I only play to win, Drake once said: 'Being No 2 is just being the first to lose'."

With that moxy it's hard to argue that this week looms as an exciting one if Petta can back up the talk. If he's not playing 2K he also dabbles in Fortnite and Mario Kart.

Small, a student at Otago University, is one of the tournament's replacement players hoping to make good on his second chance.

He has played plenty of 2K, while also mixing it up with Madden, Destiny, Fortnite and other first-person shooter games.

The 20-year-old said he didn't know a lot about Petta's style but expected a tough fight this week.

This week's matches will be broadcast live on Maori Television from 2.30pm on Sunday. They will also be streamed online on Twitch.

In the other clash, third seed Jake "JD" Downes, the tournament's youngest player, will tackle sixth seed Jordan "Hendo" Henderson.

Downes said he was adjusting to the camera angle being used for the event as it was different to the one he usually played on but other than that felt confident about his chances.

Henderson was realistic about his hopes for the tournament ahead of this weekend.

"I'd like to think in this tournament that anyone could win on the day with luck of shots but after watching some players I'd have to play out of my mind to win the whole thing," he said.

But you can't write anyone off and the Golden State Warriors have proven popular as most players' first selection when choosing their team.

Most players can also agree they're the best side on paper to play with so those who can perform with other rosters will put themselves in a great position to advance.

This week's winners will move on to the South Island's Final 4.

In last week's matches, Paul "Zirinic_" Cooper beat Shaakur "KingKur" Dryden-de Thierry 2-1 to advance, while Jahkel "Notorious-God" Meta eased past Ifraaz "Tetsu" Ali in the competition's first 2-0 clean sweep.

Both Cooper and Meta will go on to compete in the North Island's Final Four next week.

Event: LPL Pro NBA 2K18 1on1 NZ Championship
Game: NBA 2K18
When: Every Sunday, 2:30pm, Jul 21 – Sep 30
Watch: Maori TV and www.twitch.tv/letsplay.live