Indian Pro-Gaming Legend Ankit V3NOM Panth On Gaming, Misconceptions, His Own Journey

Gaming, especially competitive gaming, is gaining popularity in India, and young gamers seek inspiration from legends like Ankit V3NOM Panth to develop the mad skills he possesses. But his journey to the top in a place where gaming is seen as time-pass or something that takes you away from studies was an arduous one.

We got to interact with him once again, to dive deeper into how he made his place as one of the best Counter-Strike players across the world and misconceptions about gaming that he is fighting, even to this day.

Ankit V3NOM Panth

What does gaming mean to you then and now?

Gaming was my happy place, and it helped me stay away from judgement around me. Today I am very happy to say that it¡¯s my profession, and I love being an e-sports athlete and competing professionally. I also enjoy the highs and lows of it, be it the happiness of winning a tournament or calming my teammates down after losing a game and pushing hard for the next one. I love these feelings, and gaming has taught me a lot of things in life.

What about gaming is difficult to explain to non-gamers?

It is sometimes difficult to explain that gaming can be a professional career if you are ready to work hard, and that it is not harmful if you do things properly and not just to set records. People think gaming is just a waste of time, where gamers game for hours with no intent, while what gamers actually do is practice, analyze, compete, entertain and earn millions. I can speak for myself, and I can safely say that I have signed multiple seven-figure deals, so there is no dearth of money here. I would like to highlight this for those who think one can¡¯t earn through gaming.

Also, there are a lot of misconceptions about gamers, from being fat, aggressive, suffering from back pain and other ailments, and that¡¯s what scares them and also stops them from pursuing gaming. I just want to be an example for those who want to think of PC gaming as a profession. I want them to know that what you make out of gaming is totally dependent on you, and it shouldn¡¯t be dictated by the profession, but yourself.

Thoughts on the addictiveness of gaming and overall just gaming responsibly?

I don¡¯t see gaming as addictive. As mentioned above, it totally depends on the individual. I have been playing for more than 13-14 years, let me give you an example of myself. There have been times when my PC has stopped working and I needed few months to arrange for money to get it fixed, due to my financial status at that point in time. Sometimes, even the internet has ditched me!

In fact, just before the lockdown started, I had no internet connectivity for 15 days. But that didn¡¯t mean I couldn¡¯t live my life. It is important to strike a balance, in both professional and personal lives. I set priorities for myself and I follow a schedule, and that helps me have a work-life balance. I can pursue my career as an e-sports athlete, help my family and myself and enjoy my life.

Ankit V3NOM Panth

PC Gamers look down upon Mobile Gamers. Is it fair?

I am a gamer, and I don¡¯t judge gamers based on the platform they play. A mobile gamer works equally hard as a PC gamer and it's the same for a console gamer. I personally play almost 8-10 hours every day on my Alienware PC at home or when I travel for tournaments on the Area 51m to keep honing my skills, analyze replays, see what other teams are up to, etc.

As gamers, we have to practice for hours before going on stage to compete, while as streamers and entertainers, we have to think about our content and learn the basics of the game. And this is true for gamers across PC, mobile and console gaming. One of the reasons for the comparison is that those who do so play one platform haven¡¯t played on the other. But trust me, it is not easy to play on either. It takes equal amounts of hard work and dedication as I have played on PCs, mobile and consoles.

Games you love to play, across platforms. All-time favourite games.

WWE, Counter-Strike, FIFA, Street Fighter, Tekken are some of my favourite games.

What was your gaming journey like?

I remember playing Solitaire, PinBall and Contra at my dad¡¯s office. Owning a PC was a distant dream for me but I understood our financial situation, and never forced them to buy one for me. My first competitive game was Counter Strike 1.6. During that phase, gaming cafes and small tournaments helped me a lot. I used to be good at games and there were a lot of people who would challenge me for a game or two. I would politely decline as I had no money to spare at the time.

A lot of times I would just stand and watch matches to learn from them, as I couldn¡¯t afford to play every day. But one fine day the cafe owner asked me if I would be keen to play the challenge matches -- I declined again, as I couldn¡¯t afford to play nor pay if I were to lose matches. He assured to take care of that and that whatever I win will go into his kitty. I was young and this was probably the best deal of my life.

This arrangement took care of my practice and helped me become better. I slowly started winning amateur tournaments and would save money to buy a PC as I was excited to represent India in e-sports someday. In 2008, my team won the first national-level tournament and that¡¯s how my professional journey began.

Currently, I am competing in Counter-Strike Global Offensive and Valorant, representing brands like Dell and Alienware, Intel, Red Bull, Corsair, Elgato, and GoPro. My parents still can¡¯t believe that I am a professional gamer representing multinational brands and taking care of the family.

Ankit V3NOM Panth

Who has supported you in your gaming journey?

A lot of people supported me, my family, teammates, fans, brands like Alienware, Dell, Corsair, Intel and Red Bull, among others. When I started playing, I used to game on a friend¡¯s 144 Hz monitor. Then it was announced that the upcoming tournaments would have 240 Hz monitors, and we weren¡¯t in a position to upgrade our rigs. Luckily, we were approached by Alienware for sponsorship and there is no looking back after that. I am thankful to all my sponsors for always helping my team with the latest tech that helps us evolve our gameplay.

For me, Alienware is special for another reason as I was always fascinated by it since I was a kid. I remember going to a PC shop and waiting to get a touch and feel of it. But the shopkeeper did not take me seriously and asked to check out something else. I knew where this was coming from and that was the day I decided that I will myself buy an Alienware someday. I still get goosebumps remembering this. I have come a long way, from not being allowed to check out an Alienware PC to today being the brand ambassador now!

How did you fight misconceptions about gaming in your own life?

I tried eliminating these misconceptions about me. I started with my parents. They used to stop me from going to gaming cafes because they thought I would waste my time in unwanted company or that I would become lazy and spoil my health and physique by gaming for hours. I didn¡¯t get into any of that. In fact, I am a fitness enthusiast and workout regularly, and in the pink of health.

I was well aware that I had to convince my parents to move forward with my passion. While they had their questions and concerns, I just needed to find the answers. When I couldn¡¯t find any, I became the answer. Apart from calling me V3nom in the gaming world, my fans have also started calling me the ¡®Mythbuster¡¯, and that makes me happy and proud of myself. They are sharing my videos and social media presence to convince their parents about gaming. Helping someone always makes me feel good.

Your first rig for gaming vs your gaming rig now?

My first rig was an Intel dual-core with very basic specifications. I remember a funny incident when I was purchasing my PC. My dad was reading the invoice and requesting the shopkeeper to reduce RAM from 256MB to 50MB and remove the power supply to reduce the price. I chuckled and told my dad that it won¡¯t work without power supply nor is there a 50MB RAM variant. I miss my days of struggling and starting from scratch.

Today I have the best machines at my disposal thanks to Dell and Alienware. I am using the Alienware Area 51m with Intel Core i9 processor and soon will be getting the new m15 powered with Intel 10th Gen processor.

Ankit V3NOM Panth

For my desktop, I am using the Alienware 25 240 Hz monitor, Intel Core i9-9900K processor, Corsair K70 RGB special edition keyboard, Corsair Void Pro wireless headset, Corsair 680x cabinet with 64 GB Corsair Vengeance memory, Corsair h115i liquid cooler, Corsair 1000 watts power supply and ZOTAC 2080 AMP edition graphics card.

For my streaming setup, I am using the Dell 144 Hz gaming monitor, Intel Core i7-7700K processor, Corsair K95 RGB keyboard, Corsair 64 GB memory, Corsair 750 watts power supply, ZOTAC 1080Ti graphics card, Elgato HD60 Pro capture card, Elgato Key Lights, Elgato Cam Link 4K, GoPro Hero 8 Black as a webcam, TC Helicon GOXLR mixer.

Your thoughts about gaming as an industry in India?

Gaming as an industry in India is growing at a rapid pace but it stills need to see consistency. One of the major challenges I see for youngsters is that there are a lot of myths and misconceptions around gaming, and they must convince their parents to pursue gaming. In terms of opportunities, I feel we need more events and a governing body to bring in some discipline and structure for both organizers and gamers. It will be good to be recognized by the government and I am confident that it will happen in future. It would be good to get there in the next 5 years.

It is also important to create an ecosystem for gaming in India. Brands like Dell and Alienware have been doing this for years now. I was recognized by them and now I work with them in their endeavour to create more opportunities for gamers. I was part of their Dell Futurist, a program for college-goers who wish to develop careers in the field of gaming. As a subject matter expert in gaming, I interacted with youth who were interested in the field.

Over the last many years, Dell in India has been developing this segment via interaction and experience-based activities such as -- Awareness building and channel engagement with my team - Team Brutality. They have been the title sponsors of Indian LAN Gaming (ILG) - Season 3. Through Gamer Connect, Dell has been available to gamers across regional cities in India.

What are the guiding principles for your growth and success?

It is important to be truthful to oneself and one¡¯s passion. Hard work is paramount, and do not compromise on that. The moment you think you have arrived is the moment you have a lot of chances to fail. Be consistent and do not forget why you started and keep going at it.

Biggest satisfaction you¡¯ve got through your gaming journey?

It would be when I represented India in Dubai. Nothing can beat the feeling of holding your country¡¯s flag up high. I feel blessed to be surrounded by supportive fans and parents and it keeps me going. From a kid who was seen as a bad influence on his peers to becoming someone who people can now look up to, I have come a long way and it feels good to be loved by so many out there.

Facebook: Ankit V3NOM Panth

What motivates you to keep doing what you¡¯re doing?

My mother¡¯s happiness keeps me going. I can now support and take care of my family thanks to my career in gaming. This keeps me motivated to improve my game every day. Gaming has given me a lot and I just hope to keep playing till the end.

Any interesting anecdotes from your gaming journey?

I used to get very nervous whenever parents approached me, during meetups or otherwise. During one such meet up in Intel ESL in Mumbai, a father approached me to say that his son plays Rainbow Six Siege and has especially come to meet me.

His father said something amazing. He said, ¡°You are my son¡¯s idol. He follows Virat Kohli, Messi and Ronaldo but now he says, Ankit ¡°V3nom¡± Panth is my inspiration and I want to become like him¡±. He added that his son is motivated by me and wants to pursue a career in gaming. He went to say that he made the right decision of meeting me. He was worried about the influence I would have on his young son.

But after meeting me, he was assured of his son¡¯s choice of following my work in gaming. He felt that I changed his perception of gaming, of gamers as well as their parents. He even got my autograph on one of his visiting cards. I was extremely delighted with the meeting.

While I can never be compared to these legends, it does make me feel happy and proud to know that people believe in me and my gaming. It¡¯s not only kids but also their parents. You might be able to fool kids, but you can never fool parents.

Ankit V3NOM Panth

If you had to do it all over again, what would you do differently? And why?

As a gamer, I never forced anyone to follow me on my social media handles. Recently, one of my videos on ¡®Gaming Parents and Life¡¯ went viral and a lot of fans and their parents spoke to me and told me about algorithms. They spoke to me about how I should start telling more people to like, follow and subscribe to my content, as it will help me reach more people and be taken seriously.

Parents of my fans gave me valuable feedback about how they had a very different image about gamers and how my video was able to able to change that perspective. They encouraged me to create more such content and debunk misconceptions about gaming and gamers, as I was a good inspiration for their kids.

That is when I decided I will do it for my fans, their parents, for all those who want to convince their parents about pursuing a career in gaming. Hence, if I had to change one thing, it would be to request more people to follow on my social media handles now.

Advice for young gamers who want to follow in your footsteps.

Work towards becoming a gamer your parents would be proud of. It is important to take care of yourself physically as it will help you stay fit and avoid injuries. It is important to work hard every day, as this is just like any other sport. Finally, I would advise young gamers to not neglect their studies to pursue a career in gaming.